If a SL coach has to "maintain some kind of consistency" then SW is sitting top of the pile. If a SL coach needs to do that and then fire his team up enough to get through the playoffs then there has only ever been a handful of SL coaches according to this definition. By your criteria Brian McDermot isn't a SL coach as he hasn't been able to maintain any kind of consistency?!

So, Wane in his first year managed to get the team to two semi finals and win the league.

Not bad for a first season!

What exactly do people expect? Win everything? Two finals and a league win? Or win everything?

No. You are ignoring the fact that the top five system not only means 5th have to play all three away and not have an easy game in week one but it also gives each team above them a progressively greater reward for finishing higher in the League. The current system doesn't do this.

It also means winning the league is of much greater importance as the league leaders get the biggest advantages of any of the teams and that is a very good thing for the integrity of the league competition whereas now people freely question the point of doing well in the league. You can easily make a case for finishing 5th and you should not be able to.

There is alsono difference between finishing 1st and 2nd apart from the stupid club call. There should be. In the top five no side is ever away to a side who finished below them. So if in week 2 Wire had lost to Wigan in a top 5 system they would still be at home to the winner of the other game. Ditto if Wigan has lost to Wire.

You are also ignoring the fact in a top 5 system the 5th placed team can't avoid any side above them. Yes its three games to get to the final but if Leeds win it they won't have beaten either Wire or Saints and that alone discredits it as a valid play off format in my opinion. It is more like a knock-out competition and it is not supposed to be.

So you see there is far more to the top 5 system than just what it means for the 5th placed side alone. I don't know how of why we got to this stupid format other than one N Woods at the RFL sticking his nose into it. He is the master of nutty ideas in RL.

So were you expecting us to go backwards? Which we have.

At the start of the season Shaun Wane said he felt Wigan could improve in 2012 over 2011. He said he wanted to cut out the stupid losses and win the games we lost by the odd point. He meant it to and was very clear about what he was out to achieve. It wasn't bravado and he said he was going to do this by adopting a different approach.

He has failed to deliver that. He has clearly failed to meet his own targets.

Impressive i agree, the team was inherited and the rugby played early on was awesome..but we only finished top because Warrington fluffed the London game otherwise it would have been a pretty underachieving season for the previous Cup winners and Champions the year before.

Next season no Tommy (our best player..inc Sam) no Finch, no Lima although he ain't been the same but he showed the same problems at Melbourne just before he left for England..and no Georgy..all in all for me it was a great start and a sad end, no doubt IL with give Wane more time and hopefully Wane will get a top notch front row in place rather than ones that shy away from the big games.

I dont buy the Burnout theory. We have just lost to a side who have played every week since February, whereas we have had two blank weekends in the past 5 weeks. Its all about what's in the mind come playoff time, and Leeds are clearly ahead of all the others when it comes to mental toughness.

I did a course at Leeds Uni on change management last April, and one of the days involved a visit to Headingley where Gary Hetherington & Brian McDermott gave us three hours of their time. It was fascinating chatting to Brian about how they adopt a siege mentality come playoff time, and are clearly far more mentally tough than any other side - they also have the advantage of knowing it can be done from 5th, and I wouldnt be surprised to see them taking the trophy back again.

1. Wane is nowhere near a SL coach. There is no point hammering teams in March and leaving nothing in the tank for the playoffs. Sorry, I like SW but he hasn't the intellect to be a coach.


Five pages and counting - but the OP got it right - good set of players at Wigan but Wane gave Leeds every incentive to kick your bums this week - dumb coaching - as a Leeds fan - thank you very much

I wish people would stop using finishing top of the league as an excuse for Shaun Wane. It means nothing. It's obvious to see that we went all guns blazing to finish top but who's to say that had the league leaders actually meant anything that other teams wouldn't of finished above us? Truth is all teams know that the champions are those who win at OT. Had the league leaders meant anything then I suspect we wouldn't of trampled over teams as easily earlier in the year eg. Leeds away.

You know the rules of the competition at the start of the season. Finish top of the pile and you win a hub cap. Peak at the end of the season and you get to the Grand Final.

Wane coached to win the hub cap. I hope you enjoy it.

Well said SS -

Completely agree from a Wigan fan. McDermott obviously learned a lot from Brian Noble that its not a sprint it's a marathon.

Fact is you are playing in a competition that only matters over a three/four week period. Are you all serious that you enjoy playoff rugby to decide the "Champions" in my eyes the team who ends top of the pile are the best team and should be recognised as champions. But you all enjoy the closed shop you now play in so you have to abide by the rules which you all knew at the start. Super League I'd rather not.

Get over it nobber

I love the play offs. It's an exciting way to bring the season to an end. Full credit to those that understand it and shame on those that think winning by cricket scores in feb/march/April means anything. From a Wigan fan.

Yep agreed, it does kind of make a mockery of the notion of our Super 'League'.
The current playoff system is completely disconnected from deciding who is the best team in the league.......And the Whino's are living proof of that.
Its about money for the RFL and thats it.
Anyone who would seriously suggest Leeds deserve to be champs, in comparison to Wire last year and us this year, is just a wee bit delusional IMHO.
Most non-RL people think the playoff sytem is just plain bizarre. And its hard to justify it when a distinctly average team (over a full regular season) can end-up as league champions via 3 one-off games.
BUT, try to argue against it....Especially after losing a semi final......And you're cast as being just plain bitter.
Methinks some people really need to unplug from the Sky/RFL matrix b@llox thats being fed to us these days.
Done nothing for our game, cept make it even more of a laughing stock to non-RL people.

Moan over - That is all.