Just a heads up Wigan play Warrington in the Academy semi final today at 12 at Robin Park.

...and it's live on Wigan TV!

Our hooker who has come on from the bench (Ratchford is it?) has helped turn the game, after we made a poor start. He’s been excellent.

18- 12 win.

Ratchford a clear MOM. I thought Kerr and Farrimond both looked a class apart as well. Wires fullback and the left centre looked extremely threatening.

Think you're referring to Lindop and Taylor-wray, both look class players. We will do our best to ruin them as usual!

Aye, they’re the ones.

Yeah, Wires full back and left centre and Ratchford the stand out 3 players in the game, Ratchford the match winner. Wigan probably a little lucky to get the win I thought, Wire blew some chances.
Only the 2nd/3rd game iv been on this season but if you’d have told me after the Saints game earlier this season that they’d make the final I would have said no chance.

Should be a good final. They’ve both beaten each other once this season so this is the decider.

It’s always nice to beat Wigan at any level so I’ll be gutted if we lose but at the end of the day it’s all about the development to first team now.

There’s going to be quite a few from both sides who we’ll see playing first team in the next few years

Scrap that. Its now Saints v Warrington. Wigan disqualified as per the official statement from Saints

how about that...

[urlhttps://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2023/09/22/rfl-statement-academy-grand-final/[/url

F**k the RFL.

Absolutely despise every single one of the clowns that run this sport.

You can't make 4 more subs than the opposition though? No idea how this has happened, surely they knew the number of interchanges

How can it take until the Friday to make this kind of decision? Warrington may not have trained this week, because the RFL aren't exactly experts on communication, so that gives Saints a massive leg up for the final.

I've just said the same. If they've been on the ale all week and had their own version of Mad Monday they probably haven't even trained.

F*** the RFL for applying the rules? You should be directing your anger at the coaching staff and/or whoever else didn't know how many interchanges were allowed. With that said there's every chance one of the officials messed up too, I'm sure it will all be cleared up in time.

What a massive shame that is for the young men, the culmination of a successful season ruined and for some what would have been one of the highlights of their careers.

Do they match officials not manage the interchanges like they do in SL? I.e numbered cards that are handed in?

Outside of that, you also can't just drop a new team in 2 days before a final. They haven't trained. Some of them might have booked surgeries in etc. How is that fair to Wire?

I don't disagree with your second point but 4 more subs gave Wigan a huge advantage in a close game. What could the RFL do? I've no idea as to how such a well run professional club like Wigan have done this. Its literally 4 more subs than allowed.

Yeah absolutely F the RFL. It's Friday FFS, the final is on Sunday.

I can watch the game on Wigan TV now and in 80 mins I can tell you how many interchanges we've made. What takes almost 5 full working days?

It's unacceptable and typical RL/RFL imo.

What they can do, is not ruin the final.

When was the last time anything like this happened? I've never heard across sport (granted I've not thought long and hard about it) of something like this happening. There's been retrospective fines and points deductions, but to basically over turn a result?? It doesn't happen when refs make a mistake - so why now?

Replay the semi. Play it at Wire and fine us.

Utterly bizarre. How did both Wigan and the officials at the game allow that to happen?

This issue has been caused by the lack of professionalism of Wigan. You can blame the RFL or the officials but I'm not having that the Wigan coaches can't count to 8. I find it inconceivable they could make four/50% more interchanges than you're meant to and not know it. Smells like taking advantage of a mistake by officials.

I feel sorry for the lads in the Wigan side, and the lads in the Wire side who won't have prepared properly, and the lads at Saints who don't get to compete in the right final and have their achievements overshadowed. But it is Wigan that could have avoided it all.

But when does the game get played? And then the Final gets delayed which impacts on the Reserves Final too. A lot of those Saints and Wigan players will play for the Reserves the week after, Farrimond would be one of those for sure.

At the end of the day you can forgive maybe one extra interchange, but four?? I guess we'll hear more statements in time.

Totally bizarre just mind boggling for it to have happened

Whilst Wigan are at fault, it is utterly shambolic from the RFL to take 5 days to decide the punishment.