Needs some tinkering imo.

I'm not bagging Marsh because he's trying his heart out but he simply isn't offering enough in the centre position. He's lightweight with and without the ball and is making little impact. He didn't do alot wrong tonight and it wasn't his side that had too many defensive problems but he just doesn't seem quite ready to me. He looks like a lad that could do a fill in job on the wing if needs be but looks a little out of his depth to be a starting centre at the minute.

I thought Roberts looked dangerous when he came on also and theres no way that guy isn't one of our best 3 or 4 outside backs. He needs to come in to the side on the wing and build his confidence in that position. If he does that I think he could open up some options at fullback as when he has his confidence he's top quality from there.

Against Leeds we have to shake it up a touch and i'd go-

Tomkins
Goulding
Charnley
Carmont
Roberts
Finch
Leuluai

Same for me.

Id put Roberts to full back, and stop tinkering with the backline everyweek, stability is key to build form and momentum, no one seemed to have a clue what they were doing tonight in the backline.

Gleeson was missed the most, dont know what he has done but it will effect our title challenge this year.

You know more then me or probably anyone else on these boards about Steffan Marsh's qualitites and what he's good at and bad at and in your opinion do you think he's ready? Is he a player that has always struck you as having that 'star' quality?

He looks a little way short at the moment and when you compare him to how comfortable Rhys Evans looks there seems to be a pretty big difference. I don't want this to come across as a witchunt as nothing could be further from the truth. As I say he did 'ok' tonight and we had problems on the left not the right but doing just 'ok' won't be enough to cut him a career at Wigan. I'm pretty happy when we just get through games at the minute without him being torn to shreds because it looks an accident waiting to happen.

Cant wait to get Pat back.

On another note i've heard off a very good source that Gleeson has not been sacked just suspended and is also still carrying the injury he sustained in the WCC so wouldnt be playing anyway, we may see him in a Wigan shirt again.

It wasn't necessarily the backline that was the problem for me but the actual structure of our plays, it was very one dimensional and lacked a Plan B. Wire were moving up very quickly out wide to stifle the space, hence why we dropped so much ball out wide. There was no variation and we should have actually put some doubt in their minds by dropping kicks behind their line. Instead it was easy to read what we were going to do. We could have played all night and not scored without a bit of luck/skills from the Finch kick.

If the news came out in the coming weeks that Gleeson and Maguire had kissed and made up i'd be a very happy man indeed as we're missing the guy but I just don't see it.

Shame really.

Roberts
Goulding
J.Tomkins
Carmont
Charnley
Sam
Finch
Coley
McLlorum
Prescott
Hoffman
Hansen
Lockers


Tommy
Mossop
Lima
Farrell

I'm going to go against the grain here and say Marsh deserves his spot next week. He matched Bridge (Wire's best centre) all night, and never let him get the better of him. Defensively I thought he was good. Offensively he was ordinary (as was everyone else in a Wigan shirt this evening). But I'd rather it was that way around. He not be scoring or creating many, but he sure as hell ain't letting many in. We talk of giving youngsters an extended run in the first team, and for me Marsh has improved week on week defensively, and tonight shows how far he's come. To drop him now on the back good performance on his part would be a mistake IMO.

And the same goes for Charnley.

Agree that we are missing Gleeson and Pat so much - interesting how ineffective Goulding has been this season ( and how few tries he has scored in comparison with last). I agree with the comments about Marsh too - he's a "useful" squad player, but he doesn't ssem to pose much threat in attack and his defence is a little bit "iffy". Was very weak and left for dead in the 2nd minute when Warrington ended up passing into touch. He reminds me a bit of Martin Aspinwall - another "neat and useful" squad player - but neither of them is either big/powerful enough or blessed with deadly pace that might turn them into a top centre/wing.

Don't know why Marsh is getting so much stick. We barely used him tonight and he kept em out. It was the other side of the line where we got murdered. Carmont made a couple of bad reads tonight and left Charnley exposed. Of course, it helps if you don't drop the ball every time they kick it to you...

Thinking about it i completely agree. Marsh was solid and stood up tonight. No trys were conceded down his side and he didnt make a single mistake if my memorys correct.

I'd go with Nicky Kiss's back line but the back 3 would be Hoffman(how good is this lad) Joel and Skipper and just hope Farrell is fit

Roberts has go to start next week IMO. At 1.

I agree with W/L/A we were very predictable. An almost Noble-esque lack of a plan B.

I did expect Roberts on sooner as a tactical change to let Tommy go to 9, and Sam to 6. By the time it happened we were knackered. Roberts only came on to give Finch a break and it didn't vary our play enough.

I am also fed up of seeing Sam at 1. It's doing a grand job of turning him into the exact opposite of a team player. When he gets the ball at 1 both he and the rest of the team seem to think if he doesn't do something miraculous with it entirely in his own then that is the end of that particular play. One man Rugby is what it is. It doesn't work against good sides like Wire who have him wrapped up before he's made a yard over of the gain line.

Not a big fan of Joel at centre but I'd go with that.