I agree with the OP. Think we have got quantity over quality in this position. All good players but no one I would class as great. They all stepped up last night but they're not gonna get written off every week and be able to use that as motivation.

To me that looked like our pack trying it's heart out and playing to their best which is all we can ask for. However I think Wire were below par and can step up a gear whereas I'm not sure we have more to offer. Time will tell as the season goes on but it's important not to get carried away with last night's performance. I still think we will fall short this year when it comes to trophies.

Last night showed that age shall not weary them may be no longer relevant in RL. Morley and Carvell both looked old, both were a far cry from their peak and seem to get injured more often too. Chris Hill was far better.

Stuart Fielden battered his body versus the best in the world. It takes it toll on anybody. 2 years out shows that. RL today is very much a young mans game. A young Stuart Fielden was an 80 minute indestructable kamikaze player. He has paid the price for that approach.

Taylor, Dudson, Burke will do for me.

I think we missed a great opportunity when Craig Kopczak became a free agent and Huudersfield picked him up. He certainly has the size and is still only young. When I've seen him play for Wales always looked good and aggressive.

Well that stupid comment makes everything else you have to say worth jack sh 1 t IMO.

That is an interesting approach. I would argue that prejudice is exactly the right term to use to describe a deeply held view which remains firmly held despite evidence to the contrary. That view could be that, say, we are hopelessly undercooked and thin in the forwards. If, despite there being very recent evidence that, despite, say, 5 forwards missing we held and dominated the most fearsome pack in the league, something that even Maguire did not achieve in a league game, that opinion continues to be extolled with as much conviction as before, then that would be a prejudice. It is hardly an abusive term, nor a disproportionate analysis. It is fair. Harsh, perhaps, but fair.
I do not wish to annoy, and hope I have not hit a nerve, but you could hardly argue that it is an extreme position to take.

Thought flower played well lastnight.

See above on my interpretation of prejudice.
Your point about time will tell is well made, though you could argue that we already have some evidence from a pack which looked pretty similar to this did pretty well the last couple of years. Taylor for Lima gives us a bigger prop, Faz for Hock gives us what we saw yesterday, while all the rest of the pack are clearly a year older.
We can all extrapolate into infinity about the prospects of our pack, but the evidenc thus far seems to me to be strongly in favour of giving our pack the benefit of the doubt.

Rather than go looking for new forwards we need to tie hansen and tuson to the club for beyond this year

Agree about Hansen, he's a brilliant player and also brings experience, but Tuson still hasn't had the chance to do anything given his injury. This is the season where he could do with putting in some excellent performance. For me he's only got good defence in his favour and good defenders are hardly rare in the back row, you could find someone like that from anywhere. This year he needs to make an impact in attack.

like stuart fielden and kopczak?

Hansen yes, Tuson I would have let go of years ago

It's that time of year again I see?
Lets give it 3 months shall we

Not too sure about bringing in props. Only Lima left, plus recently Hock who could play prop.
Tayor replaced Lima and Scott is huge, around 6'5" and about 17 st.
These lads matched Wire last Friday and we have Prescott, Tuson, Lauaki and Hansen to return.
We are also well covered with bench players. Flower and Burke can both play Loose, 2nd row and prop.
Powell is now coming on as 9 as well as being an excellent half back in both 6 and 7 shirts.
Wane has covered all his eight mid field positions with these three bench players and this is a massive plus for the whole squad.
If a real stand out signing became available, ala Ryan Hoffman type, then of course have a look. Until then stick with what we've got.

X2

Who are these big forwards who improve with age and experience? I can really only think of Peacock, although he was a fine player anyway (and a Coley cameo which was solely down to the Maguire factor) who have improved with age in recent times, whereas 3 of the best props in SL history, Graham, Burgess and Fielden, hit their best form at a very early age.

Morley.

I think that in a few years time we will see a massive dip in the form of James Graham in a similar way to Fielden. Nobody can put their body through that much from such an early age on a constant basis I don't think.

Peacock and Morley both started out as second rowers. Faz was a back rower who played at prop in his last season and was superb. Burgess has also been spelled in the back row. Graham has played constantly in the front row and more often than not for 80 minutes. What could spare him is that he is used off the bench for the Dogs, but he still puts in a 60 minute shift I believe.

Don't agree. He was a superb player as long ago as 1998.

As a footnote, last season's dream team props, Hill and Casty, are both mid-20s.

Remi Casty is the best prop in SL for my money.

A proper brusier

I liked the signing of Scott Taylor as I thought of him as a fiery red haired prop.
Ideal for the front when coming in at 6'5"
Are there any other fiery red haired props out there, preferably an International, who may be out of favour with their club or disciplinary people? Any ideas?

Ryan McDonald?

Hill is 25? Dudson et al aren't. Hopefully by the time they are they will be as good, it's how they go all season long that concerns me.

Re your earlier examples there's no argument re graham but stu had some excellent back up at the bulls. I think these are the exceptions that prove the rule. Other good props coming through include kopczak but at 26 less than a year younger than Prescott but 4 yrs older than dudson.

What position did he play in 1998?

you are a much better team with Hansen sewing up the defence.

I'll just be honest, I have never really rated Paul Prescott - too injury prone and liable for silly mistakes, nor Luaki (sp?).

I have to agree with Brett on this one, that whilst I was very impressed with our forwards v Warrington, it is a concern for me that the youngsters in the squad won't be able to play out the year like that, with that intensity and that enthusiasm.

Lets face it, every game is a big game - because we are Wigan. Every man and his dog wants to beat us and other teams will bring it. So for me the argument that 'that intensity won't be there for all the season' is b*llocks.

I've been watchind old YouTube videos of our pack, Cowie/Skerret/Platt/Goodway/O'Connor/Hanley, I was probably too young at the time to fully appreciate them but my god, if only we had players of that ilk in our pack now. They just don't make 'em like they used to.