Slight favourites for the cup match. It will be difficult for Wigan to try to peak for the final (if they get there), deal with all of the emotion following the match whichever way it goes, and then to play a game five days later against the team who will probably be their nearest rivals in the league, who will be fresh after having a week off and who will have trained with the intention of peaking for that match.

I don't think a win or a draw in France is out of the question either. Yes, it will be a difficult match, but Catalan have hardly been the most disciplined of sides of late and I would hope that we could take advantage of that.

Nearly .....

suddenly .................?? suddenly........?

I've been bitchin about it since we shipped Kevin Penny around the Ar$e end of the Rugby league world.

I could have wept yesterday at our lack of pace. Weve not always won trophies and we've not always been top of the league, and we've never been world Club Challenge champions in the 16 times its been played but fekin ell we've always had someone that can go the bleedin length of the pitch !!!!


its all well and good having these 6ft 2 wingers that can catch cross field kicks from Lee Briers, but when Briers isnt playing and those high kicks arent going up then having a carthorse on the wing is .....well like having a carthorse on the wing.........

if I'm still up in an hour I'll be moaning about Tony Smiths team selection, Ben Westwood having the cheek to have a stinker of a game once a season, Mickey higham, our lack of Pace, not having a first choice scrum half and a second choice stand off, lack of pace, and Silverwood.

if I go to bed before then I'll probably be having soddin nightmares about being chased by fat Rhys Williams and Plodding Joel Monaghan and I'll be running through treacle, in Wellies, with my arms tied behind my back....
fortunately they dont catch me.....

King is no slouch and neither is Bridge both could go length of the pitch i feel.

Have we been scoring walk in tries all season?

Oh and the flying biscuit theres a good reason Penny isn't in Super League anymore its because he lost that pace.

when i say we need someone that can go the full length I mean during a game when we have opposition players to beat. I dont mean going the full length of some daisy covered local field with an 8 year old running after you while you do Mal Meninga style hand offs to imaginary defenders along the way.

Plus Matt king has to stay in the field of play first.....and Bridge sometimes has to look like he's actually interested in playing Rugby League.

watching the game back I am still disappointed by Joel, particularly the missed tackle on Charnley compounded by the fact he then gave up chasing him back.

Atkins is clearly our quickest player in open field.

Joel plays like a bloke who's always carrying an injury, but I don't think he is.

Bridge, just as a reply to a comment two/three above never got that pace back after the achilles injury, the explosiveness that you had off either foot went, that's why centre is very good for him now, still has footwork, good hands, intelligence etc.

For me, next season, I'd go Joel, Evans (right centre, get him with the experienced Joel), Bridge (left centre - played there aginst Wigan at DW, scored 4 tries against Karl Pryce etc), Atkins.