I honestly wouldn't have been too bothered with the result or performance today - I'd have snapped your hand off if offered two wins out of the next three following the Warrington game and it was clear there was just nothing left in the tank. We've played every game you can possibly play this year with the WCC and the CC final and now three games in nine days. Being joint top off the back of all of that with six games to go and French back soon isn't a bad position.
But to be as immature and petulant as Harry Smith was is completely unacceptable and could be very costly to our season. It could well be a 3-4 game ban and with our other injuries in the spine it will make the top 2 a difficult task. There are times when you have to man up a bit, take your medicine and live to fight another day. This isn't the first time Wigan players have shown this immaturity by any means. Plenty of red cards across Peet and Wane's tenures in either high pressure situations or when egos are hurt.
I take your point and, as fans, we don't like to see any loss....
As it stands we still could retain LLS by winning all our games and well. Its time to get some magic from Farrimond, Field, French and Forber, (or we are f'ed )
I take your point and, as fans, we don't like to see any loss....
As it stands we still could retain LLS by winning all our games and well. Its time to get some magic from Farrimond, Field, French and Forber, (or we are f'ed )
It’s not all over yet. We need to get players rested, too much has been asked of too few. Hindsight is a great thing but Peet &Co. could have chosen to freshen our team up today with a view to bringing our big hitters back next week. At some point we were going to hit a brick wall, my worry is that we will see the same next week.
It’s not all over yet. We need to get players rested, too much has been asked of too few. Hindsight is a great thing but Peet &Co. could have chosen to freshen our team up today with a view to bringing our big hitters back next week. At some point we were going to hit a brick wall, my worry is that we will see the same next week.
I did think that it might be the best strategy to attack one of the Leigh and Leeds games and just throw the other one and play the reserves. Wouldnt have been palatable to some but may have been the best move.
It’s not all over yet. We need to get players rested, too much has been asked of too few. Hindsight is a great thing but Peet &Co. could have chosen to freshen our team up today with a view to bringing our big hitters back next week. At some point we were going to hit a brick wall, my worry is that we will see the same next week.
Far from over, as you say, the "fatigue management" could have been better and I'm sure Peet and team will learn from this. We seem to be stuck in playing an arm wrestle game when a couple of bits of magic could loosen their defence and give the hard workers a bit of breathing space.
7 more years of this to look forward to, Mr Pollard was right to give out only 1 year rolling contracts, Lockers & Lulu really aren't up to Wigan standard coaching wise and once Briers goes to the Saints they will be unstoppable for many years to come again, I'm afraid we need two new top class assistants and possibly 4 or 5 players changed, Toby King for Keighran would be a good start.
Well, if we win 2 trophies a year for the next 7 years, I'll be more than happy.
As for Briers; do you mean like Warrington and Brisbane were/are unstoppable? Don't forget he's only achieved anything at Wigan so far.
We definitly seemed to get dragged into playing one way and not being able to break out of it. We do not seem able to throw the ball around and drag defenses out of position. A startlng lack of any creativity on show today - so much posession in the first half but we did absolutely nothing with it and never looked like scoring. Add in some one sided ref decisions (the Martin drama award when Keighran was sin binned was ludicrous) and yet again a riduculously slow ruck and we were going nowhere.
Why is it Yorkshire teams always seem to have their best game of the season against us (Hull now Leeds)?
We looked tired and disorganised and some players (Hampshire, Keighran, Miski) look so very far off the pace , but then many today looked poor.
Smith picks up a ban we are really struggling - maybe Farrimond at 7 with Leeming at 6 and Forber in at 9? Hampshire has probably played himself out of the team on that perfromance - if he gets another chance it is only because Smith is out.
Brisbane were pretty good in Briers' early days there. But they've lost good players (Herbie, Tommy Deardon), have a weaker squad now, and a lot of injuries, and they're struggling.