Enjoy the treble.

Admit it, you’re bricking it

In all honesty, I'm where I've been most of the year - that Wigan have built up some form based on playing poor teams. The two wins against decent sides (Hull and Wire) have been the week after the CC Semi and week before CC Final respectively and haven't overly impressed me.

The pack that people are saying stood up so well against Wire is broadly the same pack that couldn't get out of its own half against Saints recently. I think Clubb in for Bullock - anything else?

I think Wire were very poor and Wigan were OK. I still think the Saints pack will have little trouble against that Wigan pack. Or maybe that should read "should have" given our recent big game bottling.

I think that’s a fair assessment.

I don’t think our pack is a match for St Helens’ though it is improving. Smithies, Partington and Byrne have had a few more games under their belts since the St Helens game. We shouldn’t forget they are squad numbers 24, 34 & 38 though! This shows where they were at the start of the season.

If we make it to the GF, and that’s still a big if imo it will ultimately come down to who plays better and handles the occasion on the day. I’m very happy with how our season has turned around though I think the GF will be one step too far.

And your pack is broadly the same one that bottled it last year. What does that prove? The fact is we are 9 from 10, playing better by the week and with Flower, O'loughlin and possibly Bullock to add to the pack that is now going well. The young lads have come of age since the Saints match too so I'm not sure it is the 'same' in real terms.

Will it be enough come October? Who knows but there's certainly room for optimism. Will Saints bottle it again come October? Who knows but again there's room for optimism.

One thing I do know and that is if we're lining up against you at Old Trafford you won't be going into that game without worrying we'll do a number on you.

Don't know about that - we played most of last year without our best prop Walmsley and had a badly fading Wilkin and plodding Luke Douglas in the pack that lost to wire. The likes of Thompson/Ashworth/Lees/Knowles are another year and another offseason on too. I'd say our pack this year is a long way stronger than the pack we took into the play-offs, but I take your point.

That said, I don't think we lost out due to our weaker pack last year, what cost us was Barba/Richardson being very flimsy in defence late on in a game we were winning.



Just my opinion - the young lads have been playing well for sure - no question.



I said as much by referencing we could well still bottle it - so of course I would be worries in the same way I am worried we might lose to Wire on Saturday. But it is not your form or teamsheet (or that of Warrington) that concerns me, but our potentially flakey mentality.

Like I said though - just my opinion.

Fair enough. I guess we're likely to find out soon enough.

I spoke at length with Greg Bird prior to last seasons semi-final and he said he was happy to draw Saints, when I asked him why he said, 'Because we think their pack is soft'. I think he was proved to be right, however I do take your point that there has been an improvement this season. Much will depend on injuries in the run-in as always in the salary cap era.

St Helens just seen a more complete unit this year. They are better for not being dependant upon one star name. Very few have a good word to say about Grace on here yet he fits well into their system, you could call it synergy. For all of our improvement we still do not have the go forward and relying on our defence is still too negative. We have rightly praised the youngsters but it will be a while before they regularly make the kind of dents in the defensive line that allow the backs to sweep through hence our purchases for next year.

I think that is spot on.
Saints are 20 points better than us on a bad day because as you say our go forward is too weak and too slow to cause them any consistent issues from an attacking perspective.

I happy with the change in our attitude and fortune In the past few weeks but for me saints are far superior in most areas and unless they implode again I cannot see anyone stopping them winning the gf.
Next season will interesting though.

Greg Bird's got a cheek to talk about soft, after some of les Cats' performances this season!

Can't argue with Saints looking far better. I still think they're only a couple of injuries in the pack from looking much more fallible than they seem at the moment.

Their forwards have been running over everyone this year, but take Thompson out of their team, put a fit Flower and SOL in ours, all of a sudden I think we can compete. Obviously all ifs and buts however and you'd make them huge favourites against anyone if the GF was tomorrow.