Really really poor. Forward pack just is not up to scratch at all..Smithies is young and raw but should be starting every game IMO.. O'Loughlin doesn't offer anything anymore. We don't have an organising Half to direct us around the pitch (hopefully solved with Hastings coming) ...I don't quite see yet where French fits but he can play and he clearly has skills and speed to burn.

Burgess alone will not lift that pack. We should just chop Clubb Flower Isa now and go in for other forwards while we can.

I said months back on another thread that we should look to bring in Josh Jones and he absolutely destroyed us tonight. Making meters after contact and offloading for fun!! We lack all of those skills across our whole pack!!

Utter bollox

In 60 years of watching Wigan that was the worst performance I’ve ever seen

I said something similar on the other forum.

I don’t think Lam knows how to pick a [iteam[/i ever since French arrived and Lockers returned from injury.

He’s no idea where to play French but still picks him and two wingers. Lockers is an automatic selection also which means he’s then got to work out who else goes in the back row and on the bench and he’s gone with kids who are burnt out instead of playing Greenwood.

Any of the forwards could have had no complaints being dropped after last week but he picked the same side.

Tactically he’s not fixed issues shown playing against Saints and Salford with Watson played a very similar way and guess what? They got a result.

As to this not happened under Madge or Wane the one and only mitigation for Lam is neither of those had to put up with a 36 year old Lockers, a crocked Clubb and Flower a shadow of his average self in the pack. The side has been let get into this state whereas the side Madge had and Wane had early on were much better than this.

That said and while the new arrivals next year will help I think Lam has been exposed as pretty amateurish and it’s not a given we will see tactics and performances capable of winning semi finals next year with his coaching. He’s part of the problem.

Just hope Canberra don't do an Edwards and renege on the deal for Williams really don't see what they see in him over what they already have. Hastings Totally controlled the game hope he does the same next season

Few things I observed from the south stand tonight:

1. Our forwards. Pitiful and didn’t fancy any of the physical side of the game.

2. Our half backs and hooker. I was seeing things tonight like dropping Partington off on the last tackle and throwing passes to the ground like they’d never seen a centre or lead runner.

3. No team cohesion. When we scored 3/4 of the team didn’t even congratulate French and just sauntered back to their kick off positions. What a bunch of selfish and arrogant players we have.

4. Salford killed us in the basics. Hastings and two drop offs was all Featherstone have done to get to their Grand Final and Salford have done the same. Is it that simple a tactic these days to beat a defence? Salford defended the full width of the pitch and were very disciplined, basically saying we had to go through them, which after last week was clear we aren’t capable.

5. To have so few fans at the game meant it was as dreadful an atmosphere as I think there’s been in the home ends in the 20 years we’ve been at the DW. What a sorry end.

More bothered about Hastings doing an ‘Edwards’ to be honest

You’ve tried that on another thread

Well it wasn’t to be and fair play to Salford for putting in a really good performance. We’ve had a down, up and down again season and as hard as it is to go out, we’ve never looked good enough to win anything, even during the run of victories.

New faces and a new energy to look forward to next year. If Lam is the man is still to be seen but a player like Hastings should be like an extra coach on the field and help us play a more attractive brand of rugby. Guys like George Burgess, Bullock, Clark and Greenwood really need to impress in pre season because we need their size and go forward in the team. We can’t play attacking rugby on zero go forward. We also need to work our what to do with French. It’s a no brainer for me after watching Hardaker these past few weeks. His pace has gone and being solid defensively isn’t enough to win you things. He’ll make a solid centre and French should add pace out the back.

I shall turn up at Old Trafford next week, as I always do and I will look forward to a stress free night cheering Salford on. I fear they’ll fall short against a fantastic Saints side but it’s a final for the game to look forward to.

I've been watching for 51 years and that the worst SF "performance" I've ever seen.
Not even good enough to be called embarrassing.

Good luck to Salford. I think they held back for the last 30 minutes thinking of next Saturday.
An absolute fantastic achievement for them and I hope they approach next week thinking that they can win rather than enjoying the day.

I've been watching for 51 years and that the worst SF "performance" I've ever seen.
Not even good enough to be called embarrassing.

Good luck to Salford. I think they held back for the last 30 minutes thinking of next Saturday.
An absolute fantastic achievement for them and I hope they approach next week thinking that they can win rather than enjoying the day.

I agree with some of your points. But Lam inherited a championship winning team that went undefeated in the playoffs. Even with departing stars like Sam and Bateman he had an excellent platform to work with.

Old heads were just that, old, and the kids were burned out after dragging us out the mire since Magic Weekend.
No scrum half with a kicking game to try and turn Salford's pack round and there was only ever going to be one result.
Congratulations to Salford, thoroughly deserve their trip to OT.

Certainly one of the worst performances I’ve seen with a strong team out. I felt it coming. All week I’ve felt a bit 50/50 on how it would go but when I read Sarginson was out it smashed any optimism I had. It’s a sign of the times regards how bad our forwards are at going forwards that I felt losing Sarg was a killer blow. He’s no superstar but he’ll always grab you 100-150m and put you on the front foot. Hankinson is a reasonable player and the type of guy who won’t lose you a game but he won’t do much to win one either.