Up to about 2 seasons ago Farrell was what I'd call a genuine quality second row forward. Worked hard, tackled hard and ran hard. However it seems that Mr wane has asked Farrell to be more " mongrel" over the past few seasons. I suspect he has been instructed to play this way as I don't remember it being part of his make up earlier in his career. What I intensely dislike about his play is the way he stands on players hands whilst moving to marker after making a tackle. Just plain cheap.

Poor man's Ben Currie.

Farrell epitomises what's wrong with modern rugby league. He's one of the top tacklers in the league, you'd think by that that he'd be a good defender, but he isn't. He just dives into any tackle as second or third man and lies on. Lies on and lies on and lies on some more. Might throw in the odd head lock or grapple tackle. Or knees the player in the head as he stands up to play the ball, oh, or another trademark of his when he stands on the players hands when he's trying to get up and play the ball.

Then goes hiding when the opposition look for him. Was even pushing players out of the way so he could be dummy half and not get tackled last night!

Of course none of this ever gets penalised. He's just a grub. That's it. He has no redeeming features as a player anymore which is a shame because I once thought he would turn out to be a really good player as he has decent pace and skill (or did have) for a back row forward (now you forget he ever had any of that because you just roll your eyes whenever he appears on screen so you miss anything good he ever does).

If each team had thirteen Farrell's this sport would be an unwatchable, slow, boring cross between Cumbrian wrestling, shin kicking and rugby of some sort and no fans would ever turn up to watch and Sky would bin us off completely.

Shaun O'Lie-on is just as bad. He used to be world class but now he's just another boring grub. I have a theory that the owners of Wigan are rugby union fans deep down so they have this club ethos of lying on and slowing down the game to turn fans of our sport away!

Why is anyone even surprised about this from a Shaun Wane coached team?
I was at the game and I have just watched it back and I've spent the whole time shaking my head at the gutter tactics from Wigan.
Not just the late knee to Ratch with intent to cause harm..There was a flying knee from Isa to Cox..! Incidentally Cox was hit with a couple of shoulder charges too and Joel Tomkins niggles on the ground and dragging tackling Warrington players off Wigan attackers..
Until the disciplinary do something about this it will continue simple.

Wigan fans defending an act of s"*thousing from their team!
there's a surprise!

I think the Wigan management suffer from the illusion that in days of old when many of their players were miners & worked hard & played hard that the present day crop of players ,groomed by Fadge then Wane, must also be "dead 'ard" & do unspeakable things to opponents. It would be much more pleasing for spectators of rugby league to see a skilful Wigan team than one that tries to intimidate.

I'm sorry but that's absolute b0llocks. You should try concentrating on your own team of angels like Benny Westwood, Ryan Bailey and Ashton Sims before making stupid claims about a player you watch a handful of times a year.

What did sims, Westwood or Bailey do last night that was bad? Sims lined a few up a coupon of times (and missed) but nothing wrong with looking for a big hit.

RL is a tough game, played by tough men and all spectators see genuine acts of mental and physical toughness on a weekly basis, that very few of us could contemplate attempting let alone enduring.

However, let's nip this in the bud. What Farrell did was not "tough", or "hard". It wasn't the act of an enforcer or an attempt to rough up a key opposition player in an attempt at gamesmanship, or to push the rules to attempt to provoke a reaction.

It was a pre-meditated attempt to injure a player who had already scored when he entered into the tackle, knees first. It was cowardly and petulant, and the sole motivation was, having failed to stop a try, to make damn sure the scoring player wasn't going to be around to repeat the dose. What was almost as unpalatable was his captain vociferously protesting his innocence with that snarling, wide-eyed, puritanical look so beloved of his put-upon team.

Case for the prosecution rests. Over to you RFL.

I actually agree with part of this, I think Bailey has been absolutely disgraceful every time he's pulled a Warrington shirt on, he's a disgrace to the badge and shouldn't be allowed to make another appearance after each and every despicable and sordid and cruel act that he's done in his brief time as a Warrington player.



/idiot

You can pack that in [iright now[/i. Ben Currie is headed for the very top, Farrell is passing him rapidly in the opposite direction.

When did I say anything about what Bailey has done in a Warrington shirt?

/moron

When did Farrell knee anyone in the head last night, or grapple or come in third man and lie on, or stand on the hands of a Wire player?

My reply was to point out the absolute bulle that the previous poster laid on.

Farrell overstepped the mark. He should have been sin binned. Don't exactly see how he's suddenly the devil incarnate and the dirtiest player to play the game now but that's a usual fan reaction. He doesn't give away many penalties for foul play, especially considering he's a back row forward and makes plenty of tackles. He can be petulant and put in a cheap shot when he loses his cool but that's not exactly a rarity for a rugby player.

After all, we saw Ashton Simms punch George Williams in a tackle last year. Surely that was also a pre-meditated attempt to injure a player, cowardly and petulant with the sole motivation of ensuring the player didn't remain on the field. Shall we mention Ben Westwood? Come on, all teams have players who do things like Farrell did last night.

Also, in response to another poster about Farrell and 'spoiling tactics'. Every team has players who employ spoiling tactics too. It's fairly ironic that a player can be criticised for spoiling tactics when every single team has players who do it. Usually they are the most experienced forwards too and often one of the best players in a team. Gareth Ellis is one of the best back row forwards, but he does it. Chris Hill is the best prop in Super League, but he does it to the same extent as Farrell or anyone else (or maybe no Wire fan noticed?). Experienced players do it all the time.

You told us to concentrate on our own team and then bafflingly went on to justify your point by spouting some BS about another team

Farrell doesn't need to do it though, he's the best Wigan have. The pack from yesterday (before anyone bangs on, I know about injuries. Everyone has them, that's why you build a squad) were full of average joes. Farrell was the only forward to break 60 meters carrying the ball.

I admire his competitive spirit and aggression, which I think McGuire built in players, but the lines seem to have blurred on what's aggressive/competitive and what's foul play. That last night was the latter.

...and we haven't even got to Ben Flower yet.

Watch him closely, he should be penalised at every single PTB, every single one.

Westwood's taken a couple of heads off, Bailey is Bailey, and Sims slapped Williams in the mush last season...all true...but I'm not talking about big incidents once or twice a season or even in a career nor "thug" stuff, I'm talking about niggly slowing tactics in every single tackle he ever makes, every one!

I agree. He's the best we have and he lets himself down when he does things like that. He's a player who does silly things when he loses his temper though. I remember a match when he spent the entire game arguing with the ref (I don't think I'd seen him even speak to a ref until that game) and ended up sin binned. He was our only good player in that game too but lost his cool through frustration.

I do think the pack is better than what you make out though. Joel Tomkins is still a good player on his day, but he's been out for a while and still needs to build up match fitness. Isa also started the season very well but you could see he was pretty much a passenger throughout that game. He didn't look fit at all. The props are hit and miss. None of our props make more than 60m in most games and that's tactical, as they generally make fewer carries compared to other teams, but we have no one of the quality of Hill. Too often our props go through the motions and so they can't really effect change.

Just like Chris Hill then. It's part of the game. All teams have players who do it regularly. Often the best and most experienced players do it. If players didn't think to do it themselves they'd be instructed to do it by their coaches. It's nothing new, he's one of dozens who try to slow the play the ball down as often as possible. Every single team has players who do it every chance they get.

I would imagine he's getting a rest next week courtesy of the RFL holiday plan.

Any later and he would have been sent off by Mark Clattenburg ffs

Correct. ..you could have watched ratchford ground the ball ...then gone and made a brew...have a slash...Eat a cream bun...and still got back in time to watch Farrell slide in with the knees. .

He'd gone last night....its just the little Gareth hock stuff that's in his game like getting up off a tackled Westwood with a clenched fist on the cheekbone. ..

We could have given loads of penalties away last night by reacting to that stuff. ..I'm hoping we've come to expect it and have realised it's worth a few points to take the odd cheap shot and concentrate on playing. ...

I wonder if this is another area where Gidleys influence is paying off? How well did he react to the "knock on"?!

Ok you win. I just can't continue to converse with somebody with the equivalent intelligent of an amoeba.

is that why the Wigan end was soooo quiet last night?