typical michael mcguire tactic

The GF we all wanted to see? Had to switch over for a while as Rachel Riley was shaking her tush on the other side!

Hansen hit him above the hip. When did that become illegal?

It didn't. I think hansen saw a legal opportunity which may result in a injury, so he took it. Cynical, but not against the rules.

I don't know, all this roughness. Where's the clean-cut fair play of yesteryear gone?

No side without dirty players has ever won owt.

Wigan deserved that as a team. Mental strength wins finals. You can point the finger at Wire chucking it away, but Wigan had to show plenty of character. Totally ruthless in the 2nd half. Well done Wigan.

Despite the big signings Smith has not managed to produce the mental toughness in the side to match the illegal toughness that Warrington have shown in the playoffs and GF. And despite the squad rotation during the season his side couldn't last the pace when needed.

You have to wonder now if smith has taken them as far as he can. With so many key players either leaving or reaching the end of their career (why is that familiar?) you can't see them getting better in the immediate future, and if Smith can't claim the title with this squad that he has had over the last 3 years, you wonder when that elusive title will come for them.

And let's make no mistake about it either. Wire have lacked the mental toughness on the big day, throwing away winning leads in both grand finals. People will talk about the injuries but they had already gifted the momentum back to wigan before the injuries screwed them, at a time when they should have been putting the final nails in.

It's strange considering smith manged to instill such mental toughness into such a young inexperienced team in 2004 who managed to overcome (at the time) grand final veterans bradford.

In 2004 i just thought it would happen because it had been 32 years and it was ''our time'' but after wires losses this past year makes you realise how different history could have unfolded for us.

No, but that's Wigan for you. They do it week-in-week out. Silly niggling plays that can often end in injury like tonight. It's not a pretty tactic but it seems to be effective!

I posted a big list of close important games Smith had lost/won as coach of both Leeds and Wire. Fair to say the lost column was much bigger than the win one, with a rare exception of the 2004 GF

No coincidence that most of his successes
2007 GF
2010 CC
2012 CC
2005 WCC (finished close but only after a BIG lead)
Have come when it's not come down to the wire (no pun intended),

Defeats
2005 GF
2005 CC
2006 CC
2006 Playoffs
2007 playoffs to Saints
2011 playoffs to Leeds
2012 GF
2013 GF

Smith teams don't function well when they don't get to play Plan A and it becomes a gut check and a battle of substance over style.

My thoughts too.

McIlorum was superb.

Green played well but I think he got the sympathy (agenda) vote due to him overcoming the early injury and battling on... in the same way Sinfield did last year.

Press choice of mom disputed by fans shocker. I'm amazed Sam didn't win it

Nah not really fussed just stating who I thought was the best player. Tomkins went ok, took a very good catch off a bomb but Wire stopped him making the decisive breaks in attack by focusing hard to stop him. This probably lead to the right side having chances though, which Goulding finally took after a few missed opportunities.

I think Hansen saw an opportunity to tackle a player who was still on play and did just that. Unfortunately his leg buckled under him. Players get injured through both legal and illegal tackles - that's contact sport. This was a legal tackle.