i don't have a problem with what gelling did. the game was more or less up anyway and it might have just unsettled the kicker (bit like when a pen is retaken in football). it was such a simple kick, someone had to try something however daft it seemed

Wigan have a lot of work to do if they are to be in the running for trophies this season. The pack looks non existent, they've still got that donkey playing at fullback despite supposedly have the best player since Jesus in the squad (Hampshire) and the halves look out of their depth.

I'd still put the blame for their performance on Wane and Flower. Their thug mentality was their soul, it has been Wigan's trademark since the dark day Michael Maguire set foot in the country. But once the spotlight was finally put on them by an overly wound up Ben Flower in the GF, they are struggling to find a gameplan. They know they can't go all out thug and don't really have any quality in the side. Can a Wigan fan answer the question about why they haven't replaced their outgoing players, particularly Green?

Yea it was bad. That's how we play every time we're without Lockers though.

I don't think we actually bother practising last tackle plays or any sort of set-plays in training other than the classic swing-it-wide-and-hope-for-an-overlap.

2 games down. 2 reffing performances that favoured the Aussies. I wonder, will it be 3? Oh yeah, course it will.

Everyone on here saying both teams were poor, Wigan awful at times, and the game not up to standard of last night which is true imo but yet then we have Eddie and Phil Clarke bigging it up as an epic, heroic war which proves we can stand toe to toe with them.

I find that quite embarrassing

I have to say I am frustrated by the refereeing of this game in particular.

If Bentham is going to use such fine margins to adjudicate on Batemans (non) obstruction then he surely has to be equally pedantic about other aspects of play.

Brisbane, like St George last night, constantly put a 3rd man into the tackle so late that it was a flop, had that been a regular SL game a penalty would be given.

There were also a number of times that Brisbane players crossed behind one of their team mates yet no penalty.

There was also a number of occasions when with more than one defender involved Brisbane were 'dragging' a Wigan pkayer towards and into touch, but no penalty.

These are just 3 examples of Benthams leniency toward Brisbane and also instances of inconsistancy with the rules.

As I said earlier, if you're going to be so pedantic as to penalise Bateman for obstructing then you can't then show unacceptable leniency in other areas, it's why players get frustrated!

Got to admit it was such a wtf moment, it was funny.

Spot on

Yeah not since 2006 when a Fielden inspired Bradford beat not exaclty the greatest team to come over West Tigers, has an English team won when an English Ref (French one year with Terry Albert) won in one of the WCC games.

Agree, Bentham seemded to go from one extreme to the other all way through the game.

Ref did nothing much wrong.

Truth is Wigan were smashed in the forwards. Like they were smashed in the forwards at OT.

Wane must have a screw loose if he thinks he can succeed pitting his cruiserweights up against heavies over a long season.

Wane isn't Madge, although he thinks he is a better coach. I wouldn't blame Ben Flower as he has always been aggressive but never was sent off or binned before the Grand Final so was out of character.

We haven't replaced any of the top players because of a combination of IL money saving and SW thinking he is supercoach..

The Chickens are coming home to roost

Hope you win tomorrow.

The flop is something they seem to have abolished this season. There were quite a few farcically late drop ons in the Warrington game and a several more tonight. Seems they have completely forgotten the rule exists. There was one from Corey Parker tonight that was so late the Wigan player was in the process of playing the ball and he still didn't penalise it.

Have to agree. They've lost so many good players in the last 2 or 3 years and just replaced them with kids and average players from other teams they must be way under cap which seems bizarre. Maybe it's just wane's ego getting in the way of building a winning squad

I know you are partly fishing here but i do agree with a lot of that.What i have seen of Wigan so far, if i was a fan i would be a little worried about how this season is going to pan out.

O'Loughlin is such a big miss now with Green departed and although i think Smith is decent (a little overrated by some) there really isn't much else to guide them around the park and the go forward which most of their play is built around in recent years is lacking a bit which makes them look quite predictable.Early days of course

There are some truly embarrassing comments in this thread.

The idea of the World Club Series is for Super League fans to get behind all participating English clubs against Australian opposition. How will an expanded competition become sustainable if this doesn't happen?

Instead people insist on taking petty, schoolboy jabs at a Wigan side who put in a phenomenal effort there.

No team would have been able to play great rugby on that pitch. It inevitably turned into a forward battle and Wigan struggled to make the ground Brisbane did due to smaller and younger forwards.

Very proud of them and unlike some very sad people, I will continue to cheer on other participating English teams by pulling for Saints tomorrow.

That was an awful game, in part due to the state of the field. But also Wigan has no attacking flair. The only exciting Wigan moment was when the Sydney Roosters winger-to-be broke down the left flank and interchanged passes before scoring. Brisbane missed Darius Boyd, Englishman Jumping Jack Flash Reed. and Dale Copley, and only Anthony Milford showed any attacking flair for them.

Next year we need to have an exciting attacking team from Down Under, like the Sydney Roosters, involved. We also need an exciting Super League attacking team like Morgan Escare, Scott Dureau and Todd Carney's Catalans Dragons, involved. Those two teams would better showcase rugby league than the two bores we saw tonight.

Well said. I will be cheering for Saints tomorrow.

Yeah, like you reeeeally were supporting Wire yesterday. Pull the other one.

get your own pitch then....

as for who i support, brisbane are my NRL team. so should i pick a wigan team with an ethos that i disagree with over a team i have supported since i started watching NRL?

tomorrow night i will be neutral. i like both saints and souths equally and last night i cheered for warry (i felt ill, but i did) is this ok with you?

No it's not, the idea is to try and prove that they can be an expanded version where more teams can be involved and have it be possible that all teams competing can win (probably a top 4 from each league knock out thing).......won't be no cheering on the other English sides from rival fans then if that happens.

Also people will be pulling for Saints tomorrow because they're actually playing in the WCC, Wigan and Wire just played in glorified friendlies.

yeh could hardly contain my excitement when they played St's and Cas in recent weeks



Gie it a rest man

Hey they've managed a whopping 20 points in 2 games to be fair

Don't understand cheering for Aussie sides. Think it's a relatively new phenomenon.

Even if it's through gritted teeth I wanted a British win.

That said, I couldn't help chuckling at Wigan's crawpy breaks. Especially since they were being absolutely mullered at the line of scrimmage.

What can I say to that? Again, a very sad post. Of course I was cheering for Warrington, why on earth wouldn't I be?