Would this be your starting 17 at the start of the season.

1 Bowen
2 Charnley
3 Gelling
4 Sarginson
5 Burgess
6 Williams
7 Smith
8 Crosby
9 McIlorum
10 Clubb
11 J Tomkins
12 L Farrell
13 O'Loughlin


14 Bateman
15 Tautai
16 Patrick
17 L Tomkins

Lose Logan for Powell

FB 1 Bowen
RW 2 Charnley
RC 3 Gelling
LC 4 Sarginson
LW 5 Burgess
SO 20 Hampshire
SH 7 Smith
P 8 Crosby
H 9 McIlorum
P 17 Clubb
SR 11 J.Tomkins
SR 12 L.Farrell
LF 13 O'Loughlin

S 6 Williams/16 Powell
S 14 Bateman
S 24 Tautai
S 25 Patrick

With Flower to come in post-ban and possibly Mossop as well after a game or two on duel reg to get back up to speed.

williams for logan and hampshire for williams

Bowen, Charnley, Gelling, Sarginson, Burgess,
Williams, Smith,
Crosby, McIlorum, Tautai,
Farrell, Tomkins, Lockers.

Subs- Clubb, Patrick, Bateman, Sutton.

Happy to go with 4 forwards on the bench and I'd like to see Sutton given a few games whilst Mossop and Flower are unavailable.

Radlinski
Robinson
Inga
Connolly
Offiah
Edwards
Gregory
Platt
Dermott
Skerret
Betts
Haughton
Hanley

subs
S Tomkins
Cassidy
Renouf
Farrell

That team would be unbeatable

Not sure about that pal, most of them are in their 40s at least

Waney's selection for the opener at Widnes will be interesting. He's often sent a squad to their place with a number of first teamers out and struggled. This year he says he wants to get off to a good start.
Of the first six fixtures, in those respective games last season we won just 3 points.
I reckon there'll be no way Waney will want to lose this one. Still don't think he'll play Bowen on the plastic pitch nor perhaps Lockers. My guess for his 17 -

Hampshire,
Charnley, Gelling, Sarginson, Burgess,
Williams, Smith,
Crosby, McIlorum, Clubb,
Farrell, Tomkins,
Bateman.
Bench - Powell, Tautai, Patrick & Greenwood/Sutton

I think he'll try and beat Widnes with pace. We are faster in the backs, half backs and forwards. This surely has to be in Waney's plans to get the season off with two points?

Strongest 17 with everyone available:

Bowen
Charnley Gelling Sarginson Burgess
Hampshire Smith
Flower McIlorum Mossop
Farrell Tomkins
O'Loughlin

Bateman Clubb Tautai Patrick

I always like to see if we can put 2 teams out against each other, I think we have great strength in depth again this year, all names below other than Gildart have played super league.

1. Bowen - Tierney
2. Charnley - Manfredi
3. Sarginson - Gildart
4. Gelling - Tomkins
5. Burgess - Thornley
6. Williams - Hampshire
7. Smith - Powell
8. Flower - Crosby
9. McIlorum - Tomkins
10. Mossop - Clubb
11. Farrell - Patrick
12. Tautai - Lloyd
13. O'Loughlin - Bateman

This.
However, I do think that he will play O'Loughlin if he is fit.
Personally I hope that Hampshire plays the majority of games at the expense of Bowen whose defence last season was at best inconsistent which was a big surprise

Not a big surprise to me. Matty Bowen (like Sam Tomkins, if you will) is/was never the best defensive full-back in the world, but a skillful attacker. He made his share of defensive errors for the Cowboys, too.

I'd like to see Rocky get more game time this season too. And I hope that Tierney and Gildart see some Superleague action as well.

Bowen made the odd error but 'at best inconsistent' is pushing it. I think people forget he was playing pretty well prior to the play offs. I certainly don't remember anyone saying anything negative when he signed on for 2015, quite the opposite in fact.

Bowen
Charnley
Gelling
Sarginson
Burgess
Powell
Smith

Flower (When available)
Micky Mac
Crosby
Farrell
Tomkins
Lockers

Patrick
Tautai
Bateman
Williams

Personally, I think Powell is a better 6 than Williams, and I think Williams really progressed well at Hooker last year. So I'd start Powell and have Williams on the bench, the rest pretty much picks itself.

If fit and firing Mossop will be our best prop.

Completely forgot about Moose! Swap him for Crosby.

It would seem everybody has or at worse wrote him off. Before he left he was our main prop and i can't believe more people are not happy about his return, I can't wait to see our pack next season.

I really don't think Crosby will be anywhere near the 1st team after 8-10 games in unless he has improved massively, i think sutton and greenwood have much more potential.

When everyone is available...

Bowen
Charnley
Gelling
Sarginson
Burgess
Williams
Smith
Mossop
McLlorum
Flower
Tomkins
Farrell
O'Loughlin

Clubb
Tautai
Patrick
Bateman

Although a lot could depend on form.

Bateman could quite easily force himself into the starting 13 as could Hampshire, Powell, and any of the props.

Bloody good team that, especially in the forwards. Some decent talent not even in the 17 too, with plenty of super league experience.

Like you say a good team, but would it be asking a lot of Micky Mac to do the full 80 all the time because this team hints that he would have to do with no halfback/hooker cover on the bench.
Or would he go with Powell on the bench as cover for MM, if Powell was on the bench which of the 4 subs mentioned in the above team would fans leave out?.

An alternative would be the 4 subs as mentioned and when MM is rested move Williams to 9 for a spell and bring Sarginson into halfback and Bateman into centre for a spell, but the question would have to be asked would Wigan be giving Williams and Sarginson a fair crack in the positions (4 & 6) in which they seem to have been given the chance to be called 1st choice.

A quandary for Wane if Wigan have no out and out hooker to spell MM.

I wouldn't pick that team week in week out.

That would be my team from previous playing history but for a big meaningful game like in the play offs or a final only. I think we have enough options to cover injuries, Bateman and Tomkins can cover centre, O'Loughlin stand off, Sarginson FB, Williams/Smith/O'Loughlin Hooker.

A Halfback/Hooker should be on the bench throughout the year though, to spell Micky and also a way to keeping all the fringe HBs active. Whether it be Williams,Powell, Hampshire or L Tomkins.

Two players especially.
Ryan Hampshire for Wigan as I think he's one of the most exciting prospects there are.
The other is Todd Carney, the best player to come to SL from Aus for a long time.

If we really at the [ustart[/u of the season with Flower and Mossop (I assume he is still injured) then.

1 Bowen
2 Charnley
3 Gelling
4 Sarginson
5 Burgess
6 Williams
7 Smith
8 Crosby
9 McIlorum
10 Tautai
11 J Tomkins
12 L Farrell
13 O'Loughlin


14 Bateman
15 Clubb
16 Patrick
17 Hampshire

I have Hampshire at 17 as I'd love to see him given a go at 6 if McIlorum goes off for a rest and William goes to 9.

Then again that might not be good for Williams who needs time to get his partnership with Smith going but I just can't see L Tomkins in the side.

When Flower is back and Mossop fit, I'd expect them to replace Clubb and Patrick with Clubb the most vulnerable.

Can't really argue with that team, although I would start Clubb and bring Tautai on off the bench for impact. Maybe Powell rather than Hampshire on the bench, to act as a straight swap for McIlorum. I'm not a big fan of changing half back combinations mid game or having to move 3 or 4 players into different positions to accommodate 1 sub.

I'm really interested to see how Powell, Williams and Hampshire go this season. I was expecting Powell to get first crack at 6 (and he still might though the squad numbers suggest it will be Williams) but I'm pretty excited to see Williams getting a run there with a full pre season behind him. From the performances last season I still think Hampshire is best utilised from fullback and Williams is the best option to provide an alternative hooking style, spelling McIlorum off the bench. I agree I don't see where Logan fits in and I think it would have been best for both parties if he had moved on in pre season. Happy for him to prove me wrong, just can't see it.

I hope we don't chop and change the 1,6,7 and 9 positions too much. We need a settled spine and I don't think regularly moving players round 2 or 3 positions will be very beneficial.

Since we last saw Logan he is a year older, fitter and stronger. By all accounts he acquitted himself very well at Salford last season, so he has that experience to add. I'd be surprised if he isn't a better player this time around.

Remember he is still only 22. Still far too early to write him off. Micky Mac made it in 2010 at a similar age, after a few years of struggling to silence the doubters.

Bowen
Charnley
Gelling
Sarginson
Burgess
Williams
Smith
Mossop
McLlorum
Tautai
Bateman
Farrell
O'Loughlin

Clubb
Hampshire
Crosby
Joel