Then the BBC split the coverage between two channels for the same game! What a farce.

Its lost alot of its romance and thats very upsetting.

Sunday i was just hoping we didnt get any injuries for the following weeks league games.

I've said for a while now that I'm just not interested by the cup.

Yes it's got tradition and history but it's just not what it once was.

10/10 I'd take the hub cap over it. I seriously mean that as well.

It doesn't get the fan fare but for me last season that was the best feeling I've had at Wigan in a long time. After we got the hub cap it was great to think back to those great wins at Wire, Leeds, Hudds and Saints and have a good pat on the back for what was our most enjoyable season in a decade.

The GF was amazing but I felt more of a sense of a relief that we'd managed to secure what was ours with it.

Come out on top in a close game in the cup and it will all come rushing back. I suppose that's where we have the added benefit of the Northern Rail Cup as some of our most talked about games have been knock out fixtures.

Certainly wasn't anyone questioning the magic of the cup at the LSV on Friday, and I doubt many Wigan fans will either if you end up beating Saints in the semi or anything along those lines.

Whats the Romance thats been lost........?

if its the lack of cup upsets, they have always been few and far between. They have never been as common as in the round ball game.

If its the loss of the Twin Towers and the old Wembely then forget it the new wembley is a magnificent place the old wembley was iconic but it was toilet.

I doubt its the loss of Ray French or Eddie Waring as commentators.

Maybe the BBC is poor. Its clear from all the message boards the BBC coverage is not getting any better and many people think its giving our game a poor image.

But i think the lack of interest in the early rounds (which has always been there Ive stood in a crowd of under 1500 at Wildesrpool in the 80's against Blackpool I think) is not down to the Lower League clubs but down to the Squad rotation of the big clubs. I would pay as I did yesterday to Watch a virtually full strength Wires play a keighley cougars side who had one player I knew. but I wouldnt Watch a Wires Second String V Keighley.

those of you of a certain Age may remember the locker cup pre Season Friendly which was a full blooded and very popular game between Wires And Wigan it remained so until John Monie (I think) decided too many players were getting injured/or unnecessarily knocked about and started fielding reserve players Wires Followed suit and then it died a slow death.

We would pay to Watch our own stars wee in the wind and while we may bang on about the youth many people wont pay top dollar to watch them..

If you get to wembley this year you'll soon forget this thread.

On a personally level its simple.

Its all about the GF. Losing a tomkins or a richards for a season because he got injuried yesterday is not worth the CC. like it or not

I agree, the cup needs a big upset i.e Batley hanging on against Huddersfield, to re discover the magic of the cup.

It isn't just about the occasional good game, which any competition in any sport will now and then serve up.

It's that overall the CC no longer seems to capture the imagination of the fans.

It's seems like years since we used to await each draw with excitement.

There would be no difference in losing a tomkins for a season in CC game against Barrow than in super league game against Crusaders.
You'd be equally as gutted either way.

Imagine you lose him in the massively hyped brilliantly produced tv extravaganza that is the Exiles game!!!!!!

Pointless,ridicilous, waste of time, no one is interested would be just some of the phrases banded about.

Like it or not the Challenge cup made Wigan famous if you lot can't respect it who can?

There are so many wembley finals that people still talk about......who even remembers probably the tightest league finish in 1994??
And regardless of the level of achievment the Grand final is still a wet winters night out in Salford.

I love it ..id take a 3rd Cup over a grand final win no problem.

As Leyther Matt said on this thread everyone at the LSV on Friday enjoyed the magic of the cup playing and running arguably the in form SL club Catalans so close, only 6 points in it, now i do think it is a bit different for us as to us it was a big game, were as for Wigan to play a championship side it isn't much of a spectacle, so what i am getting at is it's all about opinions and the size of the club you support, all in my opinion of course. Good luck for the rest of the season.

Before SL, the C Cup was in May, at the end of the normal games. It finished a season of nicely, and then there were the play offs, cant remember now if it was the top 4, 6, or 8, but if you had won the league and then the C Cup you wernt interested in the play offs. Now we copy the Aussies in making the play offs the main event. That now takes the end of season away from the C Cup. To me winning the league is a great achievement and should carry more prestige, but I dont want to lose any of the competitions except for the pointless game we call the Magic Weekend.

The best part was when the commentator joked "Some of you will have recorded this game, and what a game it has been! Well we're changing channels at half time, tough luck to those that haven't set their tv to record (the switch over)".

I was incredulous.

Oh and the cup hasn't lost it's romance. The SL clubs have pulled away from everyone else - when the SL clubs are tonking the non-SL clubs 82-0, what's the point?

Ok then

warrington 60 - Salford 0
Warrington 64 - Crusaders 6
Warrington 82 - Harlequinns 6

Whats the point of the league ....we could finish with the best attack and the best defence and not even feature in this play off final thing

indeed if I wanted to be cheeky Warrington beat Wigan by a bigger margin than Huddersfield beat Batley...that to me says the cup is more of a contest than Superleague....

I like an idea i read on the VT, i think it was Starbug.

The quota rules limit the lower league clubs so why not have a rule stating that if a SL club plays a non SL club then they can only field one overseas player.

Granted a lot of SL teams will still have a superior squad (except HKA) but it helps out the lower leagues slightly.

I'd rather win the GF but i just love rugby, so the CC hasn't lost any romance for me.

Why do you day that Matt? Has Red Hall predetermined the fixtures that far ahead?