Quote: SmokeyTA "You cant seriously be blaming other teams for you giving away the most penalties in the league. Of course you have done better in the games you have given away fewer penalties, thats the sam for everyone. '"
Yet when I said that we would try and avoid the game descending into a ugly mess; you suggested that we would be looking to turn it into a penalty-a-thon on Saturday night as we were the most penalised team in the league - make up your mind. In both losses to leeds this year; leeds have sought to stop rugby being played and to turn it into a grudge match. McClennan clearly instructs players to use intimidation and dirty tactics.
Quote: SmokeyTA "
So now its the referees and other coaches fault as well? you cant seriously beleive that the responsibility for Wigan giving away the most penalties lies with opposition players, opposition coaches, referees and THEN Wigan. and everyone else would accurately say the same
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I never said that the fault laid at the door of everyone else first. What I said was that the pressure put on inept referees by the like of Kear and McClennan has had an effect. Likewise some teams - leeds being a prime example have bitched and whined at referees throughout the game to try and put pressure on to force them to give penalties.
Quote: SmokeyTA "
your attempts to paint Wigan as the victims of a conspiracy where big bad Leeds are being big and mean to little angel Tomkins + Co are silly. Wigan have their fair share of people ready to mix it. They are the most penalised team in the league and Joel Tomkins is the most penalised player.
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Big bad leeds - don't be silly. Cheap shot merchants would be a better description; with the coach be the worst culprit for trying to paint his team as "Angels". Anyone who heard his comments over the Ablett incident who could have no doubt he was a total and utter disgrace to the game! Trying to play the ball - the only thing that Ablett tried to do was break Tomkins jaw with his forearm. If that had been Joel Tomkins on Burrow then you would have demanded that he be banned for life.
It's funny - but I have yet to see the leeds thugs go after anyone from Wigan who is prepared to mix it. They seem to go almost exclusively for one player. But I am sure that you will say that the Wigan fans who accuse your coach of bringing cheap thuggery into the game as being paranoid.
Tomkins discipline needs work - a lot of Wigan fans suggested he should have been banned for the silly kick on McGuire (elbow to the face not withstanding). However I have yet to see any leeds fan say the same about the leeds team's discipline.
Quote: SmokeyTA "
That is the case not because of a conspiracy but because they also arent afraid to mix it, they also arent afraid to bend te rules. Peacock said it was a cowardly act because it was. I have no doubt that if Riddell or Lueluai knew the full extend of Mcguires injuryt they wouldnt have done what they did.
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Playing to the limit of the rules is done by every single team in the league. Be it not being back ten, inching forward before the play of the ball, not standing square etc etc. However due to the media attention for Wigan's wrestling defense (large down to sky's trained chimps); I do think that Wigan have AT TIMES been unfairly penalised. I also think that some of the punishments handed out by referees and the RFL have at time been ridiculous (like the examples I gave which you didn't pass comment on). Here's another: Stuart Fielden was banned for throwing a punch after a confrontation that involved an opposition player deliberately trying to damage his ankle ligaments. He was banned for a match. Matt King and Paul Wood of wire both threw punches in a confrontation on Saturday (Wood ran 20 metres to do so) neither were even charged.
The difference between the leeds and Wigan coaching staff has been one camp has bitched whined and complained and sought to justify their players foul play. Constantly appealing against bans and crying in the press rather than accept the punishment. I don't think that Riddell would have had a go at McGuire had he known the extent of his injury; however considering the amount of pain that McGuire would have been in; I doubt he paid much attention to it anyway. McClennan and Peacock have simply tried to use this to deflect blame away from McGuire for what he did. I have yet to see a single leeds fan criticise McGuire for what was a incredibly cynical professional foul in what was a very unsatisfactory end to what had been a riveting game. They have all said that "you would have done the same" as if two wrongs make a right. Some have even claimed that McGuire was trying to steady himself on Carmont! Blindly refusing to accept what he did was wrong.
For Peacock to say that shouting at a downed opponent was cowardly, when he himself tried to take the head off of a player that is half his size in a recent match (before high-fiving his thug mates) is a bit rich
