Exiled Wiganer
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Posts posted by Exiled Wiganer
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Classy reaction pmj.
I think I would echo your views if Wigan lose next week. Wire are getting better year on year, as Saints and Leeds decline each year, and there is no reason to think next year won't be the same. The most interesting phase for me will be when players from the junior teams at WIre, who have done so well this year, step up into the first team. While they had to acquire this initial Cup winning team, they have been sorting out their own development. If they can get the balance right and can bring on a couple of juniors each year then talk of a dynasty may not be far off.
It is clearly hard to peak twice so quickly, but the Cup is going nowhere any time soon - and it was won beating a then decent Bulls, and the Giants away before ripping Leeds apart, so it was won the hard way.
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You're tilting at windmills.
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Someone else right these pearls of wisdom then?
Do they have wit in Huddersfield?
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Good luck to the Giants next week. They could cause an upset against Saints - after all they have won at Wire and the Piedome recently.
One thing among many that really impressed me about them was the way they kept their structure under pressure. Wire were always bound to come back at them but the score only got close because of an outrageous Saints like forward pass and 2 brain explosions from forwards near their own line. They were a class apart. Saints have injuries, Smith is far more likely to be rumbled by the Giants than he was by Wire, and they have nothing to lose. If they keep it close there will come a point at which the pressure to avoid defeat will fall heavily on Saints. Fascinating times ahead.
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That went exactly as I expected.
Watching Brough lifting Huddersfield tonight made me reflect on what they could have done with Todd Carney last year in their team. Fa'alogo is a wonderful player, David Hodgson is to my mind the biggest loss of all the players Wigan released in the mid noughties, and Brough looked the real deal for once.
It shows how difficult it is for a team relying on old players to lift themselves week after week. Interesting imes ahead at the HJ with that team a year older next year. Still, a wonderful season for them. As far as consolations go, an epic win in the CC Final is a pretty good one to sustain them over the winter.
It makes Club Call a foregone conclusion, and even though the site may not have as many Treble predictions in the next few weeks, the Saints fans who have miraculously re-discovered the internet in the last few weeks will take up some of the slack.
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If there is a score in it, it will be 20 points. Wire have nothing to worry about save for injuries.
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I think Wire will put on a good show today in this winning easily, with B Hodgson playing his second game for them after his debut in the Cup, setting up next week for the epic that last week should have been.
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Farrell is a very good player. I wasn't aware he was particularly rated by anyone. I have never read anything that suggests he's better than he is.
That was a very good performance from us tonight. Not a good night for Wigan haters, which is a shame, not even a bit of Joel petulance to get their teeth into. Do the Wigan haters really watch Sam play only in the hope that he gets hit (they're even trying it from the stands - that must have 3owls)?
On the game itself, I think HKR are just a couple of razzle dazzle players away from being an excellent team. Mason seems to me to be more of the same.
Wigan's defence looked far better this week, back to normal. I can't see us winning the Grand Final but we'll give a game to whoever beats us.
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I'm no psychologist,but I would imagine that since nearly every forward in SL has a go at "improving" Sam Tomkins looks when on the field, they would hardly be moved to vote for him as MOS.
Now that his cheating in the play-off game has been broadcast to the RL loving public, I think it puts him 3rd in the list.
FWIW Morley should have got it last year, so I'd be happy to see him get it this time around.
You can smell the fear.
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Offiah was a legend and a privilege to watch. He terrified the Aussies as well. I had forgotten about him. Clearly, Richards is not fit to lace his boots. On Robygate, which is the one time I was v cross, I actually felt that a number of players, including but by no means a certainty, Barrett had far greater claims. It is hard to argue with the claims of any of these, which itself is a testament to how far these Wigan players have come. That in itself reflects well on the club.
Morley has been and continues to be a legend, and has done wonderful things for club and country and as an ambassador of our game Down Under when our reputation was rock bottom. It would be churlish to jib should he win.
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I think it should stay, but there are lots of ways it could be uesfully tweaked -
- greater emphasis on contracts awarded to home grown players;
- some marquee player allowance to allow the game to keep its best players from union and the NRL;
- I think that the game has lost some of its colour through not attracting big name union players, and would go with Noble's proposal to allow clubs to sign a union player outside of the cap. In a perfect world we would not need it, but the game and the international sides could benefit interms of publicity and performance. This would be particularly helpful for outside backs and developing a Welsh team for the nation to get behind;
- there should be a minimum cap, particularly in these days of 3 year franchises; and
- it should be net, or at least it should not allow the best tax dodgers to prosper for moral and competition integrity reasons.
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That seems something of an over reaction - did you watch Morley's anonymous performance on Friday, after being rested the week before as well (how Steely is that - "take a week off, love"?)? Richards made what could well have been the match winning break, missed one kickable penalty and then kicked one, and one touch line conversion. His last minute penalty was hardly Don Fox territory.
Each to his own of course, but I wonder whether you could honestly compare and contrast Morley and Richards' play off contributions and give the award to Morley. Now, if actually you just dislike all things Wigan or think that an outside back cannot win this, then they are perfectly valid reasons not to back Richards.
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I think Bridgehas been the best centre I have seen this year. Gleeson has been the second. Shenton strikes me as an ordinary player, but a steady one and deserves to partner Gleeson on the basis of last year's international form - though if even Saint Toppy, who sees any player associated with Saints as a future Hall of Famer, can't get excited about him he must be pretty limited. I get the impression Gleeson is out of favour for non rugby reasons, and so he won't be picked, especially for a tour. I have always thought that there is more than an air of headless chickenness about Atkins, but maybe that off the cuff style would go well alongside steady eddie Shenton...
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Tomkins and Richards have already won the Goldthorpe Medal and Richards was the Writers' Player of the Year, so they have both been recognised for their efforts. Either would be worthy winners - indeed, you could make a case for any of the 3 of them. If Richards does not win this, then it is hard to see how a winger could ever win it.
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Wigan have won plenty of pressure games this year. We lost in the Cup, but then every team aside from Wire lost in the Cup. We won away at Leeds, Saints, HKR and the Wire, all of which had considerable pressure attached to them. We lost to a brilliant Leeds side twice by the narrowest of margins in the last few minutes, so I don't see any evidence to suggest we can't play very well indeed under pressure.
Even if we lose, which I think is unlikely, we have had a brilliant season and have won 1 of the 3 Cups on offer to us (plus the 9s!). It might be the equivalent of football's League Cup, but it is testimony to being the best team home and away over the season and that is a wonderful achievement. Plus we have played with more style and verve than for years.
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Given your propensity foir spreading vitriol, I would have thought you'd feel right at home.
Wire should win, as they have shown they are streets ahead of the Giants already this year. I think both round 1 losers this year have shown they are robust enough to bounce back from last week's defeats. I wouldn't be surprised to see Brett Hodgson go MIA again - he certainly started his Wire career early in the Cup.
Should be easy street for Wire.
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Emmitt will be a great signing. Not flashy, but will take it up and knock people over all day. Unless I am missing something he is in Saints' first choice 17 these days - not bad for a 20 year old prop.
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Wigan should win, having comfortably won the 2 previous matches. Feca back is good news, and our backs ought to have enough to see us home. It will be interesting in both games to see whether last year's trend continues, where both the losing teams fall to the week 1 winners.
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This thread has been accompanied by the sing along classic "and we all hate Wigan and we all hate Wigan and we all hate Wigan" as covered by Wendy and the Wendallettes.
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This thread has been accompanied by the sing along classic "and we all hate Wigan and we all hate Wigan and we all hate Wigan" as covered by Wendy and the Wendallettes.
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I enjoyed this game as much as any defeat I can remember in a long while, given that Wigan played with guts and skill, and so re-watched the game. I must say that my initial opinion was confirmed, that Alibert did very well and acted exactly right on these incidents. It is a shame that McGuire got injured at all, and especially in the manner he did so, as he has been playing very well. Without him and Buderus they could struggle a bit in the semi.
It really was a wonderful game. We have had some treats in SL this year.
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It is a valid point, though the messenger has so much previous that PMJ's default reaction is fair and reasonable.
I think it is likely that Sam will play a lot at 1 over the next couple of years and then come back and settle at 6 (where he plays a fair bit during games he starts at 1 in any event). With Myler's career going rapidly into reverse, we need Sam to play alongside Eastmond at 6 for now. Widdop looks plenty good enough to me, but I can't see much back up. I thought Owen looked like he could really step up, such a shame he was so badly injured and that Mathers will block his way next year.
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Wigan stand no chance of winning this game with Bentham in charge. It's a disgrace.
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And the point of this thread?
Chris Bridge pulls out of 4 Nations for family reasons
in The General Rugby League Forum
Posted
Good point. For some reason Happy has played less international football than his talent merited. I still wouldn't pick Joel though in the centres. Bridge and Gleeson would be ideal (another good performance from Gleeson on Friday), failing that Gleeson and Atkins - Atkins' unpredictability could unsettle the Aussies.