Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:01 am  

FearTheVee wrote:

I love all this about Sironen feigning injury for looking like he’d got a direct shoulder the head after getting a direct shoulder to the head!

My favourite excuse for Singleton so far is he wasn’t looking and just putting the shoulder in. That’s the very definition of a reckless tackle - he deliberately leads with his shoulder so if that smacks someone’s head then he’s getting a card.

It’s not like it’s unusual for a player to be brought down from standing height when tackled by another player. Singleton led with the shoulder second man in - reckless and dangerous.

On the game - French was lethal when called upon and that break from Firld was all class.

I felt like Saints were well on top for big chunks of the first and most of the second half but Wigan looked much more dangerous with the ball. I think Wigan knew they would be dominated up front so played with lots of ball movement at times and looked really threatening given the pace they had across the pitch.

Great game and a good win. I was confident all week about covering injuries in the backs as we had a first choice pack but losing Walmsley on top was a concern. Of course Wigan had a few out too.

Yeah I don’t think Sironen was feigning it, but that can be the only way to draw the referee’s eye to dangerous contact- there has to be a better way

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:13 am  

Personally I thought it was a great game. Saints early dominance and Wigan's dogged defence. A brilliant first try.
Wigan looking like they may go on and win it early in the second half. Saints fighting their way back into it. Again Wigan looking like they'd won it. Saints coming bak but missing the conversion looking like they'd lost it. Then an brilliant piece of play for a winning try in the last minute.
French and Field just spped merchants and nothing else - think again. Welsby vastly overated - think again.
The red card - the more reasoned on here correctly point to the application of the rule - did it come about due to the 2 incidents in Saints v Catalans not resultingin sending offs but subsequently big bans - yes probably. But if that had been Walmsley on Farrell how many on here would be saying only a penalty or bin at the worst?
From a neutrals point of view that has to be the game of the season. Wigan have improved so much from last year, congrats to Matt Peet, also for his far more calm and collected after match interviews and not just in this game. I hope should these to teams contest the Grand Final then it is with both teams missing very few players, what a final we wioll see again if so.

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:24 am  

FearTheVee wrote:

That’s a completely different context to what you initially said. And is all still correct - your pack was getting murdered again yesterday without Walmsley and some outstanding defence and a bit of quality from deep from Field and French kept you in the game. Second half and much of the first the Wigan pack went absolutely nowhere.

That's pure hyperbole imo.

Undoubtedly, you started the game on the front foot & very much in control, but I actually think that our bench turned the game in our favour. We held that into the 2nd half and low and behold Singo comes back on and it switches back to you.

Mago, Havard and Smithies were massive improvements on the guys they replaced. I'm hoping Cooper will help with what's an glaring issue. Likewise, time to bin Shorrocks off too.

I'm not going to get into the BS of who was missing (for both sides), but Thornley and KPP and the momentum they bring from our line was a huge loss. Would they have been the difference? Probably not, but Hurrell really set the tone for you guys in that regard. He's had some stick from our fans, but what a player he is. Imo he's had some big moments in all three of pie games this year.

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:31 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

That's pure hyperbole imo. .

Maybe - I’m waiting on the stats but it felt to me like we spent vast swathes of the game returning kicks back into wigans half after they’d been limited to not much in possession, and where yards came for Wigan they came moving the ball as the pack was struggling.

sergeant pepper wrote:

Undoubtedly, you started the game on the front foot & very much in control, but I actually think that our bench turned the game in our favour. We held that into the 2nd half and low and behold Singo comes back on and it switches back to you.

Mago, Havard and Smithies were massive improvements on the guys they replaced. I'm hoping Cooper will help with what's an glaring issue. Likewise, time to bin Shorrocks off too.

I don’t think you can blame getting penned in your own half on Singleton. There were plenty out there struggling for yards.

sergeant pepper wrote:

I'm not going to get into the BS of who was missing (for both sides), but Thornley and KPP and the momentum they bring from our line was a huge loss. Would they have been the difference? Probably not, but Hurrell really set the tone for you guys in that regard. He's had some stick from our fans, but what a player he is. Imo he's had some big moments in all three of pie games this year.

Hurrell has been a good signing. Was great to see Hopoate get through a game, some very classy touches.

Also if there’s a better back rower than Batchelor running around SL this season then I haven’t seen him. Massive game again from him, hope he gets a chance in the World Cup.

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:33 am  

On reflection after the disappointment of losing in the last minute.

We've shown we can compete with Saints, another day and we could just as easily won that rather than losing.

The same issues remain in that we need to stop Saints getting a roll n when they are desperate, they just put and extra 10% into their post contact metres than we can find. Pin them down in their half on the last 5 mins and we win the game.

Conversely, they are so good at pinning us in our half, the 15 mins spell where we were kicking from our own 30-40 took its toll on the end.

We need to find a way to work out how to deal with both.

Their last play options and structure are very good in the 20m range. Either a kick and proper challenge on the full back or a dummy, kept our defence guessing.

Conversely we looked a little clunky in our organisation, possibly with Cust coming back in. I do wonder if Field at 6 and Miski on wing would have helped attacking shape and coming off our own line.

Overall, great game, unlucky not to win, could have gone either way and we wouldn't be looking at the negatives but raving over Field and French.

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:37 am  

FearTheVee wrote:

I don’t think you can blame getting penned in your own half on Singleton. There were plenty out there struggling for yards.

I'm not just blaming Singo, but he is our most experienced forward, both in terms of age and experience. In these big games, you look towards him and he fails to deliver time and time again. Byrne struggled for meters, but he's 6th choice and is improving. Like I said, Shorrocks was poor and we instantly saw an improvements when Smithies came on.

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:42 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

That's pure hyperbole imo.

Undoubtedly, you started the game on the front foot & very much in control, but I actually think that our bench turned the game in our favour. We held that into the 2nd half and low and behold Singo comes back on and it switches back to you.

Mago, Havard and Smithies were massive improvements on the guys they replaced. I'm hoping Cooper will help with what's an glaring issue. Likewise, time to bin Shorrocks off too.

I'm not going to get into the BS of who was missing (for both sides), but Thornley and KPP and the momentum they bring from our line was a huge loss. Would they have been the difference? Probably not, but Hurrell really set the tone for you guys in that regard. He's had some stick from our fans, but what a player he is. Imo he's had some big moments in all three of pie games this year.

You normally post a lot of sense so I’m surprised with this one. You can’t mention Thornley and KPP being out and not mention Percival and Makinson. There’s no better kick returner in the comp than Makinson in terms of getting us on the front foot and Percival is decent at that too.

Walmsley is the best prop in SL and our pack still dominated overall yesterday.

I’m not so sure Thornley gets in your first choice 13? However as I’ve said before if we have a full team out even with Dodd out I’m pretty confident we’ll beat you.

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:48 am  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

We’ve had some good natured jousting on here but don’t ever ever play the milking card again. Watch Farrell 25 mins. Literally lied down, got a pen then did a star jump to get up haha

But it was a penalty? He doesn't try to get one that isn't (like he does 2nd half) it is literally a penalty.

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 8:08 am  

Stu M wrote:

You normally post a lot of sense so I’m surprised with this one. You can’t mention Thornley and KPP being out and not mention Percival and Makinson. There’s no better kick returner in the comp than Makinson in terms of getting us on the front foot and Percival is decent at that too.

Walmsley is the best prop in SL and our pack still dominated overall yesterday.

I’m not so sure Thornley gets in your first choice 13? However as I’ve said before if we have a full team out even with Dodd out I’m pretty confident we’ll beat you.

You've miss understood my post. FTV, was imo going OTT when he talked about our lack of go forward - KPP or Thornley, Ellis plus Partington, Shorrocks and Singo being duds hampered us. There's reasons behind it and to ignore them, whilst also gloating is frankly the boring BS that's ruined this week.

Like I said, I didn't wanna get into the BS of who was missing as it's swings and roundabouts. As another point, FTV mentioned we were more clinical and, undoubtedly, that's because of the guys you had missing. Likewise, your poor goal kicking - it's folly to talk about it.

Re: Saints (m) : Sun Jul 10, 2022 8:28 am  

I think on balance of play Saints deserved it.

I thought it was a fantastic game that had it all and ultimately we gave Saints too many chances and they took them. They are a quality side and still the benchmark for SL clubs.

Having said that I do think the advances we have made in the last year on them are huge and show no signs of slowing down.

I’m confident next year we will overtake them and whilst they are favourites for the title this year it’s not too much of a stretch for us to be finishing this year off as champions.

Lots to look forward to both this year and next.