Afternoon chaps and chapettes

After what was a great team performance on Friday night, what are we thinking about wigan on Thursday?

I think Bradford beating them has put to rest any way we were going to beat them, they are going to be put through the mill this week at training, I would guess, and wanting to prove a point.

I will still be there as the lads deserve as much support as we can muster at the moment the amount of effort they are giving!

I am going for wigan to beat us 38-12, hopefully a bit more closer though.

Looking forward to seeing you there

Yeah I think you’re right. Sundays result will have done us no favours that’s for sure, and what was already a very difficult task has turned into a near impossible one. As long as the player show the same commitment and desire they have been doing in recent weeks then I’ll be happy. Hopefully we can keep it close and keep our confidence high, ready for the remaining 4 games, which in all honestly we should be looking at winning. Play offs are just out of our reach for this season IMO, it’s all about building momentum for a massive season ticket drive for the start of next season.

Hopefully though, given our recent form there will be more than our usual dismal following at Wigan. The lads in recent weeks have shown glimpses of what we can expect in the future, so with a decent following behind them, who knows the impossible could become possible!!

Yep, Bradford have fooked our chances..
If we can keep it close, play with the passion, desire, confidence and quality of recent weeks, then I for one will be a happy foreigner!!!!!!

When you look back to May, there was absolutely nothing between the sides in it in the 1st half, Wigan just killed us for pace out wide in the 2nd half - we had no pace or guile in the backs, now we have, however, up until the weekend, Wigan were averaging 50 points a game, and they will be determined to make a statement against us..

Another 1st half containment is required if we are still to be in the game come 60 minutes IMO

Bookies only giving us 10-12 start, nowhere enough imo.

Was talking to a friend who's a Wigan fan earlier and I had too admit that I think we will get a bit of a kicking Thursday.

I also hope the club don't try and rush Locke back for this and stick with Evalds who from what we've seen is quicker than Locke currently anyway.

Wane is probably one of the best in the business at firing his team up, any measure of complacency will have been kicked out of that Wigan team this week. No doubt about it we'll be facing a fired up bunch.

T'squad:

Matty Ashurst
Mason Caton-Brown
Rangi Chase
Niall Evalds
Theo Fages
Darrell Griffin
Josh Griffin
Harrison Hansen
Greg Johnson
Tommy Lee
Kevin Locke
Adrian Morley
Tony Puletua
Steve Rapira
Junior Sa’u
Lama Tasi
Logan Tomkins
Jordan Walne
Jason Walton

Lee and Tasi back in, I guess. Not sure who would drop out though.

It depends on Locke's fitness i reckon. Me personally i would rest him and go with

Evalds
Johnson
Sau
Mason-Caton Brown
Griffin
Chase
fages
Morley
Lee
Tasi
Hansen
Ashurst
Puletua

D Griffin
j Walne
Walton
Rapira

Locke & Tomkins to miss out

Easy one this week, Locke and Tomkins to both miss out. No chance Locke can be fit and would rather rest him for forthcoming winnable games and Tomkins was dreadful on Friday.

Probably right but, on the other hand, you'd have to assume Logan Tomkins would be pretty fired up for this one, particularly as Joel is in the Wigan squad. On the other other hand, Logan was a bit ordinary against Leeds and Tommy Lee has been playing really well recently.

It's unusual for us to be wondering who to leave out rather than who to leave in.

Wouldn't say he was dreadful, although he did seem to tire. Will be interesting if Evalds starts to see if we decide to have a replacement hooker on the bench or not.

Our 19 www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... &type=news

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I haven't watched it back again, but at the time I thought his distribution was very poor and he fell off a fair share of tackles.

Locke to play for me, if the medical team say he is fit. Evalds on the bench as cover for backs and half backs. Tompkins left out along with Rapira

I'd leave Tomkins and Locke out too.

We have a week off after Thursday due to the Challenge Cup semi's.

That gives Locke 22 full days (from the Leeds game) to get fit/fitter in time for the winnable game against Catalans.

I certainly wouldn't leave Rapira out either.

Agreed Rapira has been very strong defensively in the past few weeks, we have lots of razzle dazzle players in the team now but grafters like Rapira are the back bone.

Rapira has been very good for us recently. He started out a little slow but he's made up for it. He's part of the 'Hit squad' too, which means we need him against Wigan.

Jason Walton provides the cover for the backs, and for the second row too. I can't see the point of having Niall Evalds on the bench as well. If Kevin Locke plays and lasts the full match, then Niall becomes a non-playing substitute and we effectively go into the game with just 16 players. If Kevin Locke is still struggling, then it's a risk we don't need to take and Niall plays fullback.

And I agree about not dropping Steve Rapira. That's just crazy talk. When coaches talk about their players getting a bit bashed about (like Paul Anderson did), I suspect Steve Rapira is one of the names in the frame for that.

Regarding the 'Hit Squad', the Leeds game was the first time for a few weeks that we haven't ended up with a coachload of players sitting outside the Headmaster's office at Red Hall. Makes a change to not have a player suspended.

Quite right.
Just cannot understand all the crap about Rapira.
He's a fundamental part of our tough pack.
Also,I understand that Tomkins was ill but played to help out so lay off him as well

Lunacy this talk of Rapira being dropped, thought he was sensational in defence on Friday and genuinely hurt people during the tackle. Something which he has been doing for the past several weeks too. Just because he doesn't do the noticeable flashy stuff in attack doesn't mean he isn't as important to the team as Rangi or Caton-Brown.

Rapira has impoved game on game, gaining more confidence in his body. got to play

Agree 100% - Rapira a quite different player these past 4 weeks. Hard man indeed.

Can you pay on the gate at Wigan?

Steve Rapira's best game in a Salford shirt vs Leeds.