It was a great contest all year. Wigan lost 4 out of their 1st 5 games before absolutely battering St Helens then barely lost another game all season. Warringtons side were great to watch and any game involving any of those three and you could add Leeds and Cas at that time and they were great contests generally.

Toby King looked a level above as you say and also a lot of promise elsewhere in the side.

We've had a lack of props for some while, so why move one of our best three to second row. Butler and Mulhern have question marks against them until they've worn the shirt, meaning we don't know for sure that the prop problem has definitely been resolved.

Fair point but what if both Mulhern and Butler do well we will have 3 props on the bench and no cover for back row.

In that case, JP to second row is an option, along with King or Robson.

I think for the first time in several years we have a squad that looks balanced. We don't really know where Mamo fits in, but he can cover a few spots and we will almost certainly have injuries to contend with. Latu and Akauola are still knocking around and that will need to be resolved at some point, probably after we see what Butler and Mulhern can do. Similarly we have the Ratchford / Ashton dilemma, but since we don't know if Widdop is staying / remaining we will have to wait. Finally we have several youngsters that we know will come in and do a decent job, with the others moved out on year long loans. I am more than comfortable with all that, as I say it feels balanced and I suspect the squad (with the exceptions above) will also feel happy because they know their playing positions, where they are ranked, what they have to do to make the 1st 17 and the probability of getting game time.

I wish I could share your confidence W/O.
Individually we have some great players and it's up to the coach to get them fitting together, but I don't see SP being able to do that (but I have been wrong more than once before!).

IMO Widdop may struggle to settle back in after all the alleged comings and going with his family and moves to the NRL - and how that's judged by his team mates is unclear.
I'm not sure if SP knows how to fit in Widdop/Austin/Ratch and Ashton (if all fit).
2nd row is an issue of sorts. I like Currie and Hughes but not sure how much x factor they give us.
3 proven props - can't see Sita and Latu getting a look in - and 2 new boys plus Doro. If the new boys cut the mustard I'll be happy. Let's see.

All in all I hope I'm wrong.

(Still dying to see GI in p&b though- sheer class).

Joe Philbin does not look like a modern day second row to me. Prop or LF but SR is a bit too wide out. Modern day second rows play more like centres.

My concern for the season is just how good Wigan will be. Superb recruitment of late.
I would love to be proved wrong.

Big chunk of money wasted on Burgess though.

Playing devil’s advocate here as I see him purely as a prop but what if utilised in the the role that BMM was meant to play?

I don't see Philbin as anything other than a prop (or a prop playing at lose forward), I also don't see a problem with the quality of our second row. We know that Currie is class and that his fitness has returned. Hughes is solid.

In a world with a salary cap and a finite pool of quality players you cannot have top draw Internationals from 1 - 17. I don't know the details of Hughes', or for that matter Jason Clark's, salary but I doubt that they are 'stealing a wage'.

My issue is with the coaching / tactics. I'm sure that there is far more potential to Hughes' attacking game than is being realised under the '5 drives and a kick' mentality of Mr Price.

Apologies in advance for the moan here but Hughes isn't an attacking threat

He's a good squad man, more of a solid workhorse type whether that's him or the coaching is debatable, but I'd say in the time he's been with us we've had more steady Eddie years with him running lines that are easy to predict and often into blind alleys with perhaps one really good one a couple of years ago IMO

Not unhappy if he's in the 17 but if he's missing I'm not generally thinking if only he was playing.

Back on thread Philbin stays at prop for me '

I think it is very difficult to be a real attacking threat all the time ... defence is king. When we signed BMM I thought blimey he is it. Then I have watched McMeekin at Cas, Farrel, Ben Currie ... they all have quiet games (like everyone). He played for England only very recently. He's good.
He is very much an attacking threat if there is a clever man to shove him through a gap.

I can’t make up my mind if Hughes suffers from the lateral movement on that side or causes it. I’m tending to the former but I can easily be persuaded the other way. Who would be a coach...?

I just don't think the attack threat is there from him, he's never been an exciting player to watch. But like said above i'll never complain about him being in the squad, he's solid, dependable, very good defensively and puts a big graft in. I thought Gelling would have made a great attacking second rower but i guess we'll never know now. I would like Hughes at 13 but i can't see who would take a starting 12 position, i really like Robson but i think more experience before taking a starting spot is needed first. And if hughes went to 13 Price would simply put J.Clark at 12. I'm happy with Currie and Hughes as starting second rowers this year. Dependable and Currie is slowly creeping back to top form.

Philbin as a starting no13 with j clark on the bench for the first 20min to grind them down bench him for clark then put him on as impact second rower Ala bmm would be the option ?

do us a favour and re-read that, especially the bit, 'clark as an impact second rower, ala BMM'

He meant Philbin as the impact second rower.

ahh, reyt.

I read it as philbin starts then jase Clark comes on as a (very) low impact sub and then philbin comes back on as an actual impact sub.

We don’t need back row cover. Our backs are as big as backrowers.

So are you suggesting King to second row or is it Lineham ?

Keep up, Lineham is a middle.

Ok I’ll bite...
Neither, but both could do a job there, with King obviously being the preferred, but both of these players are good in the air, why would you want to move them in to the middle?

I’m my opinion, letting Livett go was a dropped bollox. There isn’t a utility player in SL I’d rather have sitting the bench than him....well technically GI, but that IS technically.

He is also a very naughty boy.