That's not an unfair view. But if you're going to say 'we were atrocious' in the first half as something that you will probably rectify, we can just as easily point to the poor defensive efforts for your second and third tries as un-Wigan like. I think you were genuinely on top for about 20 minutes of the game, maybe a little more. The worrying thing is that you managed to score three times in that spell.

I'll wait and see what the team sheets look like, but as things stand I can see a very tight game that you'll probably just about edge.

Or alternatively we were excellent in the first half and outclassed you, had a dip for 15 minutes in the second half when we let you back into it through our own errors and penalties but quite rightly won it in the end as we were much the better team over the 80 minutes

The trouble with Saints fans is their team is never beaten by a better side. Other teams only win because Saints were poor. Similarly Saints never win (or have a good spell second half) because the other team is poor but because of how well they're playing. It's wearisome. You were beaten by a better side on the day and you will be again on Saturday. Of course, should that happen, it'll be because of Saints' injuries and not because our team of plodders and average Joes plays better than yours.

Not sure I agree with that. As good as you have looked in attack, your defence hasn't been all that impressive. You've conceded 323 points all season not much better than Castleford and Hull and more than Saints, Catalans and Huddersfield. Whilst there was an element of cue on the rack against Wakefield, they still scored 22 points with a depleted side.

Sides are scoring at least 2-3 tries against you per game bar the odd game.

Our defence has been weaker this season than it was under Wane & even Lam's first season, no doubt.

I'm thinking more about how the tries were conceded, rather than the number. I'd like to think Roby wouldn't be able to force himself through two defenders quite as easily as he found it in the CC Semi, and that we won't make as many errors defending the high ball as we did either.

I suppose in a roundabout way my point is that it's having it both ways to think to think:

a) the first forty minutes where Wigan were the better team was totally atypical due to a combination of injuries, Wigan playing at our maximum and Saints playing as bad a half as they have in years, and at the same time, b) The twenty minutes in the second half where Saints scored off near enough every chance they had off the back off the back of some poor Wigan errors simply reflects normal service being resumed.

Not saying that this is how you see things! But I definitely got a sense of this view from a few Saints fans at the time.

If we had a referee that used his video referee then it would have been two.

Our defence doesn’t worry me in the slightest tbh. I’ll go all Saints fan here and say we’ve been disrupted and we’re constantly shuffling things around, especially in the spine positions, with bans for huge defenders for us like Powell and Smithies and that’s not helping but it’s mainly just a concentration issue IMO. In the knock out games this season in the cup we conceded 0,6,18 and 14, so never over 20 points and an average 9.5 points per game (plus one of Saints try’s was offside ).

Plus Tommy.

Indeed. Tommy, Smithies and Powell could well be our best 3 defenders and then you’ve had the centres changing constantly and Field and French moving between full back and stand off or wing and fullback. Even so we should’ve defended better at times but when the time is right and the big games come around, I’m confident we’ll be switched on and ready.

And I presume when Wigan won all those leagues in the 80s that the competition was higher than ever? Everyone else was spending £400k on wingers like Offiah...

Funny that since the salary cap has been in existence, Wigan's leagues have dried up somewhat.

What an awful lucky team we are. Should probably strip us of our last 3 titles to be fair based on your statement.

Squads named. No Percival or Makinson for Saints, so if we can give them a game upfront we’ll be a chance. Cust back for us but I’d probably use him from the bench.

I’d go-

French
Miski Bibby Pearce-Paul Marshall
Field Smith
Singleton Powell Ellis
Bateman Farrell Smithies

Subs
Byrne Havard
Mago Cust

Looking forward to the weekend.

Makinson is out for 3-5 weeks so not sure why you seem surprised he's not playing.

Quote: Stu M " Wigan didn't sign Martin Offiah in the 1980's, but we did have Mark Preston and Jason Robinson coming through. Watch the Leeds v Saints cup tie in 1992 and see all those Saints part time players!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Pc6kv ... l=Andy1adL

Quote: Stu M " Wigan didn't sign Martin Offiah in the 1980's, but we did have Mark Preston and Jason Robinson coming through. Watch the Leeds v Saints cup tie in 1992 and see all those Saints part time players!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Pc6kv ... l=Andy1adL

Where have I noted my surprise? Simply pointing it out as being confirmed now for anybody not aware.

Saints are extremely honest, lead by the honest as the day is long Mr Woolf, so I never expected any game playing