Watching the team over the last few weeks it really dawned on me how big our team is. The pack is massive - Mossop, Lima, mcillorum, Prescott, Dudson (stood next to him last week - he is a giant!!) hock, flower, o'loughlin, Hansen. Even the backs are big - Gelling, Charnley, finch etc.. It must be the biggest Wigan team ever????

And if Noble was still here they'd be a set of plodders playing up the middle...

Thank god for IL, Madge & Waney

I'm not sure props these days are very big. In the past couple of weeks I have found myself stood next to both Josh Perry and Louis Mcarthy Scarsbrook (not Wigan players I know) but I was surprised to see how slight they actually are (though they are both tall). McArthy-Scarsbrook especially. The likes of O'Connor, Cowie and Skerritt while obviously not being as fit as modern props were much bulkier.

Props are far more athletic nowadays and that's probably because the game is further in to it's professional era. If you look at guys like Fielden, Peacock and Morley these are the modern ideal of a prop and in comparison to guys like Ward and Skerrett they're a totally different breed. Id probably say Andy Platt was the original 'athletic' prop who took the position in to a new era.

In terms of our own current pack we've got young lads like Prescott, Mossop and Dudson who are big lads and will develop massively over the next few years....a scary prospect!

I made this same point to a mate a few weeks ago. I said that basically there are no props these days as all forwards tend to basically be the same shape. The lads who play up front look no different to back rowers behind them in terms of body shape, and can often shift about in the pack pretty easily like guys like Paul Gallen, Gaz Hock and Tony Puletua (among others) tend to do. It boils down to the demands placed on modern forwards because the game is much faster and requires better footwork and much greater fitness, especially this season with the reduced interchanges

Apparently according to a mate who works at the cinema Lauaki is an absolute beast when you're stood next to him. Easy 6 ft 2/3 and massive

But with a heart the size of "Zilly's" from catch the pigeon

There's nothing wrong with his heart at all. He's not work shy in defence or attack.

Huh?

Unfair this, if anything he's provided us with some good aggression. Ok yes, in the Warrington game he lost his cool and it cost us but on the whole I have been pleasantly surprised by his contribution so far. He isn't one of our best and but I think he is starting to prove a decent player for us to have in the squad

Dudson was in the South Stand earlier in the year and is an absolute beast of a man.

I think we have a lot of naturally big players in the pack who haven't needed to do a massive amount of weight training to bulk up. Even the likes of Fielden isn't as naturally big as these guys. Someone mentioned Andy Platt in the past but he also was a 2nd rower who gained a lot of weight from heavy weight training.
Mossop reminds me of Ian Roberts who some of the 'older posters' will remember but a lot better. Roberts was just a tackling machine.
It's similar to boxing for me - it's easier to fight at your natural weight rather than having to bulk up to make another weight.

20 years ago the Wigan pack lining up for the Challenge Cup final was Skerrett, Dermott, Platt, Betts, McGinty, Clarke with Cowie on the bench as the only forward sub. So no rotations, 5m offside line still in place and a winter season. I'd say this pack would have been pretty fit and mobile - more suited to 2012 instead of 1992. An all British pack with a strong Wigan born and / or raised contingent. Size wise, probably smaller than today as the current Wigan pack is massive.

The 10m offside, non competitive scrums plus the interchanges have changed the dynamic of the game from that time and probably resulted in the end of the traditional shaped front rowers from top flight rugby league.

. For the record, the back line that day was Lydon, Botica, Bell, Miles, Offiah, Edwards & Gregory. Imagine this lot on dry summer pitches!!

Given we did have a pack of O'Connor, Newton, Craig Smith, David Furner, Danny Tickle, Andy Farrell in 2003... I'd say our pack currently is leaner but more athletic.

This was probably the best Wigan side I ever saw. Gene Miles was unbelievable and even then he was at the end of his career.
I was watching some fights with Kelvin Skerrett on YT the other night - so funny!! God knows what the disciplinary today would think of him!!!!!