Couldn't agree more, mate. I'd be as surprised as anyone if Saints don't lift the big one this year. My point was merely about counting chickens really. In fact we heard all last year how Saints were going to sweep all before them. All it took that year was the loss of form of one player (Barba) for the whole house of cards to come crashing down. As you say lose 3 or 4 to injury at the end of the season and the picture is suddenly completely different.

That said I can understand your optimism. I'm sure it was the same prior to the play off game at LP where we comprehensively ripped you a new one on the way to becoming champions*.

*apologies. Couldn't resist.

Its simple why we look unbeatable. We have a half decent team. The rest of SL is absolutely dire. Whilst we are on the Wigan forum, lets take them for example. How on earth a club operating at full cap can put together such an abysmal squad is beyond me. Even the 75-0 team was better on paper than this.

This Saints team would be no where near challenging in SL 10 years ago.

We are just lucky this year that the rest of SL are so bad.

-Well coached
-clearly know all structures in attack and defence
-2 running halves and a creative 9 who can take on the line as well as pass and create
-best front row in SL which can make the hard yards (Walms/Roby/Richardson)
-A FB who is good at reading the game in attack and defence, often links in the like as a second pivot or knows when to follow the attack done the middle.
-fast outside backs who can finish.

BUT, it's June, they look good, but have won naff all as of yet.

In comparison to us...

-Poorly coached
-players look to not know the attacking structures (often look clueless in attack) weak in defence
-poor uncreative halves, Williams has his moments but that's about it
-front row who collectively often produce embarrassing meter stats per game
-A FB (Hardaker) who is fantastic defensively but isn't a FB who links out wide as a second pivot (something which we've often been dependent on with Sam Tomkins)

All of the above + a steely determination to defend (particularly on the goal line) which seems to have got much worse for us this season

You got the feeling that they had a total disregard for their own safety they way they defended at times over the past few years, and teams were a bit wary of it. Not seeing much of that now (certainly over an extended period)

I was actually shocked that to read that we have the 3rd best defense in the league!

I don't think many people would disagree that we've cr@p defensively either.

If we could get the attack something like (4th worst the league) then we'd be leading the charge for 4th/5th imo.

The weather come playoff time is always superb isn't it.................................

Yet if we meet in the playoffs you will cack yourself.

The idea that you’re going to do ‘damage’ in the play offs simply because puddings like Clubb, Isa, Powell and so on have all (somehow) been part of Grand Final winning sides is absolute nonsense. As soon as you face Saints or Wire (if you get that far) you are going to lose. How are we on cruise control this time every year? Last season was the first time we finished top since 2014 and we won the Grand Final that year beating Wane’s Wigan.

I agree with the overall point about the standard of SL being rubbish but no real stand outs? Thompson, Roby and Walmsley is a front row that is better than a lot of NRL sides and is world class. Whilst Coote fell out of favour last season, he was a key part of the Cowboys side which won a Grand Final and got to another. He was being touted for Origin at one point and turned down big offers from the Sydney clubs. He’s the best fullback in SL by a mile and would get into several NRL sides with the way he’s playing. And Aussie clubs are knocking the door down to get our players, Walmsley turned down St George to sign a new contract, there’s a lot of interest in Thompson and Holbrook hasn’t yet signed a new contract so it’s very possible he could leave at the end of the season as well.

All things you said about Ben Barba last season when you won the.......oh wait a minute.

Struggling to see the relevance, I was responding to Coote being labelled as nothing special in the NRL.

Fixed that for you

Course it was

Gleeson (Sean)
Dallas, Aspinwall, Wild, Carney
Brown, Moran,
Seu Seu, Newton, Sculthorpe, Allen, Tickle,Beswick.

Replacements: Hansen, Godwin, Guisset, Hargreaves.

It was even worse at the time then it looks on paper as kids like Hansen, Hargreaves and Beswick went on to have good careers but were all junior players. I look at that realistically and think that Terry Newton is the only cert to get on our current best 17. The two wingers would probably get in (although a fully fit Manfredi could take either) and then maybe somebody like Danny Shorpe or Guisset.

In short you’re chatting out of your backside (as usual).

Regards