Ah the Wire for Superleague from Saddened has come early this year!

The difference in defence between Wigan and the Eels against the Broncos was enormous.

I do not understand how full time pros with professional coaches cannot play to a structure for more than one tackle a game. Poorer athletes are understandable, but regulation plays seem beyond most SL teams. Perhaps not helped by the generally rubbish defence.

Proper tackling is a dying art, coaches/players still can't fathom that a bit of arm flapping up top isn't going to bring down the modern rugby league player with the hugely increased upper body strength to get away from that.
For all the stopping the offload this type of tackle is supposed to prevent (it rarely does) players makes easy yards/break yackles even with 2 and three 'tacklers' in attendance.
Watching Hull last Thursday we couldn't tackle a hot dinner. You commit one player to leg tackle and though they might offload it's still 12v12, whilst it's not always easy or how it works far too often arm flapping by big forwards allows easy metres AND offloads. It's bloody pathetic to watch!

Not seen anything from Warrington yet to suggest they're a shoo in. Let's not forget that against Leeds they were second best all night, rode their luck and we're awarded a try that should never have been (sounds a lot like last night). Two ref assisted wins is not the same as 'finding a way to win' or whatever. No doubt the quality is there, but that first try last night gets sent up as no try and it stays as no try.

I think we are far too early to say anything definitive about any team! We have seen plenty of times before that a club doing well over the first 6-8 weeks doesn't win them anything. Just as it is hard to see the bottom two being Leeds-Huddersfield.

Not to mention the story that injuries could play. All it takes is a couple of players to go down for a significant period for it all to change!

Last night Warrington played without the spine of 6,9 and 13 (Gidley, Clark and Westwood).

With those back in, the defence and attack is much improved.

Salford tries coming off being piggy backed up field yet somehow people think the ref was helping Wire ???

Both sides scored plenty of points off consecutive penalties. Wire got three in a row IIRC that took them the length of the field in the first half for one of their tries.

Credit to Hicks, lot of whistle but he was at least being consistent throughout the game. He set down the standards early on, and neither team were prepared to stick to them and listen to what they were being told.

Agreed. although Hicks was a bit whistle happy, he was consistent throughout the game, which is what most fans moan about. I thought he also dealt with the game well, by sin binning the two players (Although Currie maybe a bit harsh) and it stopped the game for boiling over.

I thought it was a good game and draw would have been the fairer result, but that's the difference between a team going to the top 4 and a team going for the top 8, just a little bit smarter and more clinical.

IMO Salford lost the game, by giving away two penalties when they had the ball, also should have kicked at least one drop goal, i would also be very disappointed with the FB who made no attempt to catch the ball from Sandows penalty.

Both teams have started well and look like top 8 team, along with Widnes, if these two finish in the top 8, who drops out?

I might have spoken to soon about Salford

Thought the Currie binning was absolutely spot on. He knew what he was doing in trying to draw a reaction out of Murdoch-Masila, and that turned what was a nothing incident into a flare-up that could have got out of hand.

He'd been at it most of the game as well. Talented player, but I do hope he isn't developing into a bit of a big time Charlie off the back of the praise he got last year.

I agree about the Currie binning, it wasn't the worst offence going, but it's crept into the game, it needs to be stamped out,it's bad sportsmanship,against the spirit of the game and in a situation like last night it could and did escalate things if tensions are running high.
And it did calm things down and led to an exciting finish, without Hicks taking control then it could have been a niggle-fest for the remainder of it.
Although why Murdoch-Masila wasn't binned too is baffling.

I think Murdoch-Masila probably got some credit off Hicks for not reacting to it other than a little bit of a chest bumping square off. Carney was the one who came running into an incident that didn't involve him, grabbed a Wire player and cocked the arm back ready to throw one.

No problem with the Currie binning as long as it is applied consistently.

Glad Currie showed a bit of fire in his belly, its about the only thing missing from his game.

I too thought Hicks did OK. Not the message you would deduce from the younger posters on another thread. One such poster couldn't watch anymore the reffing was so bad.