It's nothing to do with playing like globetrotters, I'll settle for not playing like a team of strangers, at the moment they look like they've met in the car park and decided whose plying where. At the end of the day, they are pro players, their entire week is structured around those 80 mins at the weekend.

We can all see the basics of a decent team there, but the lack of leadership and craft rather than graft is worrying. Williams needs options, we are clueless in attack watching Williams run along a static line waiting for a runner is heartbreaking.

Almost agree but if you can show me 2 back rowers in SL that run better lines at pace and strength that Faz and Bateman I'll eat my hat! We're off the pace because we're coughing up far too much possession. Dropped ball and penalties are what's killing us. Sort that out, have our share of the ball and I'm pretty sure our form will turn. As for leadership I wouldn't want any other captain to lead our team. To be specific, we lose intensity when Lockers goes off. Find a way to plug that gap and we'll be fine. I'm not sure how we can fill that gap though?

Jack Wells is 19 years of age , he's been playing in a team in the middle of an injury crisis . Do you expect him to play like a 30 year old Kevin Ward. He shouldn't even be playing first team yet

Do not worry about the lad , he is going to be one hell of a player

I cant help but feel young Wells has a big future ahead of him.

You are missing my point. I do not expect him to play like a thirty year old and I do not expect him to be as big as he will be then either. Jack Wells is a 19 year old who has been bulked up to the point that he cannot play his natural game. I agree that he would not normally be playing so many First Team games at this point in his career, but he would be better served by speed, not bulk at this time. His first try for the First Team was a ball back inside supporting a break. He would be unlikely to do that now. I cannot help thinking that Callum Field would be more suited to the style of play being forced upon young Jack.

How do you know it's being forced on him? I'm presuming you think the coaching staff have asked him to get as big as he is? That would surprise me to be honest because we seem a club intent on having smaller, more mobile forwards. The coaching staff have been hammered by our fans at times for not having big enough forwards but then on the other hand they get questioned because Wells has got too big.

It just doesn't add up for me. He just looks like a naturally big lad who's had a growth spurt. It may take another pre season for them to get him a bit fitter and more used to carrying the weight or they may get him to slim down. It's very early days for him but he's clearly got a lot about him.

Possibly, but I am more familiar with the growth spurt being upwards rather than outwards. Given that professional players generally have their diet specially produced for them, and that a player not sticking to their diet would suffer the wrath of the coaching staff, it would seem more likely that this is part of the plan. My worry is that he is being set up to fail by being brought up to size too quickly.
You are right that we tend to go with smaller forwards but as a whole players are getting more massive. This is partly because South Sea Islanders are seen as perfect body types for the game, unfortunately Wigan is not far enough South and we produce a lot of short stocky forwards. This is possibly Darwinian as those too tall were unable to work down the mine and therefore were too weak to breed. This could explain why the Northern Union decided to get rid of line outs.

I'm with you in that he looks a little to old bulky at the minute, I'm just not sure who's to blame for that or if indeed anyone needs blaming. All you can hope is they either get him fitter so he carries it better or he sheds some size.

I'd love to think it would be the first one though because he's a unit and we do miss some size.

If Wigan win GF from 8th position it would rank among the great escape

I'm quite hopeful that Young Wells is a great prospect longer term.
He is just a baby at the moment but I'm sure he will settle down and as you quite rightly say will add much needed bulk to our pack.

Tall people to weak to breed? Short, stocky types absolute fertility machines? This forum's gone a bit 'Handmaid's Tale' all of a sudden!

Sorry, on holiday with a drink in my hand. This is possibly why I am spouting as much cr%p as Margaret Atwood.