We certainly need to look at our plan for next year when it comes to trying to win the league. It's always been a case with the play offs that the teams that build momentum at the right time tend to win them but nothing like now. Leeds are literally turning up for 4 or 5 games a year and are quite clearly not the 5th best team in the country.

I hope next year we just aim for 3rd-6th position and don't put too much emphasis on finishing first. I'd rest Tomkins, Richards, Lockers etc every few weeks on a rotational basis and really get some of the young lads pushed through. We should basically treat it as 27 trial games to help us keep the lads fresh for the important games and to help us expand our squad by giving the juniors their chance.

As an example of how I'd plan if we say draw Batley in the challenge cup and have say Bradford the week before in the league, I'd rest 7 or 8 for the Bradford game and ensure they're fit for the important cup match against Batley. It may only be a 0.1% chance of defeat against Batley but lose that and you've lost half your season. Lose against Bradford and it matters very very little in the grand scheme of things.

Forgive me then but you are an idiot.

You need to look again at the fundamentals and what are the main objectives of attaining the top level of success in the available competitions at the start of the season. (not moaning at the end of the season)

In anyones book the 3 trophies in relative order are

1. Championship Play Offs GF
2. CC Final
3. League Leaders Trophy

To set out at the start to achieve the 3rd is OK if thats what you want but in order to achieve the ultimate goal requires a stategic plan which involves rationing and preserving resources over the full season.

Leeds played a total of 36 games this season and IIRC correctly thats more than any other SL club and I would say that they won a significantly more than 50% of those games.

To take the league game wins in isolation and argue that we are then only average on that basis is a reflection on the current Wigan thinking on the definition of success.

Alot of your fans would have alot more credibility if you had been spouting this a few season ago, when it was you who finished lower down and were getting to eliminators with the chance of glory.

Back then it was ''what a great achievment it would be for this wonderful wigan club, the greatest in all of history, if they could add another chapter to their thick book of success and win the grand final from (insert 4th 5th 6th) place''

When leeds set a record in 2004 and finished on 50 points were you depserate for wigan to lose the eliminator that year as leeds had clearly been better over the season?

Just had a check

we played a total of THIRTY NINE games and WON THIRTY.

Hardly average

You might want to check your Maths again because you lost 11 in the league. Plus the CC Final.

I make that 27/39.

apologies you are correct BUt its still a much better average than 50%



almost 70% success in all competitions.

I agree rugby league seems to be going to hell in a handcart. I can’t see that Leeds winning the GF is worthy of praise when it just reinforces the strategy of not playing to your best for most of the season and seemingly saving it all for CC, and mainly the play offs and GF. It works so why am I complaining? Because things are bad enough and I don’t what any more teams following their example. I’m not alone in thinking the regular rounds are becoming redundant, just a means of getting a place in the play offs, it seems that fifth is about right. Some are saying that they won’t be renewing their season tickets, and I can see why. What to do? For a start, change the play off structure, bring back promotion and relegation, and call the side that finishes top the champions.

Sad and bitter attitude that translates as .........

We cant cheat or buy our way to success anymore (salary cap) so we will scream and scream till we are sick and demand that the rules are changed just to suit us.

Leeds played, and won the WCC at the start of the season.
Played every round possible in SL
Played every round possible in CC, but lost the final
Played every round possible in Play Offs, inc Away to Catalans, who had a fantastic home record, backed up 6 days later with a trip to a confident League Leaders

Beat Warrington, who had thrashed St Helens a week earlier

However much Wigan fans can't stomach it, the present team at Leeds are special and ARE worthy Champions.

If we'd have won it would have been the salary cap they were complaining about. There would have been loads of threads saying how can the Wire squad be under the cap its that good with so many world class players in every position, it must be over the cap, its unfair on the rest of the teams.

The present Leeds team are clearly a special bunch of guys and ARE worthy champions. Yes you have just heard it from a Wigan fan! I don't have a problem with a good side winning the GF and even winning it from 5th position or even 8th for that matter. However, I don't think it looks good for our great game that Leeds play relatively poorly for most of the season and then come good at the right time. Its good for them but it isn't good that many people are now saying that the regular season doesn't matter any more. Personally I think it still does matter. I have enjoyed Wigan's good consistent form all year and have witnessed some great rugby seeing us finish top. It is just unfortunate that form dipped at the vital time together with suspensions and injuries. However that happens in rugby. That wasn't caused by the current play off system.

John Monie once said "Great teams are not great all of the time, but are great when they need to be"

This is a great Leeds side.