Wigan, to my mind are certs to make the grand final this season.

In previous seasons with inconsistency you have made the eliminator so you have to think you'll go one step further this season. Well that's the way I see it. The only thing that may count against you is burn out. The longer you go on playing well the closer you are to a sticky patch, and the closer that sticky patch get's to the business end of the season.

That's always my concern if leeds are playing ''[itoo well[/i'' early doors. In 2008 we looked unbeatable at easter and were 6 points clear at the top. By october saints had finished top, were red hot favourites and it was a big struggle to get our form going again.

Now it's the opposite, it's going to be a struggle to get into a good enough position for the playoffs. never mind timing your form.

It's going to be an almighty battle between, hudds, hull, bradford, saints, warrington and leeds for that other place.

Wigan look the best team so far though, although today i thought you were very evenly matched with saints.

The only thing that made us evenly matched today was our atrocious long kicking game.

With all my heart I want to agree with you. But in my head, it's still a long season. There's going to be ups and downs throughout and you can write off Leeds/Saints/Warrington at your peril.

We are definately capable of being in the Grand Final, but don't get too far ahead of ourselves, come Monday today is forgotten about and it's a potential banana skin in Wakefield.

Leuluai is a shít kicker, even Roberts and Richards can kick better than him.

Except it was Sam that put in most of the poor kicks...

This is one area Madge must look at, not just today but in other matches our kicks from the 5th have been poor.

Sam kicked a few good ones then other poor ones, Leuluai kicked 0 good ones and the rest down Pryce's throat. Deacon came on and split the winger and fullback apart on a few occasions but overall our long kicking game was very poor. Really bad conditions though and we won so no complaints really, hopefully they will work on it at training. I dont see why they dont kick along the ground more because god knows where that ball is gonna bounce!

Deacon was brought on in my opinion to improve this area, but did not impose himself or make himself available as an option enough for me, he needs to improve and take authority when he comes on not allow a younger less experienced player like Tomkins dominate him.

I agree, I think Deacon can educate Tomkins in this area but part of Tomkins education is to "watch and learn", this is where Deacon needs to impose himself on the pitch.

That is what I was going to say. Tomkins is as bad as anyone and did some very poor ones today.

Don't agree tbh.

Leuluai did the most of the kicking and did a poor job. I'd say Tomkins kicking was 50/50 between good and bad.

I agree some of Sam's kicking is still off, but it encourages me that when he puts a bad kick in, on the whole he's chasing like a mad man to try and make up for it.

tomkins first kick was superb but it went down hill form there, IMO most of saints possession in our half was off poor kicks or penalties. They never looked like breaking us from deep. we iron out that and we'll take some stopping

Let's just take a time out here.

It's fantastic to see Wigan topping the league, and great to see our defence looking really really solid.


It really does take me back 20 years.


However, the current format of the league means that current form and results count for very little

It's how we finish that is important.

Any talk of grand finals until August is silly imo.

They count for a great deal. How you start has a big influence on how you finish. Ever since the play-offs started and despite them changing format several times the sides that started well and finished at the top of the league and have gone on to contest the grand final.

Sides that start poorly, finish low down in the play-off positions as a result have not contested a single grand final. Fact.



I agree. We could have a bad second half of the season, finish low down the league as we have done in recent seasons and yet again miss out on the GF as a result.

Our current form simply makes the chance of a top two finish more likely and if we get one of those the chances of getting to a GF are miles better - as all the previous seasons since 1998 prove.

Dave