Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 9:35 am  

Late to the party but what a performance that was on Saturday. I thought we had a good chance of beating Saints all week after consistently improving week on week but that first half was incredible play, by far the best we’ve seen in years - and I include the SW era in that.

There’s too many players to single out for praise but I will give special praise to Harry Smith. Written off, doubted by many of us on here (and I include myself in the latter) but what a turnaround. He is really proving himself to be an asset to this side and I couldn’t be happier for him.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 10:56 am  

I thought Morgan Smithies was excellent on Saturday and certainly won the battle of the two loose forwards. I've said this before I honestly believe that Smithies is a better player at his age than Knowles was.
Smithies really appears to have cut out the stupid penalties this season, something that continually let him down previously.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 11:03 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

I thought Morgan Smithies was excellent on Saturday and certainly won the battle of the two loose forwards. I've said this before I honestly believe that Smithies is a better player at his age than Knowles was.
Smithies really appears to have cut out the stupid penalties this season, something that continually let him down previously.

I couldn't agree more, this season he has really stepped up to the fore and is now showing us all what he can do. I still wish he would cut out all the faffing about when he's tackled though and just get up and play the ball.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 11:06 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

I thought Morgan Smithies was excellent on Saturday and certainly won the battle of the two loose forwards. I've said this before I honestly believe that Smithies is a better player at his age than Knowles was.
Smithies really appears to have cut out the stupid penalties this season, something that continually let him down previously.

Played Knowles off the park on Saturday. Knowles was barely noticeable in that game.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 11:15 am  

I thought Smith's defence was also much improved and his long range kicking game is something we have been desperate for for years. Compare to his first game of the year when he came on as sub and he made quite a few passes behind people and his timing was off he's really moved on.

The improvement in Smith, Smithies (who I was beginning to think had no place in the team last year), Liam, Havard, has been great to see - and really shows we need to avoid making snap knee jerk judgements - especially when as a team we were collectively struggling. Interesting to see how Partington develops from here - I think it's clear what our best forward pack looks like and Isa and Partington are outside that. Partington brings something different, but we still need more from him in making metres - if he can improve on that part of his game then he could push himself back into the frame.

I think Smith and Cust have the makings of a great partnership. It's easy to forget that Cust is still very young and inexperienced, he was really only a bench player at Manly and he's now leading the team around and is developing every game - worth remembering before we get on his back when he does make the occasional mistake in the future.

I haven't been so enthused by a Wigan team in a number of years.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 11:30 am  

Big Steve wrote:

I thought Smith's defence was also much improved and his long range kicking game is something we have been desperate for for years. Compare to his first game of the year when he came on as sub and he made quite a few passes behind people and his timing was off he's really moved on.

The improvement in Smith, Smithies (who I was beginning to think had no place in the team last year), Liam, Havard, has been great to see - and really shows we need to avoid making snap knee jerk judgements - especially when as a team we were collectively struggling. Interesting to see how Partington develops from here - I think it's clear what our best forward pack looks like and Isa and Partington are outside that. Partington brings something different, but we still need more from him in making metres - if he can improve on that part of his game then he could push himself back into the frame.

I think Smith and Cust have the makings of a great partnership. It's easy to forget that Cust is still very young and inexperienced, he was really only a bench player at Manly and he's now leading the team around and is developing every game - worth remembering before we get on his back when he does make the occasional mistake in the future.

I haven't been so enthused by a Wigan team in a number of years.

I thought Smith's defence vs Saints was fine, generally. I still think he has some way to go on that score - Roby doesn't score that try with Tommy playing for instance. But generally the improvement in him as well as the forwards you mention has been wonderful to see.

I just hope most of them see their long term future at Wigan. I don't think we'll ever be out-done in our ability to produce top end players. The difference is that the likes of Saints, and before them Leeds, for whatever reason managed to get their cohorts to (in the main) stay together and reach their prime around the same time. We've not had that, sadly, but you get the sense that the likes of Byrne, Smith and Smithies might be more inclined to stick around. It seems as though KPP will get his offers from Aus pretty soon, but I really hope Havard develops into an international class prop and wins silverware at Wigan before he heads down under, if he does at all.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 11:32 am  

Big Steve wrote:

I thought Smith's defence was also much improved and his long range kicking game is something we have been desperate for for years. Compare to his first game of the year when he came on as sub and he made quite a few passes behind people and his timing was off he's really moved on.

The improvement in Smith, Smithies (who I was beginning to think had no place in the team last year), Liam, Havard, has been great to see - and really shows we need to avoid making snap knee jerk judgements - especially when as a team we were collectively struggling. Interesting to see how Partington develops from here - I think it's clear what our best forward pack looks like and Isa and Partington are outside that. Partington brings something different, but we still need more from him in making metres - if he can improve on that part of his game then he could push himself back into the frame.

I think Smith and Cust have the makings of a great partnership. It's easy to forget that Cust is still very young and inexperienced, he was really only a bench player at Manly and he's now leading the team around and is developing every game - worth remembering before we get on his back when he does make the occasional mistake in the future.

I haven't been so enthused by a Wigan team in a number of years.

Partington does sit outside the first 17 IMO but he’ll show his value on Thursday. I expect he’ll play and I’d actually start him because there is a risk we lose focus a little and the lad will go at them at 100mph. He’s desperate to play for Wigan and whilst I think he sits outside the top 17, there’s a real value in having a guy like that, who you can drop in and out of the side, knowing he will go absolutely full throttle and bust a gut to get back in.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 11:54 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

Partington does sit outside the first 17 IMO but he’ll show his value on Thursday. I expect he’ll play and I’d actually start him because there is a risk we lose focus a little and the lad will go at them at 100mph. He’s desperate to play for Wigan and whilst I think he sits outside the top 17, there’s a real value in having a guy like that, who you can drop in and out of the side, knowing he will go absolutely full throttle and bust a gut to get back in.

I think it shows how far we've progressed when we're able to bring the likes of Isa and Partington, who were team regulars last season and even at the beginning of this, into the side to cover rested players. Hallsall too, in that he's nothing at all behind the incumbents and could quite easily be there himself on merit. Great place to be squad wise.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 11:58 am  

Phuzzy wrote:

I think it shows how far we've progressed when we're able to bring the likes of Isa and Partington, who were team regulars last season and even at the beginning of this, into the side to cover rested players. Hallsall too, in that he's nothing at all behind the incumbents and could quite easily be there himself on merit. Great place to be squad wise.

Couldn't agree more Phuzzy.

Also Saints fans are bleating about how poor they were for the first 40 and that they can only improve on that I'd add that we were very poor in the extreme for the first 15 minutes or so in the second half and that as the year progresses we can only improve on that as we strive to put together a full 80 minute performance.

We are still work in progress in several areas but as long as we keep making incremental improvements we will continue to close the gap on Saints and Catalans.

Re: Team for Saints (CC) : Tue May 10, 2022 12:26 pm  

Itchy Arsenal wrote:

Couldn't agree more Phuzzy.

Also Saints fans are bleating about how poor they were for the first 40 and that they can only improve on that I'd add that we were very poor in the extreme for the first 15 minutes or so in the second half and that as the year progresses we can only improve on that as we strive to put together a full 80 minute performance.

We are still work in progress in several areas but as long as we keep making incremental improvements we will continue to close the gap on Saints and Catalans.

We turned up for just 14 seconds of that 2nd half the Red Vee TV lads said. It’s funny they say that and blame their errors for the defeat but ignore how comfortable we actually looked at the start of the second half, until Marshall knocked on. The Saints spell started on the back of an error and until that error I felt they looked a bit beaten. It was only 5 or 6 minutes worth of action but respect the ball, don’t make the error and get through another 5-10 minutes and I think we take it home quite comfortably.

Who knows? But Saints are hanging their hats on it being totally their fault they didn’t play in the first half and are pointing to a 15 minute spell of dominance, on the back of our error, as proof next time will be different. We’ll have to play extremely well to beat them next time and the time after that and so on but I think we can do it again.