+1

From.sky footage appeared like a Damm good hit, I agree injuries maybe influencing things. The severity and frequency of injuries is alarming tho.

It would be an unlucky call to get a ban for it, remember there was a 5-15min period he was throwing himself about putting in some big hits

Don't think it was intended, but first contact was shoulder to face.

It's pretty clear that any other Super League team facing our injury crisis would be bottom not 2 points off the top. I think it is an incredible feat to be within touching distance with so many average players and youngsters having to play. And how we've managed to win 9 games is beyond me. John Bateman seems to have been playing single-handedly for most of the season.

Much as it goes against the grain, players like Isa, Burke, Sutton, Tautai, and Tierney are just not good enough at the moment. But every squad needs back up. These players won't be playing at the back end if most of our injuries clear up.

Players like Gregson, Wells, Higginson, Waterhouse and Bretherton are just not ready for the first team but have been needed in recent weeks.

The first 17 would be something like - S. Tomkins, Manfredi, Gelling, Sarginson, Charnley, Williams, Smith, Mossop, McIlorum, O'Loughlin, J.Tomkins, Farrell and Bateman then Flower, Clubb, Powell, Gildart on the bench. So the likes of Isa and Burke would be nowhere near the team.

No Sam, no Lockers and no Micky Mac would be handicap enough for any team but add Faz, Joel, Dom Manfredi and Ben Flower and it is clear why Tony Smith took very little pleasure from the win.

How can you make that argument though when we haven't had our full team on the field all year? Judge us when everyone is back (or at least most of them) and they've had a run in the team.

I agree that the overall quality is down but that is a problem across the whole league, not just at Wigan.

I thought we were awful technically last year and with the loss of Burgess and Bowen our main and arguably only threats that even the return of ST may not not be enough in itself to turn us into something like an entertaining team.
My gripes are that we are a team of jack of all trades with virtually no masters, we lack basic skills, do not have a kicking game, rotate players by the clock irrespective of how a game goes, we think that we don't need a golakicker, play at a pedestrian pace, lack any sort of intensity plus unlike others I also question our fitness.
For me this isn't a "this season" problem we have been deteriorating since the end of 2013 and I see nothing that says we can improve even when we get players back unless ST really can do the impossible.
All very negative I know but I can only say what I see.
I think the issue is one of poor recruitment and potentially poor coaching that needs several major signings to resolve however, like most people I know that in the current climate this is a difficult problem to resolve and probably needs a couple of seasons to deliver.
As I keep saying I hope I'm wrong and that the majority on here are right and with a full team available we should still be challenging for honours.