WN83

Went to my first Cornwall game today and luckily got to see their first home win. They played their hearts out and they looked a decent side. They visibly looked in better shape than the Skolars players. It was really good to see the passion the fans have for the sport. Heard plenty of locals round about talking about how much they like League and they appreciate having a team in the area. The reaction of the players to the win was fantastic to see as well.

Field and French wish they were on George Williams, Sam Tomkins or Mitchell Pearces money.

It’s really good to see them going well. The league needs somebody to put up a proper challenge to Saints and they look like they could be the first proper challenger in a few years. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll have a wobble and things won’t be this comfortable forever but that forward pack will give anyone trouble. Saints still strong favourites IMO but Wire could push them very very close.

We’ll have to do that to try and see us through this iffy spell. The forwards aren’t good enough and Cust is missing in action. If you have French at 1 and Field at 6, you can always pinch games, as we’ve done tonight. The team as always defends it’s nuts off, so you can survive on moments.

Back up for 6 and 9 and got minutes off the bench most weeks. He’s dying on his backside this year. Saw a thread on an independent Wigan forum debating if we could ‘convince him’ to stay! I couldn’t believe my eyes! The job of convincing is all on his back. He had a good 3-4 months at the start of last season and has been average or worse since.

Smith is on his own in terms of our halfbacks. Cade Cust played more 9 than 6 in Oz and you can tell. He’s in hiding most of the time and takes no responsibility.

Smith is fine. He’s the leading assist maker in the league so far this season (well, he was until tonight) and this was his first iffy performance. His halfback partner is dying on his backside. I wouldn’t know Cust was even on the field half the time.

Got to hand it to Wilkin saying Lomax isn’t the type to stay down If the lad spent anymore time on the deck, they could sell him in the Saints Superstore as a rug. Big wins for Saints these. They’re clearly on the come down from their trip to Oz and to just kick ticking over, until it’s out the system is massive. As for Huddersfield, it was better than last week but it’s still very conservative and the recruitment continues to baffles me. There seems to be a few changes to the side each week, to try and get players some game time. You can’t plan for an injury crisis surely?! So why the need for such a big squad is beyond me. Connor will add to them but can hurt you just as much and they lack pace, which is something he won’t fix.

Surely Lussick has been promised the shirt? He’s sat round doing not a lot for ages now and it always feels like he must be aware he’s getting a crack at it once Roby goes.

Huddersfield have the deepest squad in the league, so their level shouldn’t ever really drop but I watched them in that cup final against us last year and you just felt they missed a bit of X Factor. To then see them go and make lots of solid signings, that have really thickened out the squad surprised me. It just felt like they needed 2 or 3 explosive players, with a bit more pace in the backs. Jake Connor should add to them but certainly not in terms of pace or making them a threat from deep. The tactics also baffle me. I thought their own negativity kept us in that cup final and it was even worse last night. Going for 2 points at every opportunity, safety first 5 drives and a kick and so on. I can’t see many of the players enjoying it. Ian Watson was lauded after his job at Salford but Mark Flanagan seemed to suggest in the recent Out of Your League episode, that Martin Gleeson was responsible for their attacking flair. That would make sense watching the tactics at Huddersfield under Watson.

If they play like tonight you won’t have any issues.

Two ordinary sides out there tonight. Wigan deserved the win at 3 try’s to 1 but both looked devoid of much idea. Huddersfield in particular were so poor. Their game plan of safety first at every opportunity isn’t something I can see the players being behind for too long. They’ve got good, expansive players but it’s just so risk free. It summed up their night that with 6 seconds on the clock and only 2 behind, Leroy Cudjoe just took a hit up and that was that. Plenty to work on for both sides.

We're 50/50 home and away, so tough to say how we're going or will go, either at home or away. As for tonight, I don't fancy us in the slightest. I just don't think we've got the pack this season to win against sides that will really grind it through the middle and Catalans did that, Huddersfield will and Saints will be next level in that regard. When we have a top class second rower on either side, we can negate that but Bateman has left a huge hole. People said he wasn't at his best this last two years but it was comfortably better than anything Willie Isa will Produce and KPP looks like he's in Australia already. Huddersfield by 10

I admire his brass neck to be fair. I mean, there’s no way people will see through this idea when he’s the Chief Exec of a club, who decided a few seasons ago to pump all their funds in to a first team only approach. He now would like a centralised pot of youngsters to choose from because it’s absolutely unfair that clubs like St Helens, Leeds, Wigan (Salford have benefited from Wigans academy almost as much as Wigan recently) Huddersfield etc would put money, time and effort in to producing their own players.

I really hope he's ok and the game looks after him. He had a really tough time at Wigan when his brother died and he looks to have had his own struggles with mental health. The lad is fearless on the field, throwing his body around and I always felt he was underrated at our place. He should've played fullback and not centre throughout his career but his teams always seemed to have an established fullback already. All the best to him going forward. It's a brave decision and he can hopefully use his own experience and struggles to help others, as he seems to want to do.

Cas were all over us for 30 minutes and we did well to keep them out. We then saw the tackle of the season by the ref, who denied Liam Marshall a nailed on breakaway try. Once Wigan got the first score Cas wilted. I thought Wigan looked a lot fitter and just got stronger as the game went on. He’s probably not got the physical attributes to nail international rugby but Liam Marshall is some Superleague player.

Good win for Wire that. It’s no good just turning teams over with no adversity every week because that won’t happen in the big games, so to show they have the guts to stick in a game and come back is pretty big for them. They’re clearly going to be much improved. I do wonder if there will end up being an over reliance on George Williams and teams will work them out a little bit but they will be a tough nights work for most teams.

The talk after Easter seems to be that it’s not the game the week after but the one after that where it can catch up with you. That is Leeds only hope you’d imagine in terms of a Saints lull. Saints don’t really blow teams away though, so I’m thinking an 18 to 24 point and a comfy nights work.

We just don’t cope well with playing at Cas and I never feel confident. I’m just hoping the effect of that opening game defeat at HKR is a real sharpener for us. It looks like both sides have plenty of points in them, with Cas bombing a few on Sunday. Wigan by 8 in a high scoring game

I get the semi final was pretty dreadful but the rest of the Tournament just seems to get forgotten, which I don't think is fair. The opener and the PNG game were both games plenty had us down for losing (or more so struggling in regards the PNG one) and we played some of the best rugby I've seen us play in my time. The aim was ultimately to win the thing or at least get to the final, so we fell short but he's not exactly had a great hand in the build up to it and the players take some responsibility for that game as well. I'm happy with the news but then I am somebody who will clearly support him. He needs to throw the comfort blanket of ex players like McIlorum and Tomkins off now and look to build for 2025. A couple of the other older heads will also need to make way.

Lets hope so mate. A few beers and a bit of Rugby League, in my favourite area of the UK. There's not much you can't like about that.

Going to finally get to my first Cornwall game on 26th March against London Skolars. We go and see family down there a couple of times a year but the fixtures didn't fall for us last season. I'm really looking forward to seeing the set up and seeing how the locals are taking to it.

Aye, we played pretty well but we literally walked through some of the Wakey defence at times. Alarm bells ringing for Wakey and the new coach based on that. You usually see performances like that on the back of injury problems and once the early season enthusiasm has worn off, so for that to come in round two is not good.

It's always weird feeling that a defeat the week before will probably help you this week. Had we won and played well last week, I think we may have gone in to this complacent and risked a defeat but I think we'll be totally switched on tonight and we should hopefully get the win. I saw enough even last week in a horrible performance to show that we'll always score points. We just need to get better defensively and be more patient in buildings attacks. Wigan by 18

I’ve not had the debate with any Saints fans on here but some elsewhere have been extremely quiet on the tackle. I can fully buy in to the explanation that it started high but the people I refer to have been unwilling to take that as a defence in the past and have been quick to jump on tackles of that nature. We’ll see how we go for the rest of the season. That’s the standard now and a good point of reference for similar instances.