Oh I hope so, he plays so lateral and has a fear of taking the ball to the line. His kicking game is pretty inconsistent too! I don't think he has the creativity to do much in League

Amor
Roby
Walmsley
Wilkin
Vea
Thompson

LMS
Richards
Masoe
Greenwood
Walker
Savelio
Flanagan

Thompson and Richards will be first 17 players consistently this year. Thompson, in particular, is a star in the making, Savelio hopefully much more game time as well. Hohaia will cover Roby/Wellens likely a back row rotation as well.

Patrick is 16st 4lb, the same weight as Kyle Amor.

I well remember you telling all and sundry that Wigan would win nothing with Smith and Green as halfbacks, and that didn't turn out to bad did it?

I'm absolutely certain that you will find not one single Wigan fan who would agree with you on that one. Dudson had one decent game (at Magic against Leeds last year) in his time at Wigan. He consistently failed to manage even the basics and became a penalty machine, for example costing us the derby match at Saints in 2013. He is surplus to requirements, it's as simple as that. Crosby, Greenwood and Sutton have overtaken him in the pecking order.

Since last year we have lost Pettybourne (a big disappointment after his good showing at the World Cup), Dudson, Taylor (most will agree he could be a big miss) and James (honest but limited) to be replaced by Mossop (a question over fitness, but good enough to make the 2013 World Cup squad after being an integral part of a double winning team), Tautai (jury's out), Patrick (showed up well against us in the past but jury still out) and Greenwood has come back after a decent season in London.

Overall the props are certainly no worse than last season, with the second row options improved with the return of Tomkins (whose defence was a big improvement on Bateman's in the last month of the season).

I'm happy with the composition of our pack against yours. However whilst your halves are better on paper our three quarters are better IMO of course.

For me the two most important players are Roby and O'Loughlin. Any prolonged absence of either would severely damage either sides plans.

That said, I think there's nothing between Saints, Wigan and Wire (with Catalan a surprise outsider) for the trophies.

Dudson's garbage. Despite his massive size implying he's got potential, I've never seen him deliver an awful lot.

Patrick was a good acquisition, but I think he's a bit like LMS in that he's best deployed slightly away from the really heavy traffic.
Mossop will be good (perhaps very good) if he can stay fit.
Tautai is the big one for me. I've seen him look very good, but can he graft? If he can't, then maybe your set of props will be lacking in that area, especially is Mossop is injured.

Wasn't Ben Flower out of contract? Did you resign him?
I think he'd be a great signing for Saints, I'm not sure what the reaction would be, though!

Every year Wigan lose players and the Saints fans rub their hands with glee at the upcoming demise of the Wigan side. Yet despite losing these players, Wigan are always competitive and right up there competing for the trophies. Maybe they will be weaker this year but i would not be writing them off and I certainly see them as the biggest rivals along with Leeds for the trophies this year

I think its because more seems to be made of the palyers leaving than the ones coming in. No one cares about Tautai as he was only playing for Wakey, so isn't a big name signing, but he is a BIG signing. Fuck knows how they wangled the Patrick thing, but he's a massive step up from Jack Hughes.

Wane's signed so many props precisely to compete with Saints' front row. It's no surprise considering in both the game at Wigan and the Grand Final, Wigan constantly had to go wide to make ground. Their entire prop rotation made the same amount of metres as Luke Thompson at Old Trafford. They've no answer to Saints up front, especially Masoe's aggression, who has really set the tone on our last two meetings. Wane has signed three props to try and redress the balance. To beat us, they'll have to compete with Amor (who one laughable Wigan dimwit this time last year announced wouldn't get in the Wigan 17

), Walmsley, Masoe, Richards and Thompson. I have a feeling Savelio will play a bit this year as well. We'll hopefully see Walker come on a bit more as well and Vea will spend a large part playing the centre of the field as well. Saints' front row contingent is unrivalled in SL IMHO, regardless of who Wigan have signed. Wigan's back row is good though, although Tomkins has it all to prove.

As for their backs. Their halves are as pedestrian as it gets in Smith and Williams. Gelling is an absolute turnip. I don't care what they say, he's a waste of a shirt. Their wingers are quality though whilst Sarginson has improved but has to find a centre's line for me before he's anything more than decent. Bowen is an error prone shambles as well.

Crosby is vastly under-rated IMO and as already pointed out not a single Wigan fan would agree with Dudson being better then him. I expect big things from Crosby this year who really looks to be developing year on year.

Not a great deal in the packs between both clubs really. I certainly wouldn't swap and I'd take our back row options all day long but the props are pretty even and if Roby starts this year as he finishes last he'll make a real difference to your side.

Some good battles ahead this year I reckon.

Props pretty even. You've got to laugh.

Crosby, who managed 20 odd metres in the biggest game of the season and spent half the time on his after Masoe had nailed him, Flower who so enraged at Masoe's early aggression committed an offence that should have seen him locked up and Clubb, who managed 60 odd metres (half that of Thompson and Richards). Indeed, Wigan's props are a scary proposition



Placing a lot of hope in a Huddersfield bencher and an import from Wakefield are Wigan. Mossop has never been up to anything anyway, he wouldn't make the Saints 17.

Steady on, pal. There's nothing like setting yourself up for a fall.