As has been said, Matty Smith will be available v Leeds.

For me, Leeds seem to have been the only side last year to really deal with Sam Tomkins. They've closed him down quickly and we were too slow to come up with a plan b. Either we've learned from it or we should maybe try something different given the opportunity and play Sam at halfback. Or bugger it and throw the kids in and see how it goes. That would be exciting, but Leeds are no London. Glad I'm not making the decision.

We need someone with a long kicking game at half back.
Leeds play a rushed defence with the fb close up to offset the grubber kick through. They leave it late to get the fb back so a long kicking game early in the set can pay off.
Matty Smith did this well at Shedingly which kept Leeds at distance when opur forwards were not making the yards.
Interesting to see how Leeds go v Saints without Delaney and Peacock their two best forwards this year. Leeds to win but the margin and the manner of the win will be the thing.

As you say, peacock and delaney are missing and wigans props are really going for it at the moment. I expect the forward battle to be a lot more of a contest this time.

Wane has note recently that he hates shuffling players around out of position, so it would only be in an extreme emergency that Sam would revert to the Halves. Williams & Powell showed enough on Saturday to prove they are comfortable enough to run the team. We're so well drilled, especially in the halves, I feel Powell and Williams would be our best options. Williams did nothing at the weekend to deserve to be dropped. It will be a real test against a much more competitive team than London, though. I think the lads are up for it, and I think we have enough to beat Leeds.

From reading academy reports and the opinions of people on here I was under the impression that Hampshire was the better of the two young halfbacks. Anybody know the reasoning behind Williams getting the shot first? Better defence maybe?

Bringing Matty Smith off the bench as a replacement hooker maybe... better option than Logan Tomkins at this point in my opinion, even though it's not his natural position.

If you look at the following post you will see the other person took this, and other comments, in the spirit intended. Nice of you to play the stereotypical Whino to perfection. Lighten up.

We won the SL in 2010, the Challenge Cup in 2011 and finished in the top two in each of the last three years. Dominance might be overstepping the mark but I like our outlook for the future better than that if any other SL team to be honest based on the age of our players and what they have already achieved.

Not with this team though, as you won those other honers with some key players that were from overseas. I'm not taking away from the fact you have like us a brilliant academy. It's just it seems especially with the likes of Rogues Gallery everything has to be in contrast with Wigan and praise seems to be rarely given out yet expected in return.

This board doesn't exactly have a reputation for taking things lightly especially if it is at all aimed at your expense so it's hard to see when comments are made in jest.

This is the Wigan board and we are Wigan fans.
Of course we look at other clubs and the League from a Wigan perspective.
This doesn't stop us from appreciating Rugby played by all.
The most impressive performance of the weekend so far IMO was HullFC's win at Wire. That was a remarkable win and they deserved it!
From a Wigan perpective too!

I wasn't meaning on this board in particular, more if a thread pops up on another board where someone says for example '7 of our starting 13 came from our academy' the first post will be most likely from Rogues declaring Wigan had more, trying to turn it into a d1ck measuring contest.

Well don't come here if its troubling for you.