Also if I recall correctly wasn't there a change last year i that the training at the start of the season was hard but it was eased off later in the season (learning from previous seasons) to ensure players had more in the tank towards the play-offs. If anything given the new format of the league this year you cannot be undercooked early in the season and risk loosing points.

That's a fair point, and it's underlined by our performance against the Giants. We weren't great by any means, but we were able to lift our game in the last quarter to get the win. Set in the context of a match we lost quite badly last season, that looks good for us; we can only improve.

Three finals reached in last two years suggests the tough regime is working does it not?

He missed it because it wasn't relevant to the point he was making which is I assume we over do it on the training pitch. The fact Josh likes it is neither here nor there.

It was certainly true last season we had quite a number of injuries picked up in training and if what Josh says is true, then I am not surprised.

I always thought that for sports like RL there was an accepted and scientific way way to train which resulted in different training regimes depending at what stage you were at such as pre-season compared to in-season. I don't think smashing each other to bits regularly is in anyones training book except Wanes.

I also don't see what constantly battering each other achieves. You want super-fit players and you want good technique but you don't need full contact to get that. [iSome[/i full contact will be required I would imagine particularly to hone the defensive aspects of team, but week in-week out?

I was merely pointing out the selective nature of the choice of snippets... Our successes over the last few years suggests that whatever we are doing, is working.

Many thanks Davo, you put into words what I wanted to say regarding the battering of each other.

In my own words I worry about the following, if they are going at it hammer and tongs at one another 3/4 days a week it is tantamount to playing at least another full game every week and the knocks and injuries we may pick up.
Also on what may be a more controversial statement are Wigan spending more time on the aggression side of the game in training instead of the skills department.

Mention on the Squad for Sunday thread that Sarge is out and that he had his knee strapped up and was limping.

If so, must be yet another "training injury"……..

There were certainly several of these last season as well. A fine and difficult balance has to be achieved, but if what Josh says is accurate, it is no surprise that injuries in training are picked up from time to time.

Without wanting to be too critical, I hope that handling and passing have been practised a lot and honed this week after the performance by quite a few players in the first 3 games of the season.

Seems like Still in The Past and I were thinking the same - both posted at the same time!

Players have been injured in training as long as i can remember... But hey, lets create another myth...

WP, there was nothing selective about the quotes I picked out (even though it may have seemed that way) I was trying put show the emphasise on aggression (even though the word brutality was used) and the consequences that may happen with regard to fatigue and training ground injuries that may be picked up.

In regard to what you say regarding our success over the last few years, I cannot disagree but at times it has seemed like a war of attrition.

My problem is I belong in the past, brought up on great rugby, admittedly not always successful.

Not sure it is a myth. Pretty certain Micky Mac and Lockers amongst others picked up injuries in training last season. There have indeed been quite a few in the past couple of seasons and I would guess more than at other clubs.
As previously stated, though, there is a fine balance and undoubted pluses of getting the players 'battle hardened". The problem is exacerbated this time with it being Sarge who is almost certainly our best centre at the moment, a position we are not strong in, particularly with Thornley being a long term injury casualty. (I think his latest setback was the result of a training injury too…….!!!)

So are we starting to invent reasons why we didn't win the Grand Final last year?

We all know why that happened. We saw it with our own eyes. And it was nothing whatsoever to do with over-training.

I think our training regime may have quite a bit to do with our large player turnover in recent years.

Being in the army I believe that the lads will thrive of the tough training and although they probably hate it at the time after it's over its more beneficial than an easy session,if players leave wigan for an easier ride than there not the players we want out on the pitch for us.People may call us thugs but I think the lads will run through walls for each other and a team that's not necessarily big or fearsome punches well above its weight.We are just missing that little spark of magic(green,Tomkins)

The brutal training regime was reintroduced by Michael Maguire (I say reintroduced because it was commonplace under the likes of Lowe and Monie). So are we saying that Madge, who guided us to our first silverware in years, is the one at fault here? Or is the brutal regime only wrong when Shaun Wane employs it?