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Fri 27 Nov: SL Grand Final: Wigan Warriors v St Helens KO 8pm (Sky)


Who will win?  

83 members have voted

  1. 1. Who will win?

    • Wigan Warriors by 13 points or more
      4
    • Wigan Warriors by 7 to 12 points
      23
    • Wigan Warriors by 1 to 6 points
      18
    • St Helens by 1 to 6 points
      14
    • St Helens by 7 to 12 points
      18
    • St Helens by 13 points or more
      6

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  • Poll closed on 27/11/20 at 20:30

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Looking fwd to seeing how Saints shape up next year. The arrivals of Thompson, Matautia and Paasi are improvements on Taia, Peyroux and Graham respectively. A good off season for Lees will further help his development and I expect the likes of Welsby, Simm and Dodd will continue to develop and push the more established players. Percival (and Smith) back a massive bonus too.

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20 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

Looking fwd to seeing how Saints shape up next year. The arrivals of Thompson, Matautia and Paasi are improvements on Taia, Peyroux and Graham respectively. A good off season for Lees will further help his development and I expect the likes of Welsby, Simm and Dodd will continue to develop and push the more established players. Percival (and Smith) back a massive bonus too.

I think Wigan and Saints will be setting the standard again next season, I think after this season there is going to be some ding dong battles next season between these two. Lets just hope fans are in the stadium to enjoy it, because lets be honest a packed stadium for last nights game would have had an electric atmosphere.

 

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Radio 5 Live: Saturday 14 April 2007

Dave Whelan "In Wigan rugby will always be king"

 

This country's wealth was created by men in overalls, it was destroyed by men in suits.

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4 minutes ago, Padge said:

I think Wigan and Saints will be setting the standard again next season, I think after this season there is going to be some ding dong battles next season between these two. Lets just hope fans are in the stadium to enjoy it, because lets be honest a packed stadium for last nights game would have had an electric atmosphere.

Completely agree. Both sides strengthening. That’s ominous for the rest of the league. 

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8 minutes ago, Padge said:

I think Wigan and Saints will be setting the standard again next season, I think after this season there is going to be some ding dong battles next season between these two. Lets just hope fans are in the stadium to enjoy it, because lets be honest a packed stadium for last nights game would have had an electric atmosphere.

 

Had we had any one of Manfredi, Marshall, Havard or Burgess at their best we would have won. We are adding Field and Bateman, and our good youngsters will be a year more battle hardened. Plus, we will see the benefits from the improved fitness and concentration we have shown since lockdown over a full year. We only need to hit the levels we have hit these last 6 weeks, and we will be very strong indeed. I see it being between us and Leeds next year. 🙂

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28 minutes ago, Padge said:

I think Wigan and Saints will be setting the standard again next season, I think after this season there is going to be some ding dong battles next season between these two. Lets just hope fans are in the stadium to enjoy it, because lets be honest a packed stadium for last nights game would have had an electric atmosphere.

 

I really enjoyed the game and didn't realise how much the taped crowd noise made a difference till i tried to watch a football match on Saturday without the noise,turned it off as the background noise makes it better for me. 

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25 minutes ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

Had we had any one of Manfredi, Marshall, Havard or Burgess at their best we would have won. We are adding Field and Bateman, and our good youngsters will be a year more battle hardened. Plus, we will see the benefits from the improved fitness and concentration we have shown since lockdown over a full year. We only need to hit the levels we have hit these last 6 weeks, and we will be very strong indeed. I see it being between us and Leeds next year. 🙂

How exciting 😂

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Goal kickers practice all the time from varying distance, Hardaker must know he could reach to warrant a shot, otherwise he'd have turned the chance down. He must have been confident enough for it to sale through.

On the other hand, Coote had a similar conundrum, he decided against. He either knew he couldn't reach, wasn't confident enough that he could succeed in the kick, or felt as a whole, it would be a better situation for the team to kick for touch. 

Was Hardaker dumb to take it or was Coote smart to decline, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

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I see we are nearing a full moon in WN7

Visit my photography site www.padge.smugmug.com

Radio 5 Live: Saturday 14 April 2007

Dave Whelan "In Wigan rugby will always be king"

 

This country's wealth was created by men in overalls, it was destroyed by men in suits.

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1 hour ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

Had we had any one of Manfredi, Marshall, Havard or Burgess at their best we would have won. We are adding Field and Bateman, and our good youngsters will be a year more battle hardened. Plus, we will see the benefits from the improved fitness and concentration we have shown since lockdown over a full year. We only need to hit the levels we have hit these last 6 weeks, and we will be very strong indeed. I see it being between us and Leeds next year. 🙂

Don’t think we’ll see Burgess at his best who along with Clark should be shown the door and replaced,,I’m hoping Smith gets a chance to prove what a classy 7 he is with Tommy if he goes around again coming off the bench at hooker,with the young forwards developing there is plenty to look forward too from a Wigan perspective.

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2 hours ago, Padge said:

I think Wigan and Saints will be setting the standard again next season, I think after this season there is going to be some ding dong battles next season between these two. Lets just hope fans are in the stadium to enjoy it, because lets be honest a packed stadium for last nights game would have had an electric atmosphere.

 

And after that GF performance they deserve to be setting the standard for the other 10 teams. Any of the other coaches that can get their teams to compete like that consistently will be doing very well

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2 hours ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

Had we had any one of Manfredi, Marshall, Havard or Burgess at their best we would have won. We are adding Field and Bateman, and our good youngsters will be a year more battle hardened. Plus, we will see the benefits from the improved fitness and concentration we have shown since lockdown over a full year. We only need to hit the levels we have hit these last 6 weeks, and we will be very strong indeed. I see it being between us and Leeds next year. 🙂

It might help if there were two kickers who practiced in the way that Frano Boyica did when he joined the club. Practice, practice, practice.... then practice again. 

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6 hours ago, redjonn said:

must admit I'm one of those having seen his goal kicking when at Leeds, especially if it was a pressure kick - he didn't seem to have those nerves of steel for those real win or lose kicks...

 

I know I wasn't the only Leeds fan whose mind went straight back to this - 

 

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8 minutes ago, M j M said:

I know I wasn't the only Leeds fan whose mind went straight back to this - 

 

Thanks for posting that. My point exactly.

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Radio 5 Live: Saturday 14 April 2007

Dave Whelan "In Wigan rugby will always be king"

 

This country's wealth was created by men in overalls, it was destroyed by men in suits.

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35 minutes ago, M j M said:

I know I wasn't the only Leeds fan whose mind went straight back to this - 

 

 

25 minutes ago, Padge said:

Thanks for posting that. My point exactly.

So if the penalty on Friday night had been 30 metres out and 18 metres in from the touchline as this one was, you would still have advocated turning it down in favour of kick to touch?

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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2 hours ago, Dunbar said:

 

So if the penalty on Friday night had been 30 metres out and 18 metres in from the touchline as this one was, you would still have advocated turning it down in favour of kick to touch?

Yes

 

Visit my photography site www.padge.smugmug.com

Radio 5 Live: Saturday 14 April 2007

Dave Whelan "In Wigan rugby will always be king"

 

This country's wealth was created by men in overalls, it was destroyed by men in suits.

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On 20/11/2020 at 14:37, Exiled Wiganer said:

He is likely to miss the game. I agree that we should have sacked him after that incident, however. 

has this become just a wigan inquest? they would have won if they could refrain from head tackles. on the subject of illegal "tackles" how did Isa  get away with an assault on Graham who did not have the ball in the third minute of the game.The referee stopped to have Graham attended to but was uninterested in how it had occurred. there are enough officials and tv to look at the attack . I am happy that Bateman will return but are his team-mates? a word of advice-do not go out socializing with him in Wigan at night

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20 minutes ago, derk said:

has this become just a wigan inquest? they would have won if they could refrain from head tackles. on the subject of illegal "tackles" how did Isa  get away with an assault on Graham who did not have the ball in the third minute of the game.The referee stopped to have Graham attended to but was uninterested in how it had occurred. there are enough officials and tv to look at the attack . I am happy that Bateman will return but are his team-mates? a word of advice-do not go out socializing with him in Wigan at night

I think it was Thomas Leuluai actually.

And it wasn't a pre meditated off the ball assault, Graham was a dummy runner and Leuluai committed himself to crash tackling him as he received the ball, but he didn't.

I know it wasn't great but I'm guessing Kendall realised that Leuluai simply got it wrong without any malice or intent.

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33 minutes ago, Old Frightful said:

I think it was Thomas Leuluai actually.

And it wasn't a pre meditated off the ball assault, Graham was a dummy runner and Leuluai committed himself to crash tackling him as he received the ball, but he didn't.

I know it wasn't great but I'm guessing Kendall realised that Leuluai simply got it wrong without any malice or intent.

Yep. In situations like that with the opposition so close to your line, you don't have the luxury of waiting to see if the guy gets the ball before you commit. As a dummy runner, you know you'll probably get smashed so close to the line. This happens in loads of games, the only difference is Leuluai folded Graham and drew attention to it.

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Despite the lack of free flowing rugby we've come to expect of Saints & Wigan that was probably the most enthralling GF there's ever been. Toughness & resilience all across the field with some phenomenal individual performances, Bentley putting in 69 tackles the stand out for me. Considering the lack of clean breaks Lomax also managed to run for 198m, so while he may not have caught the eye his work rate was obviously massive.

Overall probably a fair result in the end. Saints dominated possession & field position and built pressure on the Wigan line continuously. Wigan looked dangerous when they did have chances but Saints limited those all night by playing most of the game in the Wigan half.

St.Helens - The Home of record breaking Rugby Champions

 

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11 hours ago, Padge said:

Yes

 

Interesting.

I thought you were making a very strong case for the argument that Wigan should have taken the touchline option rather than give Hardaker a shot at goal from 45 metres out.  As I say, in the circumstances, I would have probably gone for the two but you were indeed proved correct.

But I think you are taking things to the extreme now.  If that kick was 35 metres out and 18 metres in from touch then surely the 2 points to win the game is the best option.  Hardaker kicked at 76% this season which while not outstanding is a decent return with 3 out of 4 kick successful.  And that will have included shots from the sideline.

I am sure given a chance to take 2 points from 35 metres out and 18 metres in from the sideline with less than 2 minutes left in a tied Grand Final the majority of Wigan fans would say it is clearly the right choice. 

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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1 hour ago, andyscoot said:

Yep. In situations like that with the opposition so close to your line, you don't have the luxury of waiting to see if the guy gets the ball before you commit. As a dummy runner, you know you'll probably get smashed so close to the line. This happens in loads of games, the only difference is Leuluai folded Graham and drew attention to it.

does that make it legal?he could have pulled out of the heavy contact but chose not to

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On ‎27‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 22:47, Rupert Prince said:

The ball bounced 'sideways'. 

The drop was on/off side, the touch down just did it in millimetres.   It was a fluke.  But its on the scoreboard.  

Dampen! Oh do grow up.  When your team lost, to a fluke, I think one can be entitled to be damp.  Especially when earlier Hasings tackle was not a foul.  Far worse was allowed by both sides.

Wigan should not have gone for the attempted goal, but gone for another 6.  Then it would have probably gone to golden point (assuming Wigan had not got a drop themselves) ...  and that would have been unsatisfactory as well.

Little between both sides.  I would have expected Saints to be more dangerous with their backs.  But Wigan looked better out on the wings.  So the game opposite to what I expected.

When has a rugby ball ever bounced straight, of course its going to go sideways.

As for the Hastings foul - his first contact may have been the chest but his arm then came up and made contact with the head, and that's a penalty every time. The fact a lot of Refs pick & choose when to award this kind of penalty is the only point of discussion, but in awarding it here Kendall was 100% correct.

The only real error Kendall made in regards to penalties was his decision not to award Saints one with Leului's hit on Graham off the ball. Tackling a player without the ball is a penalty no matter how you try to interpret the rules, and that would have been an easy 2 points for Saints as it was just to the left of the posts.

As for the winning try, nothing flukey about that. There was 13 Wigan players on that pitch, only French reacted to the ball hitting the post, the other 12 just stood around watching. Welsby chased the kick and put himself in the position to score.

 

St.Helens - The Home of record breaking Rugby Champions

 

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34 minutes ago, Saint Toppy said:

When has a rugby ball ever bounced straight, of course its going to go sideways.

As for the Hastings foul - his first contact may have been the chest but his arm then came up and made contact with the head, and that's a penalty every time. The fact a lot of Refs pick & choose when to award this kind of penalty is the only point of discussion, but in awarding it here Kendall was 100% correct.

The only real error Kendall made in regards to penalties was his decision not to award Saints one with Leului's hit on Graham off the ball. Tackling a player without the ball is a penalty no matter how you try to interpret the rules, and that would have been an easy 2 points for Saints as it was just to the left of the posts.

As for the winning try, nothing flukey about that. There was 13 Wigan players on that pitch, only French reacted to the ball hitting the post, the other 12 just stood around watching. Welsby chased the kick and put himself in the position to score.

Rugby balls regularly go straight, but obviously sometimes they don't.  It's pot luck what happens and how you defend it when you are waiting to see if it hits the post or not.

And as I remember it Wigan received 2 clear high shots that were not given.  Probably one of those gave Burgess a broken jaw.

As you say Hasings tackle was not on the head. It was not a foul.   I can only assume the touchjudge's dad was a Pilkington's pensioner.  Kendall had ignored it.

It's all down to luck.  Wigan moved the ball well when they had a chance and came close before getting their try.  IF it had been the winning try it would have been apposite since it came from a Saints off side. 

An on a wider point that may go unremarked, I thought both sides were generally off side but ignored.  This may account for the lack of space for three-quarter play. It may encourage drives up the middle.  I think this is bad for the game. I thought (others may differ) Wigan moved the ball wide better than Saints and frankly, genuinely, I was surprised at that. 

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