Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 8:59 am  

Harry Smith proving me wrong yet again, fantastic to see.

Liam Marshall knocking on lost us the game, so very happy to see him get over for the winner.

We tried our best to implode in the second half but found a way.

Can’t wait for the away day in London. It’s been too long!

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 9:21 am  

Katrina wrote:

I'm probably going to get shot down for this.... but I'm inclined to agree with some comments with regards to Field. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's average and I love watching him play and he's an absolute weapon - but when not given an inch, his threat is nullified by good defence and good marking.

He isn't the best passer. Even against Salford, he bombed two tries with poor passes out wide, so it was a good job he went almost the full length to win it.

Defensively, he's great in open play when a team is on a break because of his pace - he manages to force them on the outside to take them into touch, but as a last man on the line, he's often out of position or just gets bumped off which becomes a problem in the closer games.

That being said, he's still young and I believe he's still learning the full back position. I still find him exciting to watch and I'm glad that we have him for a couple more seasons, but he does have weaknesses and areas for improvement.

I really don't want to focus on negatives after a fantastic win but I really do have to take issue with this. Saints marked Field out if the game just as Salford did in the quarter final. The result was the same in both instances; a Wigan win. In Salford's case a nilling. In Saints' case a nilling until half time. They came back at us like the champion team they are but the end result was the same

To suggest he can't pass because he made a couple of questionable ones against Salford in the league game is crazy! Did you have your eyes closed the whole of the Warrington game? Or yesterday for that matter?

To question his one on one defence is also crazy after he just stopped Hurrell metres from the line in a one on one. How many people do that? And it's not like it's a rarity. He's put try savers in nearly every match! What are you watching?

Jai will not score length of the field tries every match. No player...no matter how good... does. But he is the best player to watch in Superleague by a country mile and we're lucky that it's us who get to cheer his moments of magic!

What would possess anyone to write a post like the above on a day like today completely escapes me. You must be a blast at parties!

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 9:26 am  

jonh wrote:

Harry Smith proving me wrong yet again, fantastic to see.

Liam Marshall knocking on lost us the game, so very happy to see him get over for the winner.

We tried our best to implode in the second half but found a way.

Can’t wait for the away day in London. It’s been too long!

Harry Smith was outstanding again Jon, as he was against Warrington. I think playing busted last year has put unnecessary pressure on him to do well this year but he's risen to the challenge like he was born to it!

I still think he'll need time to fully establish himself with Tommy still at the club and he'll have good days and bad days. I just hope as fans we give him the patience he deserves. He's clearly a class act with the potential to kick on.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 9:47 am  

Cruncher wrote:

I've been berated on here in the past for calling out referees for their incompetence.

That's still what I think it is. Plain unprofessionalism. I don't genuinely believe any referees are actually so biased that they'd try to influence an outcome.

But yesterday was odd. A couple of times I heard the ref warning Saints that they were standing offside, but in Wigan's case he just blew the whistle. And each time, it was when a decent Harry Smith kick had pinned them right back.

I'm sorry, but that's dodgy.

100%. Child(?) was a disgrace yesterday.

Well, I went to a game yesterday for the first time in a while. I'm disabled and was extremely anxious about going. Massive shoutouts have to go to the three fellow Wigan fans who shared a cab from the station with me and got me assistance at the ground when I was about to try and tackle it on my own. Rugby League and its fans are the absolute best.

Also, unbelievable from the Elland Road staff. So helpful and friendly. Surprising in Yorkshire.

Game wise I thought bar a 15 minute second half meltdown we were excellent. It's so, so clear what Peet is trying to do here. And it seems to be working. Under Wane we would turn in some baffling performances in the league but when it mattered, win or lose, you knew we'd given our all. It was nice to see that return yesterday.

Also, Farrell's try. Fantastic.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 9:58 am  

Phuzzy wrote:

I really don't want to focus on negatives after a fantastic win but I really do have to take issue with this. Saints marked Field out if the game just as Salford did in the quarter final. The result was the same in both instances; a Wigan win. In Salford's case a nilling. In Saints' case a nilling until half time. They came back at us like the champion team they are but the end result was the same

To suggest he can't pass because he made a couple of questionable ones against Salford in the league game is crazy! Did you have your eyes closed the whole of the Warrington game? Or yesterday for that matter?

To question his one on one defence is also crazy after he just stopped Hurrell metres from the line in a one on one. How many people do that? And it's not like it's a rarity. He's put try savers in nearly every match! What are you watching?

Jai will not score length of the field tries every match. No player...no matter how good... does. But he is the best player to watch in Superleague by a country mile and we're lucky that it's us who get to cheer his moments of magic!

What would possess anyone to write a post like the above on a day like today completely escapes me. You must be a blast at parties!

Why are you taking it so personally? He isn't the perfect/final product but so what? He's a weapon for us and it works. I don't know people get SO uppity whenever anyone points his weaknesses out. The poor passes haven't just been against Salford either though have they. But it's fine cos he's not playing in the halves. If he was, then it'd be an issue. Ultimately, I believe that's where he sees himself in the long run.

I didn't mention one on one. I mentioned on the line... He often doesn't 'sweep' and follow the play and ends up out of position. I also said he's young and still learning the role.

Had I said 'I don't like him, he's sh*t, he's average' blah blah then fair enough. I think you need to chill out a bit.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 9:59 am  

Just a point to highlight our style of play improvement -

2 of our tries were from running the ball on the last play.

How many times over the last few years would that have been a nothing bomb from Tommy/Hastings into the corner to “turn the ball over in the right position”

Chanced our arm and it paid off.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 10:21 am  

MadDogg wrote:

Morgan Smithies absolutely outstanding and outshone Morgan Knowles on the day.
.

I believe we need to refer to him as the poundland Morgan Knowles.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 10:27 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

I believe we need to refer to him as the poundland Morgan Knowles.

In all seriousness though, what a season Smithies is having. It's so easy to forget how relatively young he is, but he's really "arrived" this year imo. One of my favourite parts of yesterday was when Smithies took Marshall away from the ref, after Liam was upset at a 1st half call. That's a bit of real maturity and leadership - something that was probably the weakest area of his game.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 10:36 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

In all seriousness though, what a season Smithies is having. It's so easy to forget how relatively young he is, but he's really "arrived" this year imo. One of my favourite parts of yesterday was when Smithies took Marshall away from the ref, after Liam was upset at a knock-on call if the 1st half. That's a bit of real maturity and leadership - something that was probably the weakest area of his game.

He’s a terrific player and is maturing and improving all the time. Like everyone, he had a lull under Lammy but the good thing about him is that he was very honest and said he’d not kicked on as he’d liked to have done during that spell.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Sun May 08, 2022 10:41 am  

Katrina wrote:

I'm probably going to get shot down for this.... but I'm inclined to agree with some comments with regards to Field. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's average and I love watching him play and he's an absolute weapon - but when not given an inch, his threat is nullified by good defence and good marking.

He isn't the best passer. Even against Salford, he bombed two tries with poor passes out wide, so it was a good job he went almost the full length to win it.

Defensively, he's great in open play when a team is on a break because of his pace - he manages to force them on the outside to take them into touch, but as a last man on the line, he's often out of position or just gets bumped off which becomes a problem in the closer games.

That being said, he's still young and I believe he's still learning the full back position. I still find him exciting to watch and I'm glad that we have him for a couple more seasons, but he does have weaknesses and areas for improvement.

I think the only reason fans tout him so much is because everyone else says he’s just fast. I do believe he has more to his game and hopefully he can show it more. Can’t remember who it was against but he picked out a pearl of a cut out pass for a try. Also the tackle on hurrell he had no right in making, if that was Escare for instance he’d of bumped him off for sure. Hopefully a bit more development and a little less reliance on his speed he hopefully can progress