phelps was for 65 mins excellent and for the last 15 mins made a few mistakes also letting cas back into game with their 2nd try which a dying game a bit closer than it should have been richards was good espcially the 80 yard drop out

Now then chief, I barely ever post on here but I'd just like to argue back against a few of your posts.

Just because you're Wigan doesn't guarantee "the good times" to return just like that. With the salary cap in place (sometimes

) and Overseas quota in place its begginning to make SL more of a level playing field and more competitive.
As for the abuse you took from Drunken Cas fans, all I can say to that is TOUGH. We brought what 3000ish tonight, there's gunna be the odd ****head. if 3000 came from Leeds Wire or as I'm sure you know, Saints, you'd get it. Myself, I study at Manchester and went via train last year to the JJB on my jack jones and was threatened to be shoved in the river....Bit rough because I'm always up for a laugh / banter with fellow fans, including bigger rival fans from Leeds etc. It's clear to see in your post that you're bitter yourself, bitter your team aint what they were, bitter your fans just turn up and accept mediocrity, bitter that at the moment Wigan aren't really going anywhere, bitter that the Classy Cas fans have more passion and loyalty in their voices then Wigan's? I don't know.
I don't wana cause a war or anything. The best team did win tonight, although nearly managed to mess it up!!!
Best of luck Hull KR next week.
Thanks for reading.

Unfortunately there are a few people around here with no other agenda but slagging off the team/coach/player of the week for no other reason than it's easy to do. This usually is on the basis that we should rack 60 points past the likes of Wakey, Cas, everyone else, etc... as that's what Wigan do



Some elements criticise for boring Rugby, but the ball was given a whole lot of air... which creates more handling errors, oh hang on, criticise for making errors and not playing a basic game, oh no, even though it's being thrown around, we're playing boring 5 drives and a kick and we're cr@p as we can't hold the ball... make you're mind up!

Very disrespectful to a dogged and determined Cas imho. There were a few errors in the game (funnily enough Wigan probably made fewer than in the glory days) but a hell of a lot of these errors were forced errors. Both defences were uncompromising, as you'd expect in playoff football, you rarely get a classic at this stage.

Personally I enjoyed it, I thought we looked composed in the whole, more importantly we looked keen and fresh. IMHO, I thought Hull KR and Hudds, much like we have in the past, looked like they are getting to the back end of a hard season, running out of troops and looking a little jaded, both could have done with the win and a week off, but that's how the league/play offs work.

Two tough games coming up, just need to get Monday - Friday out the way

Pat Richards for mine, kicked two touchline conversions, set up two tries and didn't make any errors... unlike most players on the pitch (for both sides)

Carmont - threaning in defence, and awesome in attack - that try saving tackle in the opening 10 was awesome and right in front of me.

Phelps - got batterred and got up fightingicon_smile.gif

Roberts - one of the best games I've seen him play for us.

Special mention made to Lockers for THAT fantastic tackle. That was worth the entrance price for me.

Richards for me. Back on top form the big fella. Keep it up Paddy!

After watching the game back he's gone to the top of my list.

He made masssive metres, finished his try well, caught 2 really tough high balls and put a cracking hit in on Shenton coming in off his wing.

I praised him during the week and said i thought he'd have a great year next season. Those are the sort of preformences we need him to be churning out on a regular basis.

. This is the Richards we need for the playoffs.

Thought Hansen had one of his best games on the year, good running and really put himself about in defence.

I can't believe you actually think that.

Are you being ironic? Have you forgotten to take your meds?

Nowhere near 3000.

1500, tops.

I was on about Roberts but agreed Richards had his best game in a while aswell.

He's looked a little low on confidence in the past few weeks but maybe it was just a case of easing off mentally before the play offs.

He's a cracking player and watching what he can do last night compared to Fox fumbling about on Friday it makes you wonder how he again didn't make the dream team! He's the most rounded wingman in superleague imo.

Sold out of the 2000 allocation given by Wigan, or are you saying 500 Cas fans bought a ticket and couldn't be bothered going in the end and no Cas fans paid on the door?

The stand was approx half full.

Around 2,500 there from Cas last night which is a great effort all things considered.

Phelps, Richards and Fielden for me, with honourable mentions for Roberts, Carmont and O'Loughlin.

I thought the treble-interchange bringing on Feka, Fielden and Riddell had a big impact on the intensity of the game and really enabled us to kick on. A good move there.

my top 3:

Locky
Roberts
Phelps

Fielden, Carmont, Richards and Gleeson all had solid games to.

All Cas's points came off Phelps mistakes. His failure to take the bomb was very poor and he then went on to miss a tackle on the Cas player who scored from there.

Going forward he was very good and after the second try made a very good line clearing run up the middle for example but handing Cas 12 points and a lifeline should rule him out of MoM consideration.

Pat was very good and it was important he found a bit of form with the boot for goal kicking because had he been as off form as he has been at times this season it would have been even closer.

I think its hard to pick MoM. I'd probably go with the sponsors MoM which was Carmont but I don't think anyone was consistently good throughout the game.

Dave

No.

I'm saying that I go to that stadium every other week, and I know how many fans it takes to fill that stand.

There is no way Cas had 3000 fans in there, and you can give me all the "evidence" you like but it won't make it true.

You need some new glasses Nicky.



If you put all the Cas fans together they might just about fill 2 blocks of seat. there's 5 and a half blocks in the South stand so 2k seems about right.

Man of the match for me was Hansen. I thought he ran his blood to water, never stopped tackling and made good metres going forward too.

Did he play the full 80?

gleeson
fielden
richards

followed by amos and carmont for me

Has to be roberts for me thought he looked the real deal in atack and defense

Probably right.

I only glanced up a couple of times.......the rest of time i had my head in my hands wondering if it was actually a play off game i was watching with the 32 errors on show!

1. Carmont . Brilliant tonight, one leg, one try and one match/try saving tackle. The guy was class.
2. Lockers. Tackled like a man possessed, bar that stupid forward pass he had a good game.
3. Phelps. Did what was asked of him with ball in hand. But was suprised he got stevo MOM especially when you think he gifted them 2 tries.
4. Fielden. Good game last night really stepped up to the plate (about time to), showed the other props the way and tackled hard.

Big shouts go to out to everyone else. I do think the nerves of the big occassion got to the likes of Presscott & Coley. But we won, they will be better for the experience, we move on.

Will say though I would have had Mossop in instead of Flanagan.

Stu much improved but as a Roberts critic of old I have to say what an improvement! More of the same please - and tell Riddell how you did it!