Did Wigan target the right edge defence due to JM or because they knew Bridge was a long way from fully fit and wasn't fully mobile.
Smith's team selection hinted Bridge was in trouble with him including Russell instead of Wood.

Let's be honest, both of Warrington's wingers can be a bit iffy in defence. Why did Widnes target Evans over Monaghan? During the league defeat to Wigan, Charnley and Gelling were rampant during that second half against Evans. Wingers can have off days, they make errors in judgement just like every other player; unfortunately they're a bit like goalkeepers in the sense that, if they do make a mistake, it's often the costliest.

This argument doesn't make sense.

Teams always won at home is not the same as saying players scored fewer tries.

If you look at the try tallies back then of guys like Offiah, Schofield, Newlove, Paul Eastwood, Steadman, Hunte, Sullivan, Cordle there were a lot of prolific scorers in those days.

Dessie himself scored 141 tries in 280 games for Leigh before joining us so was a much more regular scorer there than at Warrington.

It just seems odd that he was never really a big scorer of tries with us whereas you can't say he had lost pace at the end of his career because he was still quick and could still beat players by going the long way round them in an arcing run and doing them for pace.

I have said it many times...a winger is only as good as his last pass.
If Bev didn't get a pass he would show his displeasure and sit on the touchline.

Joel is scoring more because of the form of Bridge.
If Dessie was outside Bridge he would blow Joel out of the water. Hicks was awesome as a winger when outside Bridge.

You really like Bridge, considering Joel played much of the season off the wing his record is immense!

Well I've read some tripe on here over the last few years but this thread takes the biscuit!
In previous seasons the argument against Joel was that all he did was catch Briers' pinpoint kicks and fall over the line. Strange that this season he is the leading try scorer when there has been a marked lack of accurate kicking.
Couldn't finish the interception at Cas...didn't you notice the knock to his ankle?
Wigan targeting his wing...his regular centre had gone off early on.
He only scores because Bridge is his centre partner...sorry RubberDuckie but weren't you the one pointing out that Bridge played a significant part of the season at halfback?

The pair of you can't see the woods for the trees

His inside assist has been Bridge in almost all cases

When on wing his centre was Bridge
When at centre his stand off was Bridge

His finishing has been outstanding this year and I would say that his positioning and power is the reason he has scored so many tries this season, put another winger/centre and even with bridge and his magical passes they would have not been scored!

I like Bridge but Joel is not a great player just because of Bridge!

Completely agree with that

I think Bridge has shown real maturity this year and played really well...but he's not the Messiah...

I think in the Good Old Days the difference between forwards & backs was like race horses to donkeys ,the really good backs could run rings round even the fastest forwards but now we have many more mobile forwards who are just as likely to score as the backs given the right opportunities.

Joel has been terrific since he joined us, his pace doesn't worry me but his knack of scoring tries almost certainly worries every team who play us. His defence is good as well he reads the game well and has saved us on a fair few occasions this season.

I personally think that Wigan targeted our right hand side because young burgess plays on that edge and he is a real danger, I must say he won me over on Friday I think he is going to be a real star for the pies and England in the future.

Yes ,unfortunately Wigan are lethal with both wingers now, Josh Charnley has been excellent ,but new kid on the block Joe Burgess is definitely one for the future & both home grown.

I'm genuinely curious about what is accepted as the correct approach to a winger defending a 2 on 1. Should he steam in on the ball carrier, hold off and go for the winger or go for the intercept?
Seems to me the chances of successfully defending in that position depends on either the attacking team stuffing up or the defender making a "lucky" choice. But I stand to be corrected.

The no1 rl rule of defence is follow the ball not the player.