You absolutely never ever miss an opportunity

Wigan played well, for what they and the other elite Super League teams are (which is a whole level below the elite NRL teams).

So I'd be happy with a lot of what you did if I were you.

There were nerves/mistakes/lack of cohesion at times but the aggression you displayed and the way some of your players really rolled their sleeves up in the 40-60minute section of the game was very commendable. Apart from Chris Hill and one or two others in my Wire team I don't see where that would have come from had it been us there today and not Wigan (I actually dread to think what score it would have been had it been us!). I think a lot of that is down to your coach so Wayne deserves a lot of credit.

But it's time to increase the salary cap now isn't it? We need to keep hold of and entice more of the elite in Super League.

Wigan can hold their heads high. I feared for the worst after 20 minutes but they gave as good as they got after that. Wigan demonstrated a mental toughness that few Super League teams would have done. McIlorum's aggression in defence was great to watch.

They looked nervous probably because they were nervous.
We had a very young team out there and they couldn't cope with that first 20 minutes. The way they stuck at it and didn't allow their heads to go down was comendable. The fact is the Roosters had a team out there that is far better than ours or any club's squad in Super League. They looked streets ahead on the paper team sheet and they were streets ahead on the field.
Once we got a period of pressure they cracked as we had done and conceded tries.
They dropped ball as we did but they had 60 minutes of pressure on us where we had 20 mins of pressure on them. There's a lot of NRL clubs that will lose by more than 22 at the SFS against the Roosters this season.
Two points from the game- first is a Super League problem and that is the disparity in levels of salary cap. The other is IL's policy of allowing so many experienced players leave early with years left on their contracts.
The salary cap one is nothing the club can do about at present.
The other is, IL has to try and insist that players see out their contract and that when they sign for us, that time period of x years will be aheard to. We now have more central funding, we now need expeienced players more than we need transfer fees.
This will do these players a lot of good long term. Right now they'll be gutted but once they have returned and see no one in British Rugby League has a downer on them then they will be stronger. We just have to try and ensure they stay at Wigan.

I know people like to bang on about contracts here, but it's obvious to all and sundry that they are just not as binding as we the fans would like them to be, and will probably never be so. Many have this IL hobby-horse, and i suppose he is at fault for Burgess going to the RFU..!!!! It would appear that contract are open to being broken, and i can only assume, that that is the way they are written as a norm...

Money talks, end of, and players will not sign contract they can't get out of. The choice about whether to honour them, is as much down to the player as the club.

Thanks, its was a great night!!! Cant believe how many turned up, I thought we would get a decent turn out but that was something else.

Bondi Warrior thanks for organising a great night at The KSB . Me and my lad have had a fantastic time in Oz. We are now 36000 ft above Australia heading home

Bowen, for all his reputation, reminds me of David Moyes, big boots to fill and it's too much for him to live up to.

Wigan are a team in transition, from memory alone in the last three years or so you've lost Hock, Hansen, J Tomkins, S Tomkins, Leuleuai, Lima, Luaki, Fielden, Prescott, Richards, Finch, Carmont and Hoffman. That's one he'll of a player drain but I admire the production line and the goal of fielding an all Wigan system produced team.

Mossop, Coley, Deacon...

The Moyes comparison doesn't work for me. Moyes will work until he drops to be a success. If he doesn't achieve, it won't be through lack of effort, it'll be because he isn't good enough. The exact opposite of Bowen it seems to me.

I get the feeling Bowen is struggling to settle. Now that's not anything I know for sure but he just doesn't seem his usual bubbly self. A very good point was made by Bilko who mentioned all the travelling he's done since he came to the club. He did a day in Wigan before going to Florida then a couple of weeks before heading back to Australia and then coming back to a place he's not settled in to yet. He's done that without his family as well hasn't he? I think I read they were coming back after this WCC.

If that is the case he can now hopefully get his head down and settle in. Once he's done that hopefully we'll see a guy more focussed and switched on. If we don't then we've git the best up and coming player in the country to come in.

I really wish this game could of happened two weeks after the Grand Final - for me Wigan suffered more than ever because of this and in the end I thought we did quite well to keep it respectable.

I am not saying for one moment that Wigan would of beaten Sydney had this been the case but I do think the score-line would of been closer.

Its a shame that this does not seem possible.

Looking at the stats from the game they were all pretty close especially the metres made which to me indicates how heavily we could have been in the game but for silly mistakes and poor missed tackles. We certainly didn't get steam rolled which considering the size if their pack is a real plus. I thought the way we dealt with Hargreaves, Moa, Nuiasala and co was impressive in the main yet we miss those two silly tackles on the line. We missed a shocker on Jennings for the first try and gave him that one just after half time.

All if only's at the end of the day but I feel comfort in feeling that on another day we could have pushed them really closely.