We need a Captain : Fri Apr 18, 2014 9:13 pm
If there was ever proof of that, it's today. Wigan, as Wigan do, just turned up with 110% aggression and commitment and played professionally. They would die for the shirt and it's all about the collective. Nothing fancy, no real ability (As in the kind of ability that decides games ala Tomkins, Lyon etc) but just 100% effort. There were several times today where we had them. We'd battled back and had the territory, possession and momentum. Yet one man, as mentioned by Brown, stood out like a beacon in the dark. O'Loughlin was incredible for them today, he's peerless as a player in Super League (And should be in the NRL by now) and defensively he was there every single time we were about to strike back to stop us. He also more than did his job with the ball. He was the difference today and him alone. When it got tough for them, who was there geeing them up to go through that mental and physical wall again?For us in the same situation? There is no one. When Wigan went three scores up and had won the game Wello was having a tantrum on the half way line and walked back with his head between his nipples with the body language a 3 year old uses when he's into his second hour of shopping round Tesco with his Mum.
This team has all the talent to win not only SL but the double. What is doesn't have is the mental strength required to win a final (Unless we were to luck out and get to a cup final against a Catalans or Hull). We aren't as committed as Wigan, we didn't put the effort in that they did or play at the intensity they did. In all seriousness they could have all 13 starting players missing and still beat us as the replacements would all have the same mentality.
Despite being much better this season we'll win nothing. When it's easy we can be superb. When it matters we're a gelatinous mess.