I’m really struggling with the Bullock love in.

You would think we have Shane Webke sat on the sidelines.

He is a lad that joined the team as a project player. He showed up well at times with some eye catching runs partially due to our other props playing to a system that sacrificed go forward for a quick play the ball.

He was also fairly poor in certain aspects of his game particularly in defence.

He has has performed well in the offseason but clearly is still not ticking the boxes that he will know he needs to, to get selection.

Could he be a real asset to our team? Potentially yes.

In my eyes he is still very much a project player on the fringes of establishing himself as a first team player. Obviously he needs an opportunity to cement himself as a first team player and I am sure he will get it this year. He clearly has things to work on in his boss’ opinion and it’s uo to him to sort it.

Hopefully he does and hopefully he can but let’s not make out he is a key player when at the moment he clearly isn’t.

Fair enough but he's also a fairly unique member of our squad atm in that he has the ability to make metres post contact. Partington, Bryne, Havard,.Flower (Burgess isn't fit) - none of them can do that despite other qualities.

What is this mystical quality of making post-contact metres that our props apparently lack, though? Are the players you listed less strong than,say. Joe Philbin, and any other SL forwards who make more p-c metres? Surely it's more a matter of technique and training than anything else?

For me it is more about speed and strength rather than "post contact"". Which is why I think that Byrne is a better bet longer term than Partington because for all of Partington's enthusiasm when he comes up against someone bigger/stronger with similar or more enthusiasm then the other guy wins.

To a degree I think Smithies falls into the same bracket however, age/maturity is probably more of a factor here for me.

TC even on his few "better days " just doesn't have the fitness or strength and for me when he plays either from the bench or from the start its like starting with 16 players and puts his lack of work rate on the rest of the pack.

Faz and Isa for all their other attributes just aren't big enough and ideally we wouldn't have them on the pitch at the same time. Greenwood should be a shoe in in the SR but he doesn't seem to have the heart foe the fight so me move him on.

In summary for me therefore, we are on the back foot against any team with good line speed and it's why I want the likes of Wells and Kilner to come through and why I was made up with the GB signing.

On the upside the young guys coming through do look stronger, fitter and very obviously bigger.

I hate playing at Cas as I've seen us lose there more than win and their supporters really do hate us so it's never a ground where I can say I enjoy going. A tough night tonight but hopefully the forwards can build the platform for Hastings and French to exploit

Harry Smith starts.

French
Marshall
Zak
Bibby
Burgess
Smith
Hastings
Clubb
Leuluai
Partington
Isa
Faz
Lockers

Havard
Byrne
Smithies
Shorrocks

Got a horrible feeling we're going to get mullered down the middle again.
Hope to be proven wrong.

I have that feeling all season TBH. We signed Burgess and Clark to strengthen our pack and they both look weeks away

does anybody know when the commentary starts on Wigan TV

Kids plus Clubb in the prop positions. I rate each and every one of the young props but I fear for them all being put in together and it makes little sense to me. We’ll hear plenty about Castleford’s injury’s but they’ve got an experienced pack starting the game and a big experienced forward in Junior Moors on the bench, whereas we carry an all junior forward selection on the bench.

We’ll see how we go.

This is fecking dire. Discipline issues yet again FFS.

Clubb lasted 15 mins tonight, so I’d say that’s now something like 5 mins against Leeds, 15/20 mins against Wire and 15 mins against Cas.

Lam needs to start picking the right team or else he will kill himself.

Burgess just hasn't got the quickness he once had.

Need to try and get French involved more, he's the only bit of excitement we've got.

Shite one out one man rugby, clueless attack and absolutely shocking discipline.

Lam is not a head coach!

How close is Manfredi to fitness?

Mind-boggling that Clubb was given a contract extension. Sometimes Wigan management really don't help themselves.