[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/apr/22/michael-maguire-wigan-warriorsRugby league players in aggressive tackling shocker - shows how prepared we are compared to the rest. As it's Andy Wilson he makes sure he stirs things a bit as well.[/url

Don't let Micky Monas know.

Another pathetic article.

I don't think there is much wrong with the article itself as long as the things wrote in it are true.

Andy Wilson seems to give a fair account there with very little bias either way.

More pathetic poop-stirring from the worst enemy Wigan have in the Rugby League press (and that's saying something).

Wilson makes yet another gallant effort to build a case against us being worthy winners of last year's Grand Final.

I particularly like the bit about levels of aggression 'never previously seen in this country'. You don't have to be my age, and remember players like Jim Mills and Frank Collier, to know what a blatant lie that is, but then I increasingly feel that Andy Wilson's grasp on reality is more suspect than his employers could ever guess. I still laugh when I think about his confident prediction that Wigan would be nothing in last year's play-offs and that Warrington were the team to watch.

You can't beat a journalist who knows his stuff.

No, there is no doubt that we are more aggressive in the tackle than we have ever been (in terms of overall intensity).

HOWEVER, don't knock MM for looking at the rules of the game and exploiting them to ensure the best advantage. He should be applauded for such efforts.

Equally spurious interpretation of existing rules to try and dampen down such intenstity (e.g. the now boring Lima citations) are pathetic. If the RFL don't want such behaviour then change the rules, do not penalise those who exploit them to the full.

Reminds me of the commentary when Wigan played at the Middlesex Sevens a few years back. A tackle went in and our friend Nigel Starmer Smith said something like "Oh that's a bit rough".

It's within the rules guys. Live with it.

The most telling thing is Wilson's insistance on talking about this as if it's the major issue in the game. Meanwhile, the Hull KR registering/deregistering saga goes on with barely a comment. And why? Because it would yet again reveal what a bunch of spineless, gutless Yaaarkshire jellyfish run the RFL.

Wilson is as big a phoney as Hetherington. Though in fact he's worse, because at least you could argue that Hetherington isn't supposed to be neutral.

It's a disappointing read, and not for Andy Wilson's journalism skills. I want us to win and win well. What I don't want is players in the famous cherry and White going out there with the intention of injuring fellow players.

They are not, they play the game hard and agressively, not with the intention of injuring players but with the intention of beating their opponents in to submission with defensive integrity.

An outstanding tactic. We need to be ruthless anfd uncompromising in defence. I think that is partly down to Waney. He is also tough and uncompromising.

Surely if it said on these so-called tip sheets that the intention was to injure the opposition players' joints, that would be the headlline, or at the very least would be quoted.

Wigan say that haven't done this. Who do you believe, them or John Kear?

Another nice article about us.. Hating us will not defeat us.

I've heard Wilson couldn't actually write some of the stuff on these sheets either due to lawyers at the Guardian. There was no way of 100 percent proving it came from Wigan, but some of the language on it was horrendous and a bit disturbing.

Hearsay is as worthless in this situation as it would be in a court of law.

Court of law? Deary me.
Enjoy the game hope the weather stays nice.

You're the one who introduce the reference to lawyers.

If there's evidence they should present it.

I've seen or heard of no players being injured by Wigan's defensive techniques.

And for the record, when I was playing it was quite common to use choice language when firing the team up before a game. Phrases like "Kill the bast***s, rip their heads off, rip their knackers off, etc!" were the least you used to hear. Anyone who thinks that has no place in competitive rugby league is watching the wrong game.

Can I ask does anyone remember from all of last season or the start of this an injury caused in a Wigan game by our so called "questionable tackling technique" I personally can't. It's a physical contact sport and good aggressive defence is part of this sport.

Another 'scoop' from the RL journalist with least column space in the press writing for a newspaper that seems to specialise in negative stories about our code.

So the part about the sheets 'possibly' being doctored simply passed you by? And even if they weren't, what are you accusing the club of here? Harsh language? This is smear story, pure and simple - with gullible types like you adding fuel to the fire.

Interestingly, there's nothing in his story about where the sheets came from originally. On another board, there is a claim that these sheets were distributed by an ex-Wigan player who was released from the club last season. Draw your own conclusions.

So which limey little prick has handed out the clubs tip sheets then?


Hmmmmm. Which club came to Wigan and looked liked they might have used something like this as motivation? Which club pushed Wigan close at home this season? Which club tried to put Wigan off their game with ultra-aggressive tactics? And then what player did that club sign only a few weeks earlier?

That lad is going to get smashed when Wigan next play them.

This paranoid 'they are all out to get us' attitude is frankly embarrassing.

However, I would say that Leeds are the worst team for it this season.

I thought it was a balanced article. Andy Wilson isn't a negative reporter. I don't read the Guardian myself but I read his weekly blog, which always gets conversation going, and the Guardian online has almost daily articles. Surely it's better to support the few remaining RL journos, rather than insult them? They are there to keep RL in the media limelight and get a story going rather than simply appeasing everyone.


Well, Wigan have acknowledged the presence of the sheets in circulation and have only said a version of them 'may' have been doctored:




No journo worth their salt will disclose their sources.

There appears to be some hysteria about this on here.

But most journos will try to produce evidence of foul play, even if it's only lifting quotations from a document they've been shown - instead of just nodding and winking.

I do agree with you that this is actually something of nothing.

Until evidence can be presented that Wigan have consciously and deliberately prepared their players to cause injuries - of which so far none have been reported - then, as another poster said, all they can be guilty of us using harsh language. Well boo-hoo!

While the fans are irritated, thankfully the Wigan club have yet again risen above this gutter nonsense and refused to comment.

He doesn't need to. It's common knowledge he plays for Hull.

With all due respect, given the subject of the article, how can you say it's balanced?

I do the read The Guardian. They give daily but minimal coverage to RL and Wilson often seems to get more column inches for negative stories like this one. Perhaps it's his editor's decision, but I just think there ought to be other ways to keep RL in the media limelight - and given the bias against our code in the media (with respect to coverage), then the few remaining RL journos should perhaps be more responsible about what they write.

I'm sure you'd feel differently if your club was on the receiving end of this kind of press.

I must've imagined the newspaper article that started this thread.

Because of a newspaper article highlighting what most people already know (ie the usual scenario of the English game following the NRL- in this case clamping down on tactics employed by the Melbourne coaches) that means that there is a conspiracy to get at Wigan?

It isn't just this thread, but such a level of hysteria is embarrassing.