I won't be giving my views till the whistle gone at challenge cup final and grand final whistle because the rest of the season means feck all

I feel like that about the season tbh. I'm normally like a kid waiting for Christmas by now but this year I couldn't care less. I've tried watching old games on youtube and DVD, playing rugby league on the xbox. Playing rugby league manager on the laptop. Reading messageboard after messageboard. I couldn't care less. Even the fact Latics are doing sh*te isn't working.

You would have half the board saying it doesn't matter (as happened when Noble was here) and the other half asking why am I paying to go and watch rubbish then?

In my view to give value for money the bottom line is the team has to be good enough to do well in the league and win the end of season major trophies. That is regardless of whether or not the competition structure lends itself to make it relatively easy to win the trophies after a rubbish year in the league.

It should never be which do you prefer, "good league campaign and no finals" or "appearances in finals and a rubbish season".

Shame your not sending a stronger squad but I know you have more pre season games coming up. Always good to see some of the best players in the league at craven park.

THIS

given: ....you'd think Wane might have put a stronger squad out...or is he waiting for the Reds & Wire games? It would be very strange if we were to start the season without the 1st team actually playing a single competitive game.

I suspect Mr Taylor will be "disappointed" again come 4 o' clock on Sunday

I agree. Those saying that we shouldn't bother trying until July, or whatever it is, are simply not doing the maths.

The fans want to be entertained all through the season, not just at the end of it. Yes, undoubtedly there is something in the idea of resting players for certain games - which Wane actually did last year (and got massacred for on this forum - Widnes away, anyone?) - but fans may vote with their feet if they feel the club and the team are not trying very hard.

It is simplistic nonsense to say that league matches don't matter when they provide the vast bulk of the season's action.

For my money, the problem last year was that too many league games were too easy. There was rarely a sense of unbearable excitement, and too often we came away afterwards feeling that Wigan had not really been challenged. That is the problem with the league fixtures, IMO.

Serious question: was this a problem back in the 80s & 90s too? I remember Leeds having a dig occasionally but the notion that we provided any kind of challenge is ridiculous. I'm guessing the same applied to most other teams, barring the occasional Herculean effort by Saints.

No it wasn't. I was there throughout that time and people seem to forget Wigan didn't win every trophy every year. We had a remarkable cup run in the CC but didn't win the league on anything like such a regular basis and the same with the end of season premiership.

One season we lost the title to Saints in the last game. Another we won it on points difference from Bradford. Their coach Mr. Fox had been saying all season Wigan's superior points difference was worth a league point and so it proved. One season Wigan did only lose two league games to win the title and both of those were to Warrington. There were always certain teams you knew would always give you a really tough game and that was Widnes were always really good (until the wheels fell off for them), Warrington when Des Druimmond was playing was always a really hard set of matches and Bradford were also no easy beats and Saints never were. Leeds and Hull had patches of being dangerous with Leeds spending a fortune under Doug Laughton to try and emulate Wigan by buyuing the likes of Hanley and even our current coach.

Even the Wembley wins were not all as easy as the ones against Leeds

Figuring we'll see some stronger squads in the next two friendlies. Looks like he just has a few players he still wants to see in some positions. Better to do it now!

Exactly. There are basically 12 players in the side selected to face Rovers who don't qualify for the under 19's but will be outside the first 17 and those players will have to be sent on loan or dual registration. This is the only real time that Wane will get to watch them in a group, compare the players like for like and see what they've got to offer during a game.
Once the season starts a lot of these players could be all over the place; many at Leigh and South Wales but possibly some at other Super League clubs so this is a crucial time for making decisions as to who goes where and who is pushing for a first team place.