The impact is still there and i have played the sport but challenges ( like the burns one in the ribs tonight ) where noone would have batted an eyelid yet every hard challenge is questioned

And the shoulder charge needs to come back IMO

I don't think anyone has a problem with a hard challenge. 2 players holding someone upright exposing the ribs for a 3rd to steam into the exposed ribs doesn't sit particulary well with me but something you associate with this Wigan team

What's that, good, hard defence?

Nothing wrong with it.

Cowardly act by Sarginson imo , I know I'm going to get shot down by some pie fans but I think they need to get rid of Wane and quick, he seems to be making them very unattractive to watch !!!

We all have our own opinion. Mine would be dirty, niggly grubs.

It's not good hard defence. It's not good old-style biff, nowhere near it. Charging in 3rd man on a held man is a sh|thouse, cowardly act.

Anyone who thinks that's good, hard defence needs their head examining.

You want to put a big shot in, then front up and do it when the player is running at you. That's good, hard defence.

Don't think there was anything wrong with it, though i don't think he needed to steam in like he did it just made it look worse.

The game has changed over the years and not always for the better.

Any other player and nobody would bat an eyelid.

There's nothing in the rules against it currently AFAIK. It's a cowardly act though that should be discouraged across the sport, otherwise we're going to run out of halfbacks very quickly.

Than sarginson? Or is this the "poor wigan everyone picks on us because we're the best" mentality?

Wilkin picks up a head injury, game should stop, MM knees him in the head and Wilkin gets penalised. What?

Surely it's because we all hate or are jealous of <insert club here>. That's the standard response to any criticism on here isn't it?

I'm saying that because Wigan have a reputation for it people are hyper-sensitive, dissecting every play to check wether it was dirty. Other teams you let it go. Let's face it, there's no jealousy where Wigan is concerned for other people.



Again, happens frequently, but it's MM so it's dirty. Play should have stopped but the knee was quite clearly accidental. Ref got it wrong saying Wilkin was in the way.

nothing illegal about the challenge by sarginson, although i don't agree that a 3rd, or 4th man coming in on a defenceless attacker who is already being held up is good,could lead to a nasty injury and one that could be avoided.

i'm all for a bit of rough, hard stuff, but not when it has potential to cause an injury.

There was nothing accidental about what that little scumbag did.

Why wasn't oloughlin sent off, thought head highs got sent off this seaon

Watch it in real time. There isn't a great deal of contact (and with the shin, not the knee). Wilkin is certainly more concerned with the penalty than the contact from Mac. I'd say MM was trying to milk a penalty rather than going in to hurt him. MM isn't exactly subtle is he?

McIlorum has form for that, did it to Wellens a couple of years back. Also accidental I'm sure.

The off the ball, lifting above the horizontal tackle on Burns in the build up was worse imo ...

i'm not so sure it was "clearly accidental", i thought he could have easily avoided wilkin's head!

I'm not even trying to say MM dosen't have that bit of house in him. I hate seeing it personally, but let's get real. The "knee"? I don't know how to break it to you but if you think he made contact with the knee then your knowledge of anatomy is way off - Wilkin was on the floor, MM isn't 4ft tall. He would have to make contact with the knee VERY obvious.

But yes, MM is a house, therefore every contact with a player must be thuggish behaviour. No comments about Travis Burns then?



He was trying to milk the penalty for me.

I remember at the DW Stadium a few years ago, Wello was on all fours after attempting a tackle. McIlorum was unfortunate enough to run past him and accidentally knee him in the head. Weird how it's happened twice, can't remember the last time it happened with another hooker.



Third man into the ribs I wouldn't class as "good" defence, but it's part of the game nowadays and you can't really legislate for it beyond referees calling held quicker. Don't really have an issue with it providing it isn't a cannonball.

Part of the reason people suggest the game has become soft is because the Sky commentary is useless. Because they have no idea what a shoulder charge is, they suggest that ANY tackle that uses a shoulder is a shoulder charge, unnecessarily creating controversy and so on. It's awful to listen to

It was accidental, clearly.

I don't remember this one. I'm not going to defend MM and I believe you that he did that because he's done worse, but I judge every situation on it's own merit. The contact wasn't with the knee, wasn't with any force and in real time looked like he was trying to run over him for the penalty rather than specifically going in to injure.

The lift on Burns was a worse one for me.



*cough*