Joe Mellor and Aaron Heremaia were outstanding, just had to say that first up, the togetherness and work ethic amongst the group is our strongest point imo. A deserved draw and still plenty more to come.

Regards Wigan im not overly convinced by them, relatively poor pre season and they just look a little short, not replacing Blake Green with a quality 6 could cost them.

We have only won 4 opening day games in the last 14 seasons, I'm sure we'll come good at some point.

Congratulations on your performance.

But how much you Widnes fans moan about referees after almost every game is laughable. Best one was your player knocking on whilst tackling Smith, and then when we get the scrum your fans shout 'you don't know what you're doing'

Overall we got more decisions our way than you so it really was a massive effort for your lads to get the draw. However, we also got a couple of stupid decisions against us (Gelling getting penalised for knock on when he was pushed at play the ball, we were only 1 metre out at the time).

Again, congratulations, you deserved the two points on the night.

My only complaint with the comments on this thread are talking aboiut our 'thuggish' tactics. Other than the Smith/Tomkins silly incident at the end, I don't think we were any less/more thuggish than your lads. I mean Ah Van got sent off for an accidental/clumsy attack to Charnley's head. And the scuffle in the middle was started by O'Carroll when Mellor fell over whilst chasing one of his own kicks.

They were saying in the Sky summary, that the RFL should change the rules so that a person can be penalised even if the ball is out of play, becuse Widnes should have had a penalty after the kick by Smith after the last try last night, and as the rule stands a player can take someone out if the ball is out of play and not get penalised for it, which isn't fair.

I had forgotten over the close season how poor and biased a referee Child really is. Wigan were in front of the ball every time they kicked off, offside at most of Widnes's PTB, made 2 or 3 late shoulder charges on Widnes players after they kicked the ball (ie the late attack on Brown which ended his game), were as guilty of high tackles as were Widnes yet no cards against them for such tackles, all without action from the Referee. Shoulder charges are supposed to be dealt with by a card, apparantely not last night!

He didn't protect the Widnes players as he is paid to do.

His action, or rather inaction, over the Smith kicking incident was disgraceful, surely the game should have restarted after the try was converted with a penalty to Widnes and a red card against Smith?

I cringe whenever he is in charge of a game I watch.

Oh, I thought that Mellor played the game of his life.....despite Wigan trying to knock him off the park - particularly Farrell - he didn't get involved, got up, dusted himself down and played a brilliant game.

Well worthy of MOM, no question.

Gold, you mean the excellent, not late at all, fantastic big tackle from Sutton?

Yes it was unfortunate that Brown's game was ended, but it wasn't due to foul play. And pretty much all of the commentators including Cummins agreed on that.

glad to hear Azza started well, really like the lad. top player and top bloke. Will play well in the halves on the occasion, but to get the best from Azza you have to play him at 9, esp against a tiring team. He loves to rip[ teams apart like that.

Nothing wrong with the incident re: Gelling close to the line. Normal contact happens in every tackle - what Child got wrong is that it was an incorrect play the ball so should have been a Widnes penalty.

Poor Hep Cahill couldnt breathe on a Wigan player without being penalised! Yet Liam Farrell gets away with murder in regards to holding down and being rough in the tackle.

Then there was Phelps tackled in the air but lets have a drop out rather than a penalty.

Every time Mellor kicked the ball down field he got smashed and they got away with it everytime. It was definitely a tactic to rough him up and im glad to say it diddnt work

Can't see Wigan winning anything with those two halves.Ironic that the best half back on the pitch was one they let go and even then,without his partner and down to 12 they still look to take him out.
I still maintain the team selection was wrong even though we got away with it.Marsh ought to have been wing with Dean centre and Kav on the bench. Hulme is not yet ready for games of such magnitude.

1. I wouldn't accept that you normally lose the first game as a valid reason for my team not winning when all the odds are stacked in your favour.

2. You won't see the 'thuggish' tactics, Wigan fans don't because it's your own team. If everyone else in the league is seeing it though, it's not a coincidence. 'Other than the Smith/Tomkins incident'?? Why look beyond that, perfect example of what Wane is doing to his players as Matty Smith was a Widnes for a year a while ago - and there's not a chance he would have done anything like that. Wigan are the masters of intimidation, and woe be tide anyone who challenges it or does it back to them.

1. It's not an excuse for the result last night. I've said in another thread that you deserved the win not a draw. I'm clearly stating that it's not unusual for us to fail to win the opening game of the season, and I think we will still be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

2. You've said why look past the Smith/Tomkins incident. In what way is taking a (yes) stupid, childish, petulant swipe at someone more 'thuggish' than a punch to the jaw which knocks the player out and gives him concussion? Was the Smith kick worse in the name of fairness? Yes. Was it stupid? Yes. Should he be banned? Yes. But I'd argue what Smith did didn't and couldn't injure a player. What Ah Van did knocked Charnley out and gave him concussion. Afain, the scuffle in the middle of the field was started by O'Carroll, not a Wigan player.
We are ill disciplined, we lie on etc.But from last night, we were no more 'thuggish' than Widnes. There is a difference between being penalised for being ill-disciplined, and being penalised for thuggish or dangerous play.

Can't argue with the effort on show. We were up against it, antagonised, and kept our heads down, kept grinding, kept doing our thing, and it eventually paid dividends.

We were magnificent. They tried and tried to use the overlap when we went down to 12 but our risks paid off. Going for the man early, reading the play, sometimes it can exacerbate the situation but we read the Wigan tactics well and kept them out. We were unlucky and credit to everyone on the pitch and those at the club responsible.

Mellor deserved MOM for me but Heremaia was definitely one of the best on the pitch.

And what about Child? All I am prepared to say is that he didn't ruin the day for us as much as he tried to. Wigan were getting away with the same holding down we were constantly being punished for (i.e. very minor), we were down to 12 for a challenge that you don't usually see a sending off for and Wigan got away with similar infringements. So at the end Matty Smith kicks someone off the ball in full view of everyone who had the cheek to celebrate a try and he gets a yellow card. And Tomkins who grappled someone to the ground unawares got nothing. Child Saints game all over again. The look on his face said everything. He was loving it. I just don't think he will ever be good enough for top flight refereeing. His ego is huge.

Chris, Smith was sent off for having a pop or giving verbals to the touch judge whilst Marsh was taking the kick not for the kick. I don't think the ref or TJ's saw the kick, the ref pulled Smith & Tomkins out I believe to tell them of for the melee they caused after the try was scored. I'm being generous here and saying none of them saw the kick because I can't believe they saw a player kick another player and did nothing about it.