It's amazing how dull the game has become since the period 2000-2010ish. We've gone from some great attacking rugby to 80 minute slogathons. Such a shame.

I remember that game well. There was just no chance we were not going to win. For me the best CC was the previous year beating Wigan. It was magical.

That's why I walked out 20 minutes from the end of a particular borathon after supporting the Wire at all stadia in the league for nigh on half a century. Not been back since.

You should come & take your punishment like the rest of us Dave.
There was more excitement before the days of six tackles ,when the players worked 5 & half days a week & trained after work. The game now is getting like what we used to slag Union off for ,too much kicking. The powers that be obviously are fed with too much kicking because they brought six again in to generate some excitement.

I fell for this during lockdown and watched a few games from 2009/10/11/12 and while the justification is usually that the game has evolved, playing percentages, blah blah blah I’m not fully buying that.

The skill level was so much higher then. Even something as simple as passing from dummy half. Jon Clarke in particular could fire a pass off the floor and go 20 yards and get straight into Briers’ hands in a split second. There’s just too much messing with props pretending to trundle it up, only to pass it behind them badly to a halfback, who does the same block play, to another block play, to another block play. Snooze!

Just watch how many first receivers have to take the ball above their shoulders or round their knees in our next game. I often wondered why this basic skill seems to have waned.

Yes, that Wigan match was brilliant - and I forgot to record it and have never seen it since

I'd love to find that!

Quote: fez1 "Yes, that Wigan match was brilliant - and I forgot to record it and have never seen it since Here you go https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1426266604227532

Quote: fez1 "Yes, that Wigan match was brilliant - and I forgot to record it and have never seen it since Here you go https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1426266604227532

Like has already been said many times. It's hard to look back and put your finger on how that side (2011-13 especially) didn't win a grand final. Watching those replays and highlights on youtube, we were so clinical. Something we are definitely not today, and haven't been for a number of years. The team was quite formidable and could turn it on in big games. We were beating the likes of Wigan, Leeds & Saints regularly. We seemed to fall at the final hurdle with regards to the GF. I always feel that Wigan & Leeds had that winning experience to grind it out that we didn't. And then after Briers retired we didn't build on it and instead went backwards. The price years were generally average afterwards with one good CC win. We were poor in the GF and were probably lucky to get there in the first place. Now with Powell we seem to be a million miles away from the TS & Price eras like we've gone backwards at a rate of knots.

2011 and 2012 when we were at our absolute peak, we ran into an all time great Leeds team who were relentless winners when it came to playoff and Grand Final rugby. In those years we could blow most teams away with our attacking power but Leeds were good enough not to be blown away and to get us into an arm wrestle where they had enough leaders and players with experience of winning games of that intensity, to get the edge over us. Because we were a good side its easy to forget how that Leeds team dominated Super League - the 2012 win over us was their 5th Grand Final win in 6 years.

2013 Grand Final we got two bad injuries that disrupted us. Wigan weren't the great team that Leeds were but they were good enough to take advantage when we lost our shape.

Honestly speaking, with the exception of 3 or 4 games the Price years were awful. I'd rather have DP given the choice between the two.

One of the reasons I really dislike Wigan was because of this game. I hated their game play which I believe led to the 2 injuries you mentioned. Michael Maguire techniques are still prevalent - and now seemingly adopted by John Asiata.

I think the Wire are not ruthless enough to win games that matter. The winners employ all sorts of gamesmanship & are willing to exploit the rules & referee to the nth degree. Leeds started a fight in back play as we were pressing their line & that possibly saved them from getting beat. As a result ,in the confusion ,Leeds managed to get back up to our end & i think they scored again. As for Wigan ,they were disgusting with their tactics to injure players.

Blake Green bossed us in that Grand Final. If we had been ruthless we should have sent Westwood out to take Green out in the first couple of minutes. Punch him in the face as he's going down in a tackle. Do it in a sneaky way so the ref doesn't notice.

The problem is we just let Wigan play dirty while we were the choir boys.