You must be a super Wigan fan to be in a position where the club explains its decision making rationale to you. Either that or you are quite happy to just make up nonesense!

Don't you think that the fact you had super loyal Sam in your number 1 shirt for the foreseeable coupled with cap restrictions meaning you didn't need another fullback (especially one who had a good offer to try his luck in Australia) was probably a more likely reason that matty was released?

Anyway your loss is our gain in my opinion.

Wayne's post match interview said it all. "It was a good arm wrestle on the floor", and then he grinned. I think it was Phil Clark who pointed out that Wigan's time in the tackle was often 5 seconds which was slowing down the Warrington attack. That killed us as we enjoy the quick play the ball.
Another point. When Laithwaite was taken out late, the linesman told Bentham what had happened when play was stopped for the injury. My question is why did he not come on to the field waving his flag to alert the ref, but allowed play to go on. Or perhaps he did alert Bentham through the mike but was ignored.
All said and done, without the disastrous interception we could have won, despite the injuries.
I'm just wondering why Wigan are allowed to lie on for so long, yet complain when it happens to them.
Finally, Mcollorum was determined to hurt whoever he could by foul means or fair, mostly foul.

No, I think the fact that we identified flaws in his game that our next crop of talented young fullbacks do not have, meant we decided to get rid of him asap.

Bore off so if you have this crop of talented fullbacks why the need to sign Bowen

1) Poor kicking game throughout. Too many times when

a) a long kick is required, the kick goes straight into the fullback/winger's arms without bouncing, allowing a very quick return of the ball, and
b) many "kicks for kick's sake" when near the line. We don't HAVE to kick on EVERY 5th tackle

and, more worrying

2) at times, in games we lack mental toughness, when the game stops for any period of time.
Last night, when half-time came, we just switched off. We walked out for the second half, and we looked lost. As soon as Wigan scored their first try in the second-half I thought "oh flipping heck". On their second score of that half, I knew we were beaten.

Cast your minds back 11 months to last year's GF.. Joel got injured when we had a 16 point lead. Our players just stood in their positions, gazing at the turf, meanwhile, Ratboy Tomkins was in the ear of every Wigan player, lecturing and cajoling them. I said to myself "I hope we don't concede here", and we did. As soon as Wigan got their next try, early in the second half, I knew we were done for.

Once we start to leak points, it becomes a virtual haemorrhage.

We did the same v Saints at this year's Magic weekend. We had something like a 20odd point lead, within 10-15minutes, (from memory) the gap tumbles down, and Eddie Hemmings has got his todger out. We managed to stem the flow by getting a break away try.

We need to "grow a pair" and stand up to opposition teams/adversity, when we concede 2 on the bounce.
Wigan seem to "have the number on us" in these senarios. Plus, you'd rarely see the Leeds team of a couple of years do something similar.

Come on Wire, toughen up. You are still a great team, just get a bit meaner.

Well, it must be difficult to be objective (look it up) about Russell when you have that fine up-and-coming Wigan St Pats product Matty Bowen at the back. He had a blinder didn't he? In a game where handling errors were crucial I thought it a bit of a risk by Shaun Wane to play a full back with no thumbs.

There is no way that there was any thought or fact involved in the compiling of this pathetic trolling attempt.

Made up nonesense again.

We can't complain too much about the ref, he missed the fumble by Hill just before one of our tries, plus he sin-binned the Wigan player for letting Wood thump him.

For me our let down was the insistence to play champagne rugby when we don't need to, 18-4 in front we should be looking at error free play and keeping them in their half.

Bit disappointed in Wigan continuing their plan of getting as many of our players stretchered off as possible. They are a top side, they don't need to do that.

They do though because, rightly or wrongly, intimidation is a major weapon in their nal - If you take that away, then you are left with a much less threatening opponent.

When you are on the receiving end its always easy to moan, but if we are being honest then I think we would all like to see our team with a bit of 'nasty' in it - A team, that when it is seemingly struggling, can motivate themselves together and simply go out and bully themselves back into a game.... As Lefty says, at the moment we seem very weak in the face of adversity, a couple of tries against us and suddenly certain players seem to go missing.

Wigan's tactics may not please the purist, but in my opinion, their second half performances, both last night and in last season's Grand Final, showed what a great motivator Shaun Wane is.... Both matches were won on the back of Wigan simply wanting it more (and aided by unfortunate injuries to us) and though we might complain that it isn't the way we want the game to be played, I don't believe we would moan half as much, if it was us handing out the beatings and picking up the trophies.

....and there, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have it in the first sentence.

As much as we hate them, Wigan have the winning mentality engrained in them.
As much as Wane is a irksome, horrible oaf, he has that win at all costs, doctorine. Personally, I hate that. Win, yes But win by outandout thuggery? NEVER


Wigan are battle hardened by players (and a coach) who've been there. Bar 3 CC wins, we're still a bit "wet behind the ears". We need to be smarter, but not to their level of "smartness". I'm afraid that won't sit too well, with me, Dita's. Win well, but not at all costs.

I hate Wigan's pooh house tactics with a passion. I preferred them, when they had the refs in Uncle Mo's top pocket (and I despised them, then)

I'd have to agree, I'd rather lose with integrity than win by going out to severely handicap or injure your opponents. No, really.

Wires, for several years, have carried the torch and further the cause for entertaining, thrilling rugby. Yes, we might have won at least one GF if we'd been more cynical but this isn't italian football you know, we are English after all,

Anyway, even if I'd been brought up in the shadow of central park and fed pastry since birth I couldn't bring myself to love Shaun Wane let alone his (winning) tactics. He has, as my Grandfather was oft heard to say, a face like a melted wellybob and the dignity of a landfill site. They also have a winger who appears to be having a silly hair competition with Boris Johnson & Ken Dodd, and winning by a distance.

Wires may not make the GF but we'll forever by purveyors of the finest rugby in the land and the most [ihandsome[/i team by a mile.

And no, I haven't been at the port & lemon.

(ಠ_ಠ)

This is my favourite post of all time.

I just love your posts morrisseyisawire.

Wigan deserved to Win. Mcilorum should have walked, dirty sh*thouse late shot, attack to knees tactics don't have a place in our game. All for a bit of biff, just a horrible individual and massively overrated.

Find myself in agreement with most of what you say and the eloquent way you express it but not your self righteous claim about rather losing than not purvey the finest rugby in the land.
We played fine rugby when we had Morley and Gaz at their peak and we still won because we did not get bullied out of games. Both Leeds and Wigan have a plan B when they play us. Against lesser sides they play football because they can win doing that but against us they struggle with just football so in come the dubious tackles, cheap shots, late unexpected collisions, slowed down rucks etc. They stretch the rules to the maximum but get away with it. As a result, in big games when the money's down, we allow ourselves to be bullied out of the game.
Given the status quo where these tactics are permissible, as I have said before, you have to fight fire with fire and have the personnel to neutralise the McIlorums of this world. You can do this without losing the will to play open, attractive e rugby.

Are we still linked with FFMM? Is he a fierce player?

Was supposed to be until Sam Burgess put him on his arris. Don't know much about his current form.

Unfortunately, because of the teams refusal to play a more composed & conservative style of rugby in previous rounds ,we have been left in a situation where Thursday game mattered. The inclusion of a plan B in some of the stupid games we have thrown away this year would have left a big enough gap between ourselves & Wigan to have made the game irrelevant.

Whilst I hate the Wigan dirty tactics what confuses me is we know they are going to do it to us, so in the true spirit of the game "Let's do it to them". Every time Mickey Cackybumbum get the ball he should be hit hard, high to the body and bang on the knees. Remember, prevention is better than cure.

There are 2 reason why we lost to Wigan................

The injury to Ben Harrison & the injury to Chris Bridge. If they had not been injured then we would have won the game no doubt.


Not bothered about the result now, I just want Ben (X2) & Bridgey back playing ASAP.

If we get the Ben's back along with Bridgey and no more injuries then I am confident of doing well in our upcoming games.

Heard Salford asked about him and Wakefield.
As I'm aware FuiFui is retiring. He'll be 36 in 2015.

Anyway he must be retiring thinking about it logically, he is soon to release a biography.

There was a rumour of a Fijian linked but no name but that was all.

I wonder if Les Boyd could manage a 5 minute spell next time we play Wigan?

Exactly.
To misquote the good book 'Do unto others before they do unto you' or to quote that epitome of sweetness and light, Joe Price 'You've got to get your retaliation in first.'
We need a temperamental forward. Fifty per cent temper and fifty per cent mental a la Mike Nicholas or Les Boyd. Andy Goodway once told me that he thought Les Boyd was a dirty player and I thought well if that's what you think he must have been doing something right. I just said "Paul Cullen speaks highly of you."
How much would McIlorum put it about with a broken jaw.
I regret having to postulate such tactics but McIlorum is a neanderthal coached by a neanderthal and, as long as they are allowed to get away with it, you have to do the same to them.

Haha. The hypocrisy in that last sentence after what preceded it is comedy gold! On a serious note, it does illustrate perfectly how fans revel in their own enforcers but hate it when opposition teams have them. Would you seriously like to take the Morleys, Westwoods, Boyds etc. out of the game? I certainly wouldn't...

I agree with Phuzzy. If officiials don't manage s**thouse tactics then the opposition have to take it into their own hands. We're lacking a couple of players who can counter the likes of "Micky Mac" (as Wane likes to call him..embarrassing I know)