...or when one of your players actually kicked Brett Finch in the face during the same match. Conveniently ignored by most Leeds fans including yourself. Surprise, surprise!

First off, I've said it before this season.......I wish Waney would shut his mouth and do things behind closed doors. He's turning into too much of a rent-a-quote coach for my liking.

Anyway, the Sa tackle on Sam wasn't that bad imo. He hit him across his shoulders and Sam went down like he'd been shot more than likely due to his running style and size. I agree with the RFL's view of it.

The JJB incident, whilst Sam was wrong to kick out, is probably what Wane is on about. JJB was all over Sam with his arms in his face and holding him down etc. Sam retaliated and they got the penalty (luckily he wasn't binned or sent off which he could quite easily have been). Refs turn a blind eye to what happens to Sam but then we get the short end of the stick when he retaliates which after so long he is bound to do (see Gareth Hock v St Helens this season. He did well to last 3 games with the sh*t they've thrown at him this season)


For all those anti Wigan posters reading, I'll ask again......how many players have been injured as a direct result of Wigan 'attacking' the standing leg in the last 3 years? The answer is of course none. Surely, if we are trained to do this then there'd be hundreds?

This.................Great post .



Wane's comments will probably cause Sam more pain than any oppostion player has . I bet his face is a nice shade of Cherry and White . Sam brings a lot of it on hiself because he is THAT GOOD (thats why so many hate him as we hate other teams great players ) and if we are honest he does try to take the at times , do that and some hairy d prop is gonna come looking for you , but 99.9% aint gonna catch him

Sam is big enough and good enough to look after himself , and if there is a bit of biff we will all muck in together as every other team does for their players . It's called RUGBY LEAGUE .

David Solomona in the challenge cup game last year was put out of the game by this kind of tackle and then missed the next couple of games as a result of the injury.

Ok. So it's 1 (even though I'm pretty sure the injury had nothing to do with said tackle)

All these donkey players foaming at the mouth swinging arms at him make his job so much easier imo. He will get caught with the odd shot but every player does. I love seeing players trying to smash him because 99% of the time he makes them look absolute fools

I don't see him getting any more stick than other key players in the league TBH, bit suprised by this from Wane - all very Nathan Brown (yes I know he is our coach next year, but he needs to shut his mouth at times).

That had more to do with Solomona being a fat lump than the tackle. All his weight on one knee something was bound to give.

Didn't know you were an Eels fan.

rlhttp://www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-warriors/wane-s-prepared-to-protect-warrior-tomkins-1-4670044rl

It's a Brown-esque comment and not the sort of thing that I want to hear from the Wigan coach, but at least he isn't naming opposition clubs who he expects his tough players to get even with - as Brown did.

Sam suffers the same problems that Andy Gregory, Shaun Edwards, Alex Murphy etc - all suffered in the past: i.e. they are smallish men in the midst of the action. Big personalities and big attitudes seem to go hand in hand with that, probably out of necessity, so they attract heavy traffic. In addition, they are dangerous - and some coaches will instuct their assassins to take them out if poss. Shaun Edwards looked like an old man by the time he'd finished playing, he'd taken so many batterings - and he was only in his 30s. Part of the game maybe, but pretty ridiculous as well.

I definitely think it's the case that a Yorkshire-based judiciary has been quite lenient with some of those who've launched attacks on Sam in recent years. The Leeds Cup match of a few years ago springs to mind, when Wigan had a player sin-binned for shoulder-charging a kicker and yet two head-shots on Sam, one by Peacock, went more or less unpunished. I don't blame the ref if he didn't see it - but I don't think anyone was summoned afterwards to answer for their actions. There was also Ablett's famous head-shot on Sam, which wasn't dealt with particularly severely and then the Gareth Raynor incident when all we heard about for days was how upset Raynor was to be sent off unfairly, though in actual fact he could have got a 8-match ban for deliberately punching a fellow player in the face and knocking him unconscious.

Shaun must have been waiting for 2 years to say this. If Maguire had spoken out at the time after filthy and dangerous tackles by Peacock, Meli, Raynor, Ablett and others there would be no need for him to say this now.

I agree.

I read a small piece on Edwards in some newpaper where it's quite clear that he now hates looking in the mirror after having his jaw and nose broken umpteen times. It has affected him mentally for sure.

And without a doubt it's quite clear that Sam is the best British player for a generation at least, who could effectively have his career cut short by some lump swinging an arm higher than he should.

I always feel for players like Burrows of Leeds. The little lads being thrown around for fun almost, by burly forwards.

Surely though refs are aware that some players are targetted ?

It has been in our game since further back than I can remember. I can just remember when visiting teams 'cut up rough' at Central park and the shout used to go up to "Get him Mac !"

hel have to wear a huge padded head mask