Exiled Wiganer

Thought I would nip in before the Wire taunts start to say that that was a very good and well deserved victory. The front row was dominant and Monaghan and Briers kicked superbly. The better side clearly won. For Wigan, the 2 areas that we have needed to fix - controlling 7 and enforcer prop - remain the achilles heel. If the weather stays good for the next few weeks (and the play offs are early, so an Indian summer would help), we could get by with what we've got. I like the look of Farrell and Tuson, they have really come on this year. Lockers and Amos, our 2 early season stars, look like they are still coming back. We need them to get back on form. So reassuring still to be top. Not throwing myself off the pier just yet.

Good luck G! Our first girl was born the day before we lost to Saints in the Cup Final. I only felt low for 3 hours after the game, as opposed to 3 weeks. The wonders of fatherhood.

It was pretty wet on Good Friday. We have some excellent forwards. Our front row isn't as strong as it might be but our back rowers are fantastic. I could see us winning but would be neither surprised or devastated if we lose. It is good we are going to have such a huge crowd. At this rate we could be the best supported club in the league.

Wigan are one of the best when it comes to playing our own - Wiganers and home grown talent - but remain one of the worst in terms of overseas players, with 7 who have played for us this year (though I like to think of Richards as a special case given his Ireland appearances). While Feca, Phelps and Bailey have rightly been consigned to the reserves, I suspect we will pick up overseas replacements for them and Piggy. At least other SL clubs have no fear of us signing their players...

A few things on Wigan's position: 1 - players out are likely to be Phelps, Feca, Bailey, Pryce, Piggy, Deacon and possibly Carmont; 2 - Fielden will be on a lot less money; 3 - so, if Wigan sign Lima, Finch and Hoffman (and possibly Quinn), with Hock to come back later in the year they will have fewer overseas players but much better quality ones; 4 - we already have a lot of home grown players, who have indeed forced Bailey, Phelps and Feca into the reserves. We have plenty more where coming through; 5 - Wigan have a long way to go before they can be considered the best team in SL. We may be top of the league, but we are out of the Cup and have not won a semi in 5 attempts. So, even if we become stronger, that may well only bring us up to Leeds and Saints level. In short, we may well get the best of the Storm's released players, as we have the money (through over spending on Fielden and Feca for example) and the connections. It might make us the strongest team, but might not, and that is certainly far from a foregone conclusion. We are demonstrably heavily reliant on our own player production and show no sign of stopping there.

Wigan are playing very well. We are fast and fit. We can certainly win this. What interests me here is how Wire approach it. They could put everything into this, as I think they will have to to win, but can they then back it up at Catalans away, Saints and then Catalans again, especially now the real Catalans are reasserting themselves? Seems a risky strategy to me, as if they lose the last 2 of that sequence they could slip out of the top 2 and would be out of the Cup. Even if Wigan lose, I think we are good enough to win 4 out of the last 5 games. If we finish top on points difference that would be just like old times.

I am sure Garry can stand up for himself, but given the general tone of many of his articles, which seem to this reader at least 1) excessively harp back to his own career as if he were a footballing genius and 2) stick the boot into expansion teams at every opportunity, the thrust if not the tone is justified. Goulding's appointment to the position of France was equally eye catching. Having laughed at how odd it seems for him to be coaching an emerging nation, I hope he gives it a good go and is a great success. If he then grows to appreciate that emerging parts of the league world need a disproportionate amount of help that would be no bad thing.

We should move our kick off to 3 30 if we are going to play Sunday.

This may have been mentioned but he also has very good hands, and links into the line very well. Plus, if Cas ha been struggling for numbers in the group hugs after tries have been scored, he will be an enthusiastic addition on that side of things.

Should be a fascinating 4 weeks for Wire - Wigan, Cats away, Saints and Cats - esp with Cats getting their act together with a vengeance now they have their key players back. I would have thought that if they are serious about wanting to finish 2nd and get to the semi they should aim to produce their best performances back to back for the last 2 of those games. Being involved in an epic at Wigan could leave them suffering in the weeks ahead to no useful prupose if Wigan keep doing what they've been doing and secure first spot whatever the result.

Without getting ahead of ourselves there must be a chance that this game could confirm us as Minor Premiers, and we may be at an advantage if we play after Wire have played, so a switch to late Sunday could be good...

As ever, NE makes some really good points. Feca, Phelps, Piggy and Bailey are leaving, with Carmont possibly to follow, depending on a suitable replacement being found. Lima for Feca is trading up and Hoffman is world class. Looks good to me.

Reading this prompted me to dig out the Hoffman story and consider Wigan's position. I thought Ryan was a good player, but I'm guessing he's long in the tooth? Given how Leeds' reserve and junior teams have been struggling this year they may be going through a lean period?

I know this is ancient news, but having caught up on some old Wigan Evening Post clippings, there may be something in this. Hoffman could come on a short contract, to give Tuson and Farrell another year before they play every week, and tide us over until Hock returns. We see Mossop as a prop, which makes a bit of sense if he bulks up a bit. Quinn would replace Carmont. Having read about him, he sounds like a decent player, and a step up. It looks like we will bidding adieu to Feca, Phelps, Bailey, Piggy and Carmont of our overseas players, so if we just have the 2 coming in, that's a move in the right direction. Given that Pat does more than his bit for the home nations playing for Ireland, I have decided not to count him as any more of an overseas player than the Grix boys. On that basis we may have Amos, Quinn, Leuluai and Hoffman as overseas players next year, which is about right.

Over the years the biggest event would be Saints-Wigan, as these teams have generally been in the same division and more often near the top of the game. These are vital factors lacking elsewhere I would have thought. I couldn't say which derby has most venemous intensity though.

I am really looking forward to seeing how Josh Charnley goes in this. He looks a fantastic player, with speed to burn, and I would hope he gets to see a lot of first team action at Wigan, alongside Stef Marsh next year. With Phelps going and Pryce likely to be gone as well (I assume), then I hope we will look within rather than Overseas journeymen. As long as he avoids a kick in the head from Senior he should go well.

I expect players will bulk up dramatically then.

I think you and Wire should rest players prior to the semi. As many as possible, starting the week after next.

I expect Wire to win, but Cas have been playing well recently. You don't hammer the Giants unless you're on top of your game. I would be astonished if this turns into an easy win, and if cas are close going into the last 20 watch out for Mr Chase.

I think Wigan have only 4 ever presents, but have not checked. We have had plenty of injuries, but have not gone into a prolonged bad patch for a few reasons - we have a lot of cover, we have no superstars and so are not that reliant on any individual, and are injuries have generally been spread across the season and different positions. If you get 10 out at once any team suffers, whereas Wigan have generally had 6 out pretty much all year. If we had 3 out but they were Sam, Tommy and Lockers we would be in trouble. It would be worth looking into the types of injuries people suffer before concluding it is conditioning or bad luck. Eastmond was brought back too early perhaps, and so that bad luck may well have been poor judgement. Amos was similarly brought back too early for the 1/4 final.

It was the "now that's a surprise" that was annoying. What was the point you were making? I do not think many folk care that much about my beloved Wigan, but mine is a perfectly valid opinion, expressed as such. Other opinions are as valid as your own - mine is shared by others, Wiganers and non-Wiganers alike. I agree with much else on the thread, but took a hugely disproportionate exception to that.

My opiniom remains that Morley's tackle was dirtier and more dangerous. Plus he has more previous than Attila the Hun. I am not even complaining about Coley's sending off or his ban. And yet Wires make sneering, dismissive posts about my opinion while expressing their own views as gospels. It appears my opinion is shared by plenty of others, inc non Wigan fans, and hence objectively not bonkers. If this had been an anti Wire thread one of them would have gone boo hoo and had the thing locked.

On Morley, I haven't got a video of it, but have seen plenty of rugby in my time and can recall it pretty well. I was pleased he was able to play against Wigan as it is important for our young lads to pit themselves against everything the opposition has to offer. That way we learn plenty about ourselves. I have no issue with Coley's sending off or ban, and Wigan will cope without him.

Really sad news. He is a great talent. Sam and McGuire will do a decent job but we'll miss him. I hope he spends his time off signing a longer contract, as it would be a tragedy to lose him to the Dark Side.

I have seen worse without players being banned and plenty of them. I thought Morley's attack on Sherwin was the dirtiest piece of play I have seen this year, but as I recall there was no action taken there. That said, it is hard to argue with the sending off and a 2 match ban doesn't seem ridiculous. I would be surprised if there was a deliberate anti-Wigan policy among the Disciplinary panel, but we seem (without my doing any analysis) to have attracted far more than our share of cards and bans. There is perhaps a subliminal "not them again" reaction to our being top of the league again. If we push Mossop up to prop for part of the 2 games he misses we won't notice Coley's absence. He can be effective but can also make costly mistakes. We aren't particularly reliant on one player, though if Tommy, Lockers and Sam were all out at the same time we might struggle to adjust.