As always there is no simple remedy to our problems, at least not this season. We are a completely unbalanced side partly because of poor decision making and partly bad luck.
We do not seem to have a working recruitment structure. Too often our top dollar signings have not worked. We took a risk on Burgess and we are still paying for it. We have papered over the cracks, in the past, by bringing young talent through, unfortunately we are now losing players just as they start to mature.
We have been unlucky at times. We ended up with Hardaker, Field and French, all on good money I assume, when most of us thought that French would have been gone by now. That left us short in the centres.
Now we look like a team of utility players. Any team would be happy to have Smithies, Shorrocks, Partington and Isa, just not all on the pitch at the same time. We are now so one dimensional that young players cannot get a run out in their best position and if they did they could not shine within our structure.
It is clear that little can be done this season give the cap but by the end of the season we will be in a position have shed five props, possibly two centres, one halfback, one hooker, a second row and possibly a couple of others. The test will be of how well we handle that. My worry is that Tony Clubb might get another contract simply because the others look worse.

Undoubtedly. They ran red hot and we hit a real low.

Sadly (& this isn't a dig at IL), a lot of the Wigan Catalan contingent should arguably still be here.

I do think that, as a club, we're too obsessed or focused on the "next big thing" and certainly, from a prop POV, we're too quick to cut players that still have a use.

As a side note, I've seen posters calling for Byrne to be dropped or let go. I really hope that we don't do that. He's going to be a very good player, but needs time to develop into the player he's going to be. Our loss will be another's sides gain in a few years.

Fully agree. The young lads in the pack have played superbly this season, more so in defence than attack, but have finally run out of steam. They should have been rested now and again and helped along by our more experienced lads but that has not been possible. Clark may as well not be here, Bullock has not progressed from last season (in fact he’s gone backwards) and Singleton is a shadow of the player we saw last year.

In the 2nd half Catalans were great. In the 1st half they missed at least 4 scoring opportunities. Should have been 60+ at least.

Catalans were very good, as they were last week. Always difficult place to go to granted however we should be looking to at least compete with them.

This season we have been guilty of allowing inferior opposition to have far too much possession and scores. First game of the season we allowed Leigh to get into an 18nil lead, okay we luckily won the game but Leigh shouldn't have been allowed to get into that position. We were lucky against Salford and Hull (league) and have been walking a tightrope for weeks. Even York gave us a game for a good hour.

Our two biggest games so far this season we have failed miserably.

Not yet played Saints & Wire which is a scary thought.

On a positive note we've probably got enough points in the bag already not to have to worry about relegation

Will probably go and lock myself in the basement for those two.

Unless there are changes to personnel then a bottom 4 wouldn’t surprise me.
The Huddersfield game will I think be very telling.
No pack to speak of and no FB. Could be another real drubbing.

I don't know what qualifies Radlinski to be a Chief Executive if I'm honest - I don't think he's done a good job at all.

As for Tomkins McIllorum et al - that's down to money. It's pretty clear we're not awash with cash. To be fair with our Academy that's not a problem if you make a couple of astute veteran signings a year to help the younger players. Sadly we've consistently fluffed our lines there.

They were very good, reminded me very much of a good NRL team, just wore us down, not many errors and good last tackle plays but nothing yesterday made me think ‘that was brilliant’ or ‘you can’t defend against that’. There wasn’t a tonne of offloading or high risk plays that came off.

Give over

Hudds currently making us look good, HT Wakey 30-0 Hudds