A lot of Wigan fans seem to be suggesting that their team didn't play well, didn't turn up etc.

Personally I thought Leeds played so well (far better than they have done at any other point during the season other than the WCC) that they prevented Wigan from taking control of the game, but that's not my point.

I'd also appreciate the fact that losing Leuluai is a significant blow, and the team is clearly going to be better with him in it.

But surely the main issue is why Wigan didn't perform for what was the biggest game of the season for them so far? Why didn't the players produce the kind of performance they've been producing most weeks throughout the SL season?

My theory, for what it's worth, is that so rarely are games of that intensity and pressure played, that the occasion can get on top of the team. Leeds appear to have the ability to raise their game on these occasions, due, probably, to the fact that they have a playing squad that has considerable experience in that kind of game (obviously they don't win all of them), whereas Wigan, despite having a playing squad that is at least as talented as any other, lack some experience in these kind of games.

Mind you Harris did say after the game that it was how the team respond after the loss, and they have to learn from it and get stronger, which is why I guess he's a coach.

Wigan didn't play like they often have done previously because they were chasing the game early on. The reason Wigan were chasing the game early on had little to do with an increased intensity as there was no real intensity for that opening 15 minutes. Wigan just made stupid errors and poor judgement which could perhaps be put down to nerves or lack of composure, that let Leeds have easy field position early on and they were clinical from the start. Those early errors are concerning and I think the Wigan players need to keep their composure and not let the occasion get to them.
Having said that Leeds obviously targeted a good early start and Wigan played right into their hands.

Big games demand big starts. We know that better than anyone, just look at our recent GF and CC win's.

Finals are the kind of games you don't want to be trailing in, let alone when it's a big deficit to try and overcome.

I don't agree with that.

It was a one off game in this overall season.
It could've happened last week. It could've happened next week.

It happen this week. Get over it.
It was about the stage.
We were just pants over an 80 minute contest.

Sam didn't miss that catch because of the stage he was on. He missed it due to the quality of the kick and it not being his day.
It wasn't our day.
That's all, for me.

Neither do I.

I missed out "don't".

As I wrote in my report. But they were off it mentally for me. Was clear as day. McIlorum's garbage pass to nothing summing it up.

^ but to just "be off it" on the day of the biggest game of the season surely means something was amiss in the preparation, or the mental attitude of the players on the day.

For sure. They got it wrong. I don't mind that if they learn from it though and I think they will. But time will tell.

Possibly. And that's the coaches job to find anti thing that was wrong in the prep.

It may though just have been 'one of those days' where nothing in particular was done wrong in prep.

That's the one thing I'm struggling to put my finger on. My best guess is that it was a combination of having 4/5 players carrying small niggles, underestimating Leeds and Leeds getting out of the traps at a much higher intensity.

Missing Tommy big time, stupid Exiles game.
I will be at the Stoop, get on with it, finish top , win that GF.

I agree that we have lost too many players, however and I know many will totally disagree with me here and there may be a lot of vitriolic abuse.

We have been in quite a number of what we may term semi finals i.e. the match before a Challenge Cup Final or a Grand Final and there have been a few where we have been expected to win e.g. Catalans and yesterday but for whatever reason we experienced very similar games and basically the game was lost very early. Similarly we have never been good enough to win in the Super League play offs until as described.

It is here that my opinion is and I know many will disagree and probably insult me but if we take over the last 7/8 years or so we have lost a large number of what I term semi finals, however the only time we have won has been with a non English coach i.e. Michael Maguire the person SW insinuates against, I will say nothing more. Maguire won 2 out of 3 and probably the last one against Saints was a game too far, I just hope we can get back together and work as a team not for the coach but for the team and fans. Every interview with SW is and this is without any disrespect but it is "I want" "I will" etc. The time is here for him to relax and use his skills to re invigorate the team not to "flog them in training" there are times when this is needed but at present we have the most talented side in the league playing OK until a few weeks ago and major injuries have been a pain but a good coach here will look after the players and help them though this but more importantly get the belief back into the side.

Wigan matter more than the players, coach etc. different skills are needed here to ensure we progress to the Grand Final and win it as we did a couple of years ago afterbein beat by Leeds in the CC. So the matter is out of the fans hands (if it was up to us we would never lose) and in the hands of the players but at this time The Coach needs to deal with a very difficult matter but shouting is not the answer. Very difficult but necessary.

Your saying Wane can't hack it ? That's an opinion.

It may be that, and in my opinion, the 'team spirit' was not there on Saturday for me.

What caused that I am not too sure. But I suspect there might be a problem.

How can we play sublime stuff most of the season and then we had that performance ?

We had too many players who weren't fully fit. It was clear from pretty much the first 5-10 minutes that Lima, McIlorum, Charnley and even Mossop and Hansen were struggling. They were too slow off the mark and with decision making in defence. Had it not been a semi final then i'm sure most wouldn't have played. Although it seems that Wane wants players to just grit their teeth and grind it out and put their bodies on the line for the club. How many times have we seen players this year playing heavily strapped when they probably should have been on the touch line, then have to miss the following game? How many times have we seen players come back too soon then get injured again in their first game back or in training then be sidelined for even longer? I remember a couple of seasons ago when Maguire went back to Aus for a few weeks, Wane had Goulding playing with a dead leg and heavy strapping. He could barely even walk.