Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Wed Jul 05, 2023 8:22 pm  

I tend to agree, Wigan are just about full strength. We have won two games, but let's be realistic I think this one is beyond our capabilities. Let's hope we come out with no injuries or suspensions and have a good dig at shudds next week. However when we are on the shudds topic, what betting they roll out their pet ref Mr Kendal, just to give them a little bit of insurance

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Wed Jul 05, 2023 8:55 pm  

Prince Buster wrote:

I tend to agree, Wigan are just about full strength. We have won two games, but let's be realistic I think this one is beyond our capabilities. Let's hope we come out with no injuries or suspensions and have a good dig at shudds next week. However when we are on the shudds topic, what betting they roll out their pet ref Mr Kendal, just to give them a little bit of insurance

We are nowhere near full strenght, but you are correct. We should have too much for you without Gale but i have lost count the number of times we have gone to Belle Vue and got a stonking when we have been expecting a win. We are riding a bit of a crest at the minute though and i am looking forward to it.

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Wed Jul 05, 2023 9:58 pm  

Prince Buster wrote:

We have won two games,

Prince Buster wrote:

WE ? are you Carters spokes person.

[PopTart]

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Wed Jul 05, 2023 11:32 pm  

I guess the Prince doesn't see us as a WE.

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Thu Jul 06, 2023 2:55 am  

Just hope a few more fans turn up to get behind the team than of late, always go to every game expecting a win and I’m no different this time .Always enjoyed the bigger teams coming to Belle Vue with the hope of turning them over and also to watch their players ,for as much as you hate them on the night you have to admire their skills ,and hope one day soon ,that our club can attract these types of players instead of being over looked for the glamour clubs . Fair way to go I’d say on that one ,but looking forwards very much to what the next few years brings under our new owner , and how much he wants the club to succeed , you’ve to look no further from Leigh to see it can be done

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Thu Jul 06, 2023 7:03 am  

Using Leigh as a fine example of how it can be done is short sighted to say the least. All their spending goes into their first team. They have a reserve team that hasn't fulfilled a fixture this season, no academy, no ladies team and no pdrl team. Salford are another side were all the funding is spent solely on the first team. If every team in the competition operated like this rugby league will cease to exist in the iong term.

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Thu Jul 06, 2023 8:29 am  

I hope that we go with Kay/Dagger in the halves but, I suspect that it may be Langi and Dagger ?

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Thu Jul 06, 2023 9:02 am  

wrencat1873 wrote:

I hope that we go with Kay/Dagger in the halves but, I suspect that it may be Langi and Dagger ?

Hope not tbh. Langi didn’t work at 6. Dagger is a good 6 so I wouldn’t change that. We just need a pair of hands to play in their dinner jacket at 7.

I would be fine with Kay (Whitbread/Battye and or Proctor can share 13)

We can and should keep as much as possible the same after that performance and hope to continue on.

One of my absolute pet hates is moving 3/4 players to accommodate 1 injury. Just swap one in and keep continuity after a strong performance. In the past because we have a 7 out we’d have moved Jowitt to 6, Dagger to 7, Butterworth to 1 and swapped 3 positions…. Just put a 7 in and give him a simple game plan.

Jowitt
Lineham
Lyne
Croft
Kershaw
Kay/Butterworth
Dagger
Whitbread
Hood
Bowden
Ashurst
Pitts
Battye

Bowes
Fifita
Atoni
Proctor

The only challenge is we absolutely need to be prepared in our kicking game. Can’t kick to French and Field unless it’s under pressure on their line.

Do we kick to touch if far out to avoid broken field opportunities for Wigan. Then send up high balls within the 20 putting pressure on the edges. Needs to be well thought out. The player at 7 needs to be able to command outside runners like Gale was and release the ball to create that space and overlap like last week.

The fact is 15/17 of the team above put in that cracking performance vs Salford. If they can do the same on tomorrow then you never know.

I’m still feeling a hint of positivity for tomorrow. If they can win it put us right up the backside of team above with an out of form Hudds to play. If we find the game slipping then I hope they keep pushing as points difference is massive.

If Cas get beat by Leigh well then any points that closes a points difference gap could be the difference by end of season.

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:21 am  

It looks a very strong Wigan team with pretty much their full 1-17 squad numbers available.

To go into this game with no recognised halfbacks puts us in a big hole unfortunately. I cant see us getting anything from this one, but hopefully show some good spirit and put up a fight.

Only chance i see us having is if we can get the big forwards rolling down the middle, and put Wigan on the back foot.

Re: Wigan @ home Friday : Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:33 am  

captaincaveman wrote:

It looks a very strong Wigan team with pretty much their full 1-17 squad numbers available.

To go into this game with no recognised halfbacks puts us in a big hole unfortunately. I cant see us getting anything from this one, but hopefully show some good spirit and put up a fight.

Only chance i see us having is if we can get the big forwards rolling down the middle, and put Wigan on the back foot.

The forwards will be massively important in this game for certain. It won’t be east to roll Wigan down the middle but if they do get us on the front foot then they can be the catalyst for a good performance.