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.

I agree with your points, more so that the quality in SL isn't up to much, the league 'levelling' isn't poorer teams getting better but good teams dropping in standard.

I still believe, call me the king of wishful thinking, that we'll begin to build momentum in preparation to peak at the right time, with a team as fresh as possible. We are playing the squad game, not a 17 man game.

Time will tell, but I think you'll see a very different Wigan when its the business end of the season.

I've stuck up for the side all year up until Friday really. I thought our effort has been great most of the year but that changed on Friday. I think a few got caught up in the Tomkins hype and just presumed we'd get carried along on a wave of euphoria. Sadly we were playing a side who are red hot.

It will take weeks for the team to gel. Players are coming back but they'll be rusty and we still look like a side at the very beginning of its season because of the disruption in key positions. There's a lot of things I'm not happy about currently in regards to how the club is being run but I'm still confident we can get ourselves in good enough shape to have a huge crack at all three trophies. That confidence comes more from the fact that the league is pure pants rather then because I feel we're particularly good.

Very interesting theory but it's akin to believing man never landed on the moon.
You can't turn form on like a tap.
For me we have a bunch of average players witha sprinkling of awful players.
We have no go forward full stop. The SOL at prop is the biggest load of tripe ever to come out of SW mouth. Historically there were ball handling props but I can't remember any that were as small as SOL. Flower would be OK as 3rd or 4th prop together with Clubb but as starting props simply not good enough. We have zero aggression which for all of SWs talk of toughness is a joke. Our forwards are too small, unfit, lack aggression and couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag. Basically fodder for opposing packs.
We have 2 centres who simply cannot pass.
We have halves who cannot organise a p*** up at Tetleys. Our halfs can't kick - have you ever seen a RU half even at Amatuer level that hasn't got a decent kicking game? What do they do all week recite the "game plan" from notes handed out by the coaching staff?

And you think come Septmeber all this will change? As Ive said previously I admire your positiveness but just can't see it happening.
If your right and we get to the GF give me a shout and I will pay for your ale for the day as a penance for my negativity