Is it tactics or player quality why we rarely ever have one prop getting over 100m ? Ever mind more than 1.

I guess we'll find out on Thursday!

Huddersfield are looking like Dark Horses this year. They've gone under the radar a little bit but they look to have built a good team with plenty of experience in the right places. They'll be no pushovers. A result on Thursday will be a fair marker as to where we are.

2016 truly was our darkest hour, KC at the height of his coaching powers, and the prospect of replacing Luke Walsh (albeit post broken leg Walsh) with Matty Smith and Tommy Lee…

2017 transfers;
In: Matty Smith (Wigan Warriors), Tommy Lee (Salford), Luke Douglas (Gold Coast), Ryan Morgan (Melbourne), Adam Walker (HKR)
Out: Travis Burns (Manly), Shannon McDonnall (aus second grade), Andre Savelio (Warrington), Lama Tasi (Salford), Jordan Turner (Canberra), Atelea Vea (Leigh), Luke Walsh (Catalan Dragons)

2018 transfers;
In: James Bentley (Bradford Bulls), Ben Barba (mid season)
Out: Greg Richards (mid season - Leigh)

2019 transfers;
In: James Batchelor (York), Kevin Naiqama (West tigers), Joseph Paulo (Cronulla Sharks), Lachlan Coote (Nirth Queensland Cowboys)
Out: Jon Wilkin (Toronto), Matty Smith (Catalan Dragons), Ben Barba (North Queensland Cowboys), Ryan Morgan (London)

2020 transfers;
In:
Out; Danny Richardson (Castleford), Adam Swift (Hull fc)

2021 transfers;
In: Joel Thompson (Manly), Iggy Paasi (NZ Warriors), Sione Mata’uitia (Newcastle Knights), Dan Norman (London), Jame Graham (mid season)
Out: Luke Thompson (mid season), James Graham (retired), Joseph Paulo (Toulouse), Dom Peyroux (Toulouse), Jack Ashworth (Huddersfield)

2022 transfers;
In: Konrad Harrell ( Leeds), Will Hopoate (Canterbury Bulldogs), Curtis Sironen (Manly), Joey Lussick (Parramatta Eels), James Bell (Leigh)
Out: James Bentley (Leeds), Theo Fages (Huddersfield), Lachlan Coote ( HKR), Joel Thompson (retired), Kev Naiqama (Sydney Roosters), Aaron Smith. (Leigh - loan)

Yes you're right - sorry. Ultimately then I fear we need a higher quality starting prop in place of Singleton to give ourselves a chance against Saints.

It should be the next priority in terms of recruitment for me. We’ve taken steps forward in the position but you can’t ever be happy and stop looking to improve. I’m excited to see Havard under this new regime. We all thought each player had 20% or more improvement in them last season and I think we’re seeing that with somebody like Byrne. Now Havard has shown glimpses of being a very good player already, so if you add that improvement he’ll really help us right now.

100% it should be, but we're also overly stacked with lads who are on longish deals. Singleton, Isa & Partington, Byrne & Smithies (there might be others) are with us until 2023, or that's what I think I've read. Logic would say that you can't bring anyone else in, until some of those move on?

I doubt it would be before next season and then you’d get room from guys like Hardaker and Leuluai (plus at least one of Field and French you’d imagine) moving on in terms of cap space. I’m seeing enough positive signs from Cust in terms of ability but mainly character and leadership to have confidence we can put Harry Smith in at the side of him next season and that saves us recruiting there. You then can look at other positions, a bit like Saints have done with having natural replacements for Coote and Fages.

If we did sign another starting prop next season, that would likely mean a couple from Singleton, Byrne, Partington, Havard, Smithies and Isa sitting out of the first 17. I don’t have a problem with that, it’s good to have depth and as you improve the quality of the side, there will be victims unfortunately. I probably worry for Partington the most. It’s tough to see a way of him getting decent minutes as things stand and he isn’t the type of player who will really stand out just playing 15-20 minutes here and there.

We’ll see how we go but I still see an opening for a quality prop forward in this side. I’m pretty confident that with one more quality addition in that area we’ll not be far off.

I know we've previously spoken about him, but one simple solution could be to sign MacDonald and move KPP back into the pack. That's us replacing the loss of potentially three backs, with one "good-un" and adding some size/point of difference into the pack. Faz & KPP at 2nd row, with Bateman at 13 is a whole different prospect to what we have now imo.

He looks a good player.

There’s going to have to be some tough decisions at Wigan over this next off season or two but I’m optimistic that if we get them right, there’s enough quality here that with a couple more shrewd additions, we can be the side that really pushes Saints on a consistent basis, with a view to knocking them off. I’m doubtful we’re quite there yet but I see loads of potential to get there soon enough.

Really interesting thread this. I don't feel like Wigan's pack has been properly tested yet but it's clear there is lightning pace in the backs.

Looking forward to seeing Wigan against Saints/Catalans - Saints in particular defend very compact and the pace Wigan has out wide will make teams think twice about trying to force play down the middle too much.

Really interesting season ahead.

No we have not properly been tested yet. Which has been good so far as building confidence is just as key. Think majority of us are happy to see a more attacking style of rugby and a team that aren’t as ridged as they where the past… we’ll at least the past 3 years.

As much as it would be good to give you guys a game, which I’m still sure we can. If we lost, as long as they keep playing the way they are doing I’ll be happy.

We won’t match Saints in a middle of the field battle but we could have enough pace to trouble them and if Mago, Bateman and Pearce Paul have a licence to offload, we could see an interesting game.

It could be a very unusual Derby or three this year with Wigan trying to take on the more attacking role and Saints being the side who play a high intensity, defence orientated game and try to strangle the life out of you.

Now this is quite interesting. The roles do seem to have reversed somewhat. We've had years of Saints fans telling us they'd rather lose playing attacking rugby than win with the largely defensive, "strangle the life out if the opposition" style we've had over the last decade or so. I wonder how many will change their tune now it's the opposite way around?

Most Saints fans have been very happy with how we have attacked in the first couple of rounds of this year. Lots were critical of "Woolfball" particularly at the start of last year, but I think people are realising with Coote/Lomax/Fages a very structured attack was the way Woolf chose play, but now with Welsby/Lomax/Dodd theyre getting more freedom and scoring some really nice tries. Everything is built on defense and building the right structures, but I don't think any Saints fans I know of resent that particularly.