FB 2 Roberts
RW 24 Goulding
RC 3 Gleeson
LC 4 Carmont
LW 5 Richards
SO 6 Sam
SH 7 Leuluai
P 8 Fielden
H 9 Riddell
P 29 Tuson
SR 11 Hansen
SR 12 Joel
LF 13 O'Loughlin

S 10 Coley
S 15 McIllorum
S 17 Paleaaesina
S 25 Farrell

Lots of firepower off the bench to make sure we don't fizzle out after 20 again, don't want Pat at FB because he's so important on the wing but if Roberts starts looking pap then switch them midway

I'd play it safe and play him at FB from kick off.

As effective a winger he is, we should have enough about us to be threatening enough with him at FB.

I'd go with ...

Roberts
Goulding
Gleeson
Carmont
Pat
Sam
Tommy
Coley
McLlorum
Fielden
Farrell
Joel
Lockers

BENCH...

Riddell
Feka
Prescott
Hansen

Let McLlorum start, we always start like a house on fire. Then when our front line props come off for Feka and Prescott bring Riddell and Hansen on at the same time to add the impact and keep us on a role.

Amos isnt playing on friday

the team IS

Sam
Pat
Gleeson
Carmont
Goulding
Lockers
Tommy
Stu
Pig
Coles
H
Faz
Joel

Feka
Precky
Mickey
Tuson

Well I would suggest a different 19 for a start.

If you honestly think that putting Lockers at 6 is a valid option then we may as well stop this debate now.

The bench should include a player able to cover in the backs at the very least.

Phelps would seem an obvious option. TL could rotate to hooker maybe dropping McIllorum. Maybe put Charnley there, I dunno.

Then again I am not paid to make those decisions.

What I will say is that from 14-0 up on Friday ONE injury to our halfback ensured we lost the game. Imo the risk of this happening again > the "luxury" of having a back on the bench.

If you are right then MM is an idiot. I really really hope that you are wrong.

If Locky is playing 6 we can forget any chance of getting to the GF, never mind winning it.

its not often i question maguires judgement but SOL at 6? why?

in madge we trust...?

+1

we had no hope with him at 6 on Sunday, so why oh why has he put him back there? surely the logical side is to put Sam back where he belongs and bring someone in who has a decent tackling game, cos no disrepect to Sam, hes not the best at last gasp tackling for me

Not if thats the team, because there are several better options and if Roberts really wont play, why not give Phelps a run, or recall Pryce, all better options that Locky @ 6.

I feel dirty saying this but I'm slowly losing confidence in MM. I felt with Noble we had plan A, and if Plan A didnt work we tried plan A....now the only difference I see between the two is MM's plan A looks a lot fancier and involves players being fitter. I hope im wrong because for a long time MM could do no wrong in my eyes but hes slowly losing his invulnerability from critism, then again...we may stick 50+ past KR and I'll eat my words, doubt it though.

I really hope Lockers isn't at #6!

It would be a Milward/Noble esq error on MM part as there are plenty of other options.

Sam Tomkins is the best #6 in SL, Phlps has experience there and has been playing well in that position for the reserves. Both of those should be playing at 6 before Lockers.

I dont understand that if its true - he cold have brought charnley in and played pat at FB. Locky is never a number six in the memory of man and all the play stopped as soon as he got the ball.


A bit panicked now!!

Crickey I hope that's wrong.

If it's not, mighten we go with that side but Sam doing both roles of FB and SO?
fb in defence
So in attack

Completely needless but maybe we will with that as a way of having an extra forward on the pitch.

Worried as Ken now!

If roberts is not playing why put him in the 19,

Agreed - seems a total waste of time naming Roberts in the 19 if he is not playing. Not when the likes of Phelps, Mrash, Charn or Pryce are available and could be included.

Lockers at 6 - now that's a gamble and not a good one, how many times has this been tried in the past and failed....

Odd with Lockers at 6.
The only reasons I can think of is that he played 6 at schools and amateur level. Though that is a very long time ago.
He must have trained well at 6 and MM doesn't want to lose Sam's threat from full back.
The key to me still is to play four props. He's going with four so we should more than match HKR forwards although Galea is always a threat.
Beat the HKR pack and the game is ours no matter who plays 6.

I knew there'd be someone eventually, but I must admit I didnt' think it would be as soon as two weeks after we'd won our first piece of silverware in 8 years.

Is this definitely the team? 48 hours before kick off, was it all nailed on?

There may yet be changes - but as some have already said, play 4 props and we'll hopefully dominate up front. Maybe that's MM's/Wane's plan -beat them up front and even have a "physical" stand off.

That's a big overreaction don't you think?

After the transformation we've made under Madge this year, I think he's perfectly entitled to go with what he thinks is the right call. If we lose the game because of it, then it's his error.

To begin to lose confidence in him as a coach is just ludicrous IMO.

Granted that was a bit strong, and probably wasn't the right term to use.

Maybe it is a measure of how good a coach he is that my confidence in him is huge to begin with and he has made me enjoy watching Wigan again BUT that still doesn't take away from the fact he's made a few team selection errors in the past and we have lost those games and IMO it's been due to those errors. Hindsight is a wonderful thing in sport but if we go with Lockers at SO and our attack is stifled then I believe it will be due to that selection. I am not a rugby coach in any shape or form but I think we have better choices available.

(If we lose tomorrow shall I get my MM OUT thread ready???)

That is the key point. Madge saw how Lockers goes at 6 and he is just no good there. Why on earth pick a player at 6 who you just saw have a poor game there?

I'd even pick Phelps at 6 before Lockers given Phelps has supposedly done OK at 6 in the under 20's.



If as alluded to Roberts won't play then Phelps should play at f/b. I don't think he is any better defensively in that position than Sam but the issue is with the half backs.

Just what is the obsession with playing Sam at 1 anyway? If Sam does not play in the half backs on Friday Madge wants shooting as he has basically lost the plot.

Dave

roberts has to play full back in my opinion. SOL is not a 6 in the memory of man, he's the best loose in the comp sams the best 6 in the comp and before he was injured amos was the best 1 in the comp! It's not rocket science is it?