I think the scoreline flattered us to be honest, we did not deserve to be in that game with 10 mins left, both out tries to get us back into the game came against the run of play.

our kicking game was non existent and too many times it was left to TL to kick who does not have a kicking game which for a no. 7 is not acceptable.

our forwards were always going to struggle, I think in all fairness they all worked very hard, but Tuson is not ready yet ( body wise) prescott just is not good enough and I hope we release him at the end of the year.

for me the main blame lies with our coach, he has worked wonders with the squad no doubt about it but yet again his bench policy was to say the least pathetic. Deacon came on with 8 minutes to go, why oh why oh why,

madge, if you read this what is the point of wasting an interchange place like that! did the same against leeds with Tuson, pointless.

please put Amos Roberts in the u20's to get fit, score some tries and build confidence he is at the moment a complete liability and we are moving the team around him.

for all the good work madge has done his bench policy has played a major part in the losses to Warrington and Leeds and he does not seem to have learnt the lesson.

Agreed.

Setup:
No Coley
No O'Carroll
No McIllorum

Events:
Fielden taking a shoulder to the chin
Roberts picking up a knock (playing a part in 2 conceded tries through it) having to come off
Mossop hurting his shoulder again
Riddell hurting his ribs?

It was tough before the game started missing size, the in game events then made it next to impossible to run a smooth interchange and keep people fresher.

For me there were 4 main issues that immediately spring to mind.

We lost the game in the forwards. I have said for a few years that our pack isnt good enough and, although it has been much better due to Maguire's training regime, it is still our big weakness. Last night the pack was completely outmuscled. It is just too lightweight and we have a serious lack of firepower. Warringtons pack is possibly the best in the league when they are firing on all cylinders and we just couldnt compete. They have a very big pack and when the big forwards are on form they make lots of metres and can also be brutal in defence. We desperately need 2 big forwards, and if the rumours about Hoffman and Lima are true they are just what we need in matches like that.

This weakness in the forwards was further compounded by our subs bench. Our bench was very weak, and again lightweight. Farrell, Tuson and Mossop are good young players but arent a match for the likes of Solomona or Wood who came offf , particulalry when the starting forwards are already being dominated. Deacon was just a waste ub spot in a game like that.

Our kicking game was once again dreadful and all too predictable, particularly in those first 25 minutes when we were camped in Warringtons half. If you contrast that to Briers the difference is marked. His kicks resulted in a try and a few near tries. He also forced a few repeat sets.

I am a big Roberts fan but he is still no where near match fit. His attempted tackle on Hicks was awful and he was no where near the 2 kicks that resulted in tries when he was out of position and slow to react. I think that a match fit Roberts would have prevented all 3 tries.

You're all overreacting a bit. It was a cracking game in awful conditions. It was every bit as intense as the game at the HJ you won & would not have disgraced the GF. You are top of the table for a reason - you have been the best & most consistent side so far this season. Last night you came up against one of if not the best pack in SL which hit form again after a few dodgy matches. On the back of our dominant pack, Briers was allowed to dictate the game and as one of you said was masterful. Equally on the back of a beaten pack & unsure what position he was playing in Tomkins was anonymous and unable to dictate any of the game other than in the first 15 minutes and a delightful pass to Tuson to score.

It's not the end of the world by any stretch for you.

Good call...though the cracking game bit is maybe exaggerating a bit. While it was intense and very passionate, the amount of dropped ball meant that the game was pretty much stop/start.

Don't want to put too much of a downer on Wigan, but I really believe that Maguire has done a fantastic job getting consistantly top class displays from what is, in my opinion, not really a top class squad...Maybe last night was just an indication that they may just lack that certain something required to win the play-offs?....Saying that, finishing top, which I believe they will still acheive, will be an admirable performance, and will give them plenty to build on for next year.

As for Wire, I really believe that if they can hold their nerve and eliminate those dodgy 20 minute spells they seem to throw in on a regular basis, then we definitely have the side, especially the pack, to beat any side....I just fear that there may still be a mental barrier when it comes to Saints or Leeds.

No but its worrying because if 1-2 players get injured in our pack we are really struggling, if our props perform like that in a playoff game we will lose

Props arent generally players who lose and pick up form, out of any players on the paddock they are the most consistent bunch