I’m not giving up on Walters I just think that he would be better suited as a middle.

Pleased in the main with that last night. I expected to lose but the effort was there. Eckersley was deserved MOM, he was outstanding. You can see the physical difference between him and Robertson given he is 2 years older. Robertson hasn’t started training full-time yet.

After a shaky start, Robertson did well and Peet to his credit praised him afterwards too. He’ll make mistakes, he’s 18, he’ll make them next week too if he plays but he’ll also give us something different and it’s clear he is going to be a very good player.

I think Wigan struggled attack wise without French. I know they were missing a few too but French is such a special player that he makes things happen. They had a tonne of possession first half and played us a man down for 10 mins but didn’t look like scoring before Eckersley got on the outside shoulder of Lomax and put Wardle in. That missed tackle is another example of the decline of Lomax.

We get our big players back and I’m more confident that we will be right in the mix and more than capable of winning the big games.

Have to say though the lack of subs from Wellens was appalling. He’s absolutely flogged that pack and Sironen, Lees and Delaney will be sore all week. I dread to think how they can back up.

Wigan’s biggest miss yesterday was O’Neill, both our attack and defence would have been much better. Brad does the hard work that makes room for others to play in, he sets the tempo defensively. I agree about Robertson and I have made the same comment about your forwards getting flogged in another post. I spoke with several of the Saints players last night (I won’t name them) and they were thankful that their shirt didn’t have Delaney on the back! I think you are right Stu, I will be very surprised if they can back that performance up next week. Sadly, in my view, Lomax has not been the same since his bicep injury it is time for him to move on. He spends more time impersonating a windmill than he does tackling, what was he complaining about when Eckersley ran past him to score the winning try? I have enjoyed the last two matches against Saints and Leigh, both were tough and uncompromising rugby games.

The game was refereed like a GF, and all the better for it. The game needs to flow to be a spectacle. If I had one criticism it would be Mr Moore’s policing of the offside rule hmm.

I sit in that corner of the South Stand where Eckersley scored, Lomax was desperately trying to get the ref to check for an obstruction but if you watch it back Farrell slams the brakes on before he reaches the defence, Lomax has been absolutely brilliant for Saints but this last extension they've given him looks like it could be a big mistake cap space wise

I think it's a bit simplistic saying the attack struggled without French Stu. We missed him. Of course we did. any team would. But I think any clunkiness had more to do with having no hooker. It effectively gave us little distribution when Faz was there and took a half out of our systems when Farrimiond was there. We coped reasonably well but it was never going to be fluent. That said, we scored 3 tries and made at least 6 or 7 clear cut chances as I've said earlier. That's not bad against the often stated "best defense in the league".

Robertson looked good and offered something different in attack. Someone has said he's 6' 2"". Is that right?

Yeah fair points but I guess we’ll see over the next 8 games or so. You did create some chances but then any team with pace and goes wide does the same. Salford have done it to us twice this season and Warrington did so in the Cup. Even under Woolf we struggled defensively against expansive sides. It’s why we won on Good Friday as for some reason Peet tried to take us on down the middle

And yes I think Robertson is 6,2. Still quite skinny but once he puts some size on that frame he’ll go from strength to strength. His footwork is outstanding

Good game to win under the circumstances. Puts us firmly in pole position for the 100k pot. Eckersley was outstanding and is an absolute natural fit when Keighran's contract is up. Decent player Keighran but i see no need to extend if Eckersley continues to progress at the rate he is and his cap space and quota spot could come in handy.

Thought Saints were bang average (as were we at times) and did well to come out of it with a 4 point deficit but i did like Robertson. Looked like he could do something every time he got the ball in his hands although there was that part of me thinking he could also drop it but that's all about experience. Glad to shove it up Welsby after his try scoring antics. If we had a hooker playing we would have won comfortably i think with or without French and Field. With those 2 it would have been convincing IMO even if Saints had their pack out. Ours is just better. Walmsley is a shadow, Matautia is good and really changed my opinion on Delaney. He offers no threat. He reminds me of Partington. Loads of aggression and no fear but hits a brick wall when tackled. No go forward at all.

We were without Field-French-Cooper-Leeming injured and O;Neil banned who would have been in the team tonight O'Neil was badly missed last night i cannot think why we elected Farrell to go dummy half when we were defending and Farrimond when we were attacking.Saints have got some good young lads coming through especially Robertson.

We can’t be that “bang average” when we weren’t far off coming away with a win. 9 missing is a huge number. Undoubtedly French and Field would’ve made you better.

However add Walmsley, Matautia, Makinson and Knowles back to our team and it’s the same.

That’s not even counting Whitley, Batchelor and Mbye on the bench. And Hurrells attacking threat.

One thing that does irritate me about the obstruction laws is they only seem to be applied when a try is being scored. Saints in general, and Welsby in particular, seem to me to run behind their own players all the time in defence and midfield, but somehow this is OK? Well, I guess it is, if you're not being penalised for it!

It’s usually not obstruction because Lomax surrenders at the line and doesn’t try to break through…

And then he realises it would have been obstruction anyway

Saints are bang average. That’s why they are mid table and lost to a Wigan team missing their best players

All this talk of missing French but if we had Field and O’Neill playing i think we’d have scored 30.

As has been said, playing j Farrimond at 9 in the red zone meant smith was the only playmaker (ZE is a runner not a passer)

Having 4 playmakers we would have made the most of the field position.

Hull KR really need a home semi to achieve this - their form home v away is a marked difference.

Another away semi vs us or Wire could produce similar result as last year........

Not saying that you're wrong, but I'm curious about why you're not including Wire? I know they didn't show up at Wembley but I wouldn't say that they're any less capable than Hull KR and arguably Saints - depending on which version of them you get.

Just waiting for the MRP to ruin what was a cracking game by getting the ban hammer out

It's possible but they're too reliant on Williams for me and I'm not convinced they have the mental toughness to perform when it counts.

Fair. You could be right, but the way things are going they have a great chance of a home semi and in those circumstances I think KR's big game record away isn't great. Saints are the team that I think are most able to find the level to beat us in a Grand Final, but I'd probably have Wire at least as likely to get there, if not more so.

Keighran one match ban, looking like Farrell in the centre next week unless there's someone ready to step up, doesn't look like it going off the reserves result last week

Iust Keighran by the looks of things. Dangerous contact.

What now? Farrell at centre?

I think it will be Eckersley at centre and Hampshire at fullback.

Needs have a word with himself Keighran with these lift tackles. Learn your lesson ffs.

On a separate note, it’s absolutely amazing that Savelio only gets 2 games for that on Saturday when you compare it to Keighran at Wire and Byrne at Saints. It was worse than both imo but good for him.

Farrell centre for me. Walters start back row.

Would be a strange move to switch Zach after last week. Hopefully we have enough to get by Hull and maybe Jai Field will be fit for Warrington.