Fair comment, it's all down to different opinions in the end and I can't say I disagree with much you say to be fair. It's more the interpretation of the same data, so to speak. Far worse can be equally seen as far better. It all depends if you're a glass half full or half empty type of person.

You say we've played more poor games than good and, again, I'd agree. However all the stinkers were at the beginning of the season and, as we now sit in 2nd with our destiny in our own hands, those are largely irrelevant. Had we missed out because of them, that would have been a different story, but now all that matters is recent form and I would argue that is a different matter.

The last 11 games have brought only 1 loss. Those performances have ranged from average to good overall with pockets of excellence. Is that good enough to win the GF? Well, it's significantly better than Wire's and Saints performances have, as last season, been tailing off at the back end of the season. The loss at London, the struggle against a championship team in the semi final and a resounding bottle job in the final among them. Last Friday they were again worse than anything we've served up in months! So in answer to that question I would say "it shouldn't be but, in reality, it probably is". We would only need to see a Catalans at home or Hull KR on Easter Monday, an 80 minutes like the first half away at Castleford or, in truth, a dogged defensive display like we saw from Warrington at Wembley for it to happen.

I'm certainly not saying we're the finished article but, perhaps where we differ, is I've seen enough improvement in the team to believe we may well do much the same as last year. Don't forget everyone, yourself included, was saying we weren't good enough last year and it was only come the playoffs that we became the 'champion team' that you say Lam inherited.

We might do as well as last season, you're right. We might go undefeated in the playoffs and win the GF, if so I'd gladly change my scoring; of course. But at this stage I'm reviewing the season so far, not the hypotheticals of what might happen; which is impossible to do.

Re last year. At one stage I would have given the 'season so far review' a poorer result, obviously, we weren't looking like a winning side, but things changed and we finished on a stormer, so of course I'd change my thoughts and scoring considering the new information considering how well we performed at the end of last season, that's when we became a champion side, which is the simple facts of the matter, as we won the championship.

I am however excited to see what this season brings, I still have faith that we can improve, put together 80 min performances and, fingers crossed be back to back champs come October; which after the start we had; would be pretty fantastic.

Interesting take. I can see why you would be confident, but that one loss was to the team you say are doing worse on the back of losing with deliberately weakened teams at London and a loss in the cup to the team you lost to in the cup.

Realistically, ignoring deliberately weakened teams at London, we've lost one game in the league in early April. We're going for a 100% home record this weekend.

The recent dip in form over the same 11 game sequence you refer to has included (other than weakened teams at London):
- nilling a team battling for the play-offs in a meaningless game for us
- 30+ points on Leeds/Wire away in games where they needed points but were meaningless for us
- easy win over Wakefield
- easy win over Wigan
- 40 points on Hull away
- another win over wire away
- another 30+ point score against Leeds
- easy win over hudds

I think you have every right to be confident in Wigan's improvement and no question you have every chance of winning the GF. But I struggle to see that respective form is the reason for that.

The current 17 won't beat Saints or come close. However, with Flower, Lockers and maybe Bullock back that could change things, especially in a one off game where the pressure will be on Saints.

Apart from differences in opinions in regards to inconsistent form and the standard we’re at, I think it’s important to highlight where coaching has been an obvious influence. Powell for example is a far better player the last few months following a change in coaching. Marshall, Hankinson, Partington, Sarginson, Smithies, Williams are examples of players who have improved under Lam. It took a while but it’s now evident and with a full Pre-season plus the addition of quality that’s coming in, we have a heck of a lot to be positive about.

Wigan are absolutely under no pressure to win the GF this season. Its quite rare that teams win titles back to back.

Saints on the other hand are under unprecedented pressure to win the GF now. I read today that they are on course to break the all time RL record for the points gap between 1st and 2nd in the final league table. Mind you don't bottle another, lads

I saw that story too. In respect of the earlier posts, this could be huge if true. Upheaval of this kind can have a massive effect on team morale. I mentioned a while ago that the announcement of Holbrook's leaving could foreshadow a worsening in Saints form in a similar way to Wane's announcement did to us. I think we've seen that over subsequent weeks. Will this have a further effect? It's certainly a possibility and the timing, coming into the playoffs, couldn't be worse for them.

Suppose it could galvanise them as well if the players think a lot of him, as you’d think it would hit them hard that their performance in the final would make Holbrook think like that.

It’s probably untrue anyway but to think we looked at a seemingly unstoppable force a couple of months back in Saints, to now see some cracks appearing is heartening. I’ve still got them as big favourites but there’s no doubt the pressure is huge.

This will sounds like sour grapes I fully acknowledge but there is a theory that big games (finals) are referees differently. Refs are more lenient, less prone to blow for technical offences in the spirit of “letting the game flow” In a way that is not the case during normal weekly rounds.

So you often get slower play the balls, skinny 10m etc which serve to level games out.

I think there is an element truth in this and that it tends to flow against the faster (better?) teams.

But lord knows we’ve had long enough to get used to it