Quote: {Hogan} "We are happy to scan and post the team sheets on this forum from both games to show the teams were almost identical!
I would concentrate on taking positives from your guys first half display, after going 16-0 down your lads dug in deep and fought back to make half time 16-12. Showed some great grit and determination. We were simply the fitter team and run away with the game in the second half. I couldn't understand why you guys started to warm up an hour prior to kick off in yesterdays heat!'"
If you say so.
We didn't have much choice pre-match. Some tool had locked our changing rooms so we put shorts & socks on in your changing rooms and cleared out to give you the room to yourselves. Alan Hunte is one of those with a key - we rang him but he was at Headingley coaching Salford's under-20s against Leeds. Sitting around outside for 90 minutes in that heat was certainly not the ideal preparation. We actually didn't start warming up until gone 2.00 then went back inside for 5 minutes just to cool off. As you will know, it was too hot to be doing much prior to kick-off.
As I said, I'm not complaining and there is indeed a lot to build on - we were bitterly disappointed with our performance but there were definitely positives. You were the better team, but that's to be expected when 20+ from Wigan turn up against a team with a load of rookies. 7 of that squad are new this summer, of which only 2 have played league before.