There'll be quite a few on here who won't see it that way.

Hock went off injured last Friday so it will also depend if he is fit.
The long term weather for next week is dry and warm from Wednesday through to the weekend. So if it's a dry fast track then Sam has to play.
Could understand Noble leaving him out v HKR. Not his kind of pitch and I wasn't sure how Sam would have stood up to that ferocity of tackling.
There is also the Carmont problem. Played again when not fit and it cost us! Noble can't play him again until he's fully fit.
We'll have to be careful as Briers plays down their right side and if we look at all suspect he'll kick us to death.

isnt hock out for at least 2 weeks?

Where on earth has this come from!!!

Sam will have grown up playing the amature game in wigan, it is still a winter league at junior and open age level and some of the pitches I have played on have been absolutly shocking! as I'm sure anyone who has played for an amature club will agree! Or do people become pro and suddenly think they grew up in the desert?!

Your not the first person to say this Father Ted, so it's not a dig at you, but I've seen it written a few times, and its utter rubbish!

Checking the table I would say next week is MASSIVE!

With shuddersfield losing we're still somehow only 4 pts off 4th....with 13 games remaining I would expect we wouldnt catch stains leeds or KR now and would think that will be the top 3 come end of season, but with a bit of a run I think we could still get 4th....we're better IMO than those teams around that area at the moment and have potential to win far more games than them....however, losing to wire I think would make it too much....I feel we would have to go close to unbeaten til the end of the season then. Feel we need the top 4 this year otherwise forget it....the way the play offs are staged I cant see anyone winning from below 4th, yet finishing 4th offers little difference to 1st, only that we would need to play a FE away from home.

Think the equation is simple, beat wire, with the next games being salford and celtic we should be set up nicely for a charge at 4th....lose and I cant see us making it.

We should have won this weekend looking at this weekends results its a big blow us not winning on fri and hopfully it wont cost us at round 27.

we need to put a good run together, starting this week, i think sam must play and if carmont isn't fit, does phelps move into centre and ainscough back on the wing? or bailey to centre?

Carmont should not play, if Bailey moves to centre ensuring no return for Ainscough then it would be a very sad day for Wign RLFC.

i agree, but knowing noble, anythings possible

A little dramatic, I don't think it would be too bad a move.

Having said that I would like to see Pryce given a little run at centre, although I am aware there will be many who wouldn't approve of this.

Pryce and Richards on the same flank should in theory be a dream target for the high ball. For me, it would be Carmont, J. Tomkins and Riddell out on Friday with Pryce, Hansen and S. Tomkins in. Ainscough for Roberts is a debatable switch as well I will admit but I personally wouldn't make that change.

In answer to the original question, a very big game in terms of the league table and will prove how mentally tough we are. Hopefully Wigan will not go into a slump because of the last result and recognise that they stilll have been doing pretty well over the last few weeks.

It'd be a right kick in the teeth for the young players at Wigan in all honesty. It's hard enough to break through for the lads as it is without them looking at a lad who's scored 17 trys in 10 games not even being picked as 2nd choice.

players wil be picked on merit, don't forget that

or whether its dry or not cos Sam can't play in the rain according to some on here.

hock will be hope for a real big game to show his new boss for next year .hope you have a good one gaz ,see you next year

Ban the little runt.

Major concern this Friday is the amount of knocks we took against HKR, i think we had 6 players who needed treatment in the blood bin.

So, Friday Wigan play well and loose. Sat Warrington dont play too well and Win... Mmmmm But your still miles better than us, all you need to do is turn up I guess. And of course your record at the HJ is outstanding. We will see....

From what i remember Hock went off with his leg i think Feka Nose Prescott Head large bump not sure who the one was that went of with blood streaming down his face and i think Roberts got a knock on his knee. Think the only ones that might not be ok are Hock and Roberts but would rest them both anyway for this game all the others should be OK

Hock went off with Blood covering half his face. Looked a nasty one.

Sorry thought he had done his leg so he was the one with all the blood i know Feka got kicked in the nose it did not look broken but he had to have cotton wool put up it to stem the flow of blood.

only joking have a laugh mate game on friday good luck hope it top game

McIlorum also went off needing stitches to a head wound.

Yep, cuts was the worst of it all round. Hock has a facial injury to left eye/cheekbone, looked real painful. Feca had a laceration to his gums above his front teeth that seems to be his biggest concern. The only other knock I saw was Phelps wearing an ice pack to his right elbow.

Weve completely blown top 4 now. Doesnt matter if we win or not on Friday as we should kick on and make the top 8 from here.

We can still make 4th and maybe higher i would hope CC final and 4th in league and if we are playing well at the end of the season who know we could make the GF. A lot can happen between now and the end of the season clubs do have bad runs 3 wins for us and 3 losses for Quins and we are 4th