In the league it's a case of winning the GF, that's the end goal. And doing what is possible to be in the best position to do so. That and the CC are the only two trophies to be won really.

The goal is always to win, however it's not seen as the end of the world if we lose games along the way as it's only 2-points, as long as we win enough along the way to be in a good position to enter the playoffs, and of course win. No point in running players ragged during the league only to have them exhausted and carrying too many injuries for when it matters.

Evidence? Wigan/Wane is hardly going to reveal this, why would he? It would reduce the crowds at games etc.

I'd bet good money Wigan will 'come to' at the business end of the season, and probably once again be in the GF with a fully fit (give or take first team).

By no evidence I mean it is obvious the players have been injured. You don't rotate players by leaving them out for weeks on end. You rest them for the odd game and play a junior for the odd game. You don't rest the senior players for weeks and play a junior second row forward as a 6 for several games as part of some great plan.

There is no master plan going on here. The number of changes made are too many and players are out for too long. Only Bateman has been rested by what you would normally consider that to mean and that was after he got nearly knocked out.

If you want to argue when all the players are back and fit we will be a better side, fair enough but that won't happen unless there is a drastic improvement to the attack.

What worries me is for a club that is supposed to have this production line we have been waiting for weeks for the first 17 to be fit which implies if we do suffer injuries our reserves are not good enough to cover the loss. We have no one adequate for 6, we are stuck playing Powell at 9 and at 1 Wane has just said he's had a centre playing there so if Sam gets injured its that or Tierney which has been an experiment quietly dropped anyway. A centre goes down and its Bateman out of the pack.

As to it all being about winning the GF then if what you say is true the whole format is bankrupt. Fans won't pay money week after week to watch their team play bad RL even if they scrape wins. Neither will they do it if they are being short changed by star players left out when fit. It's supposed to be an enjoyable experience going to games, not purgatory.

If Wane is of the mindset that we won't start playing until the playoffs and anything sub-standard before then is acceptable, and the fans and pundits can lump it, then he will surely be fine if the fans start to show up around the same time around the start of September?

I also see he's got a new buzz word, detail. Well Mr Wane, let me tell you, your middles are under the pump and your details aren't very detailed. In fact, we the fans are under the pump watching this dross you're coaching, we're in middle of it and the details are all too obvious, we can see your set moves three games before you run them.

Wait and see, that's all I can say. I could be wrong, and hopefully not, but I'm betting come Sept you'll see a different dominant Wigan playing well looking like the form side in the comp. See you at the GF.

I admire your optimism but fear you are going to be very disappointed.

I guess most of us thought Williams was fine at 6 last season. Lets give him a few more weeks to settle in, eh?

Of course he'd benefit from having a halves partner who offered a bit more, but that's been well rehed here.

I meant if he gets an injury not as a 6 himself. We ended up playing Gregson there! So I was trying to highlight that although we have I think 28 or 29 players (can't remember) in the squad we seem to have zero depth in certain positions to the extent in this example our options are forwards (Lockers o Gregson).

We might be better but if we are I am certain it won't be as result of a grand plan where Wane is resting players for around a month at a time and playing the likes of Sutton at 13 and Gregson at 6. There is no doubt the injuries have affected the team but the attack has been an issue for longer than this season.

It definitely has. It isn't even like we are trying and the ball just isn't sticking. We aren't even attempting to play some good open rugby, there are no lines being run, no options for the half backs, it really does seem like Wane is telling them not to exert any effort, professional rugby players cannot be as clueless as they are looking at the moment, it really is that bad that I laugh at our play at times. It's embarrassing to watch, the players themselves must be embarrassed to be repeating the same move over and over with absolutely zero success. Our only breaks come from a missed tackle at the moment.

The performances really are my major issue at the moment, not the results. If you perform the results take care of themselves.

A fresh team of

Tomkins
Charnley Sarg Gells Manfredi
Williams Smith
Flower Powell Lockers
Tomkins Faz
Batman (packs interchangeable in a few positions)

Will be a massive threat.

Anyone who's played RL or been around it long enough will know the impact it has on your body, minimising the amount of games the players have will massively benefit at the back end of the season.

Regardless of a very indifferent season we are still close to the top of the table, senior players rested and given longer to recover and the younger lads have been give crucial game time.

I'm betting it all pays off come October.

Half my fear is that you're correct, if that's the case it saddens me, I don't want to be bored to death for 7 months hoping we grind out wins on the hope we get players fit and firing for the last month of the season. Good players coached by a good coach will play good rugby, that's what makes them good. That shouldn't take 7 months of effort and resting players every season.

I agree Chris, it is sad (if my theory comes true) fans pay good money to see a team perform at their best in a game of RL, I believe the players are always trying to win, but we aren't fielding the best team really available.

Where is Faz currently? Look at Wane's post match interviews recently, is he disheartened? Angry? No not really. He's looking at things from a different perspective. Constantly we're told such and such is back this week, then they're not. They'll be a time to start our GF run, when that is will depend on how the season is progressing, currently where we are doesn't require immediately rushing players back just yet. Timing is everything.

If we get to the GF/CC all will be forgotten and forgiven.

Hasn't he only played 5 games or something is season? Predominately behind a beaten pack. Last season he was performing well enough to get into the England team. He's a young man, give him time.

The last sentence is the bit that really worries me. It really is turning into the Noble part 2 saga.

This comp is so limited in quality this year it is ridiculous. We should not be accepting struggling along scraping through and then a late charge as acceptable. What happened to people's standards?

Many teams have played well all season and won the title. It tends to be the exception that teams bumble by playing awful rugby and then win it, hence why the Leeds team the year they did it is constantly regurgitated.

Accepting mediocrity (not that we are even that) is not acceptable.

I believe there will be a peaking plan, however ALL our competitors will have a similar plan, peaking is not an idea only limited to our club. Expecting to limp into the finals with a team misfiring and lacking cohesion in my opinion is professional suicide for Wane.

I really however do not think it is the case that this is a masterstroke by the coaches. I expect to see is physically improve as Britcon is no dummy and at the moment we look way off the pace so I can only assume that is part of the plan.

Reports however coming out of training is it is very physical and intense, this does not suggest players are being rested rather than injured, we seem to pick up a lot of injuries away from the pitch, more than any other and I would expect the missing players mystery has more to do with this than keeping the squad fresh.