The story is eight tries off our possession, which if true is pretty remarkable incompetence on our part.

The thing with Warrington this season is that they aren't losing when it's important. Today was important because you lost last week and could have fallen a little behind Wigan. The games you have lost have all been games with nothing riding on them and pretty little consequence to them.

It's a good sign IMO. It shows that for the first time ever in Super League Warrington aren't focused on whats happening now, they are focused on the play offs and building up to the right form at the right time.

All we've played is league games, every game is as important as every other
We lost twice to Huddersfield are those games "not important"? They are one of our main rivals. But yes we smashed Crusaders, Salford, Harlequins and Bradford - in the games that count. Shows our big game mentality and who knows if we meet those teams in the playoffs we will have the psychological advantage over them.

I don't see how you can 'build up form', does it mean the coach says at the start of the season, look boys a team like us will only win a maximum 20 games in the season. Lets drop some losses here and there so we have 5 left for the business end of the season.

As for Warrington not focusing on what's happening now and focusing on the playoffs....that was more an issue in the old days, when we were constantly focusing on "when we get Johnson, Reardon, Anderson, Bridge, Sullivan etc off the treatment table, THEN we'll be contenders"

So all that matters is Wire falling behind Wigan,regardless of Saints and Huddersfield and the rest of the top 8.So us getting beat by Huddersfield meant nothing,but us beating you did.Because if we didnt beat Wigan,we would have fallen behind your.Which is importmant.We are focused and as alot,of your board says the league isnt won in May.

Teams don't deliberately lose. But the top teams do deliberately gear down for certain games and certain periods of the season. Less preparation beforehand and less intensity during. If they win those great, if they don't they've served their purpose.

You build up form by building up the intensity. Smith will be trying to ensure Warrington do not fall behind the top 2 but once you are up there don't expect them to then go winning every week. I'm not saying Warrington would win every game they are focused on winning, teams like Huddersfield can beat you regardless and vice versa depending who performs on the day.

If you are suggesting Warrington have approached each game with the same preparation and intensity I think you are wrong.

I agree with you, although I would like to think that we prepare the same for every SL game, but looking back we won our big games against Saints, Wigan and Leeds and then went onto lose against Catalan and Hull (which were both certain 100% home bankers for me)

I have said from day one that our big contenders this season will be Saints and not Wigan, Leeds or the Giants.
The latter three will be there come September but it will be either us or Saints that are at the top

what a load of blolox

The difference in performance is not down to the physical preparation of the players... anyone that thinks teams 'under train' for lesser teams are very wrong.

The difference is all mental.

anyone that suggests that a team under trains / prepares for a SL game is an idiot, and knows nothing about what goes on behind closed doors.

You didn't need to get out of second gear to beat us today

And we didn't.

If we can't all enjoy a 58-10 win away from home there's something wrong. Whether it was vintage or not, it doesn't matter, not a jott. It's another easy win, and one which we've not had to expend too much energy, so throw in the game next week the players will have had a fairly comfortable two weeks, which might help us towards the back end when it's gets tough and comes thick & fast.

We've never, ever been in a position before we can just rock up and belt teams with little effort. I used to be so envious of the likes of Saints who seemed to do it at will, now we do.

So how come we didn't belt Catalans or Hull with little effort?

Super League is too long for teams to go 100% week in week out. Rather than let players' mental state dictate how things go, coaches deliberately tone things down, from physical preparation to intensity in games.

Jamie Peacock has said as much during interviews on Sky. I remember one from recent seasons where he said Leeds were delighted to have won because they needed to 'switch off for a few weeks' to recover.

Because we made basic errors, didn't stick to the game plan and didn't play with composure. We led multiple times against Catalans and 10-0 against Hull, we just didn't turn the screw and kept them interested, had we scored another try against Hull quickly, that game could have ran away from them, as it was they showed a great attitude and got rewards. They are also two of the better teams in the competition.

We've given out four hidings this year to teams that are substandard for this competition, I dare say with Salford at home, Wakefield at home, Bradford at home to come, we'll see four more yet.

That'll mean by the time the compeition finishes at Rd27, a third of the time, we give a team a good hiding, which is where we're at now.

Congratulations, on typing the biggest load load of tosh, ever written in the English language.
Your parents must be so proud.

You don't agree? It happens.

I know where you're coming from. I've heard Smith talk about 'this team knowing how & when to peak' when talking about a CC Semi final, or final or whatever.

just cos its saddened, dont discount what he's saying, you can look at it another way, after the goons match, we were top of the table and we had 6 points that in a previous season, you wouldn't expect to have
saints away
leeds home
and the arguable one, 50/50 wigan away.

So to get them 4 pointers even at this stage and then to drop points to catalan and 4 to huddersfield, and to hull, with how we have been playing, its disapointing, and with a bit more applicationg we could've won the dragons and hull games.

Not so much as teams may under prepare, but the complete cobblers, that they DELIBERATELY do it, just beggars belief.

Can you imagine ANY coach, in ANY sport, saying "I dont care if you lose this week, so I wont prepare you adequately.....in fact, if you want, you can bring in Tank Command, Kerplunk, Operation and a pack of cards this week, after all, it's only xxxxxxxxx this week...."

As a Hull fan I would say that although we struggle to finish teams off we are always in the arm wrestle every game. If anyone thinks you should have put 50 points past Hull you either have a very high opinion of your team or you are ignorant to the ability in Hulls side. I know you weren't at your best last week but even if you were you wouldn't have put us to the sword the way you have to Bradford, Salford etc.

As for your chances this year, I will be suprised to see you outside the top 2, Wigan don't seem anything special and I think Saints might lose some ground due to their injuries. I'd go with Warrington and Hudds top 2.

They don't deliberately lose. They just don't go into it with the same week long intense focus and preparation as they would say for a must-win game that would decide a league place or so on.

The focus for a SL coach is to do enough to be in a good position come play off time, but not expend too much energy and effort doing it. No point finishing top 2 if it leaves you in a heap on the floor come play off time. If you imagined it on a graph there would be a low point early/mid season where the top teams are trying to [imaintain [/itheir league position but also recharge their batteries. Players rested, training sessions eased back on, players given a day off etc. Then come 4-6 weeks before play off time things would spike upwards so the team goes into the playoffs in optimal condition.

All I'm suggesting is that Warrington seem to be in very good shape, big games (Mostly) won and league position maintained and squad looking in good condition. No controversy.

Don't worry, most sensible folk get what you are pushing at.....Its similar to how Muhammad Ali would have prepared for the Rumble in the Jungle, compared to how he would have trained for a bout with Joe Bugner.....Its all about peaking and having enough in the tank when it really matters.

Personally, I'm with you.....We look strong when we put the foot on the gas and are building a nice habit of winning the big games against our main rivals (well, except Huddersfield), which will be useful psychologically later in the year.

Top 4 after 13 rounds last year...

Wigan, Warrington, St Helens, Huddersfield

Top 4 after 13 rounds this year...

Wigan, Warrington, St Helens, Huddersfield.

Two of those will be in the Grand Final, I'd say.

Yesterday wasn't about Bradford's mistakes or poor play gifting us points imo. Our defence was outstanding in the 1st half and we forced them into errors time after time. All this despite Uncle Albert gifting them repeat sets for sod all.

Well all this makes a hilarious mockery of the idea of "competition for places".

"The coach is going to have a headache, knowing who to pick when everybody is fit...and all those young guns knocking on the door..."

Obviously not!

I can understand the argument that players will need resting during a season but not that intensity can be turned on and off, it is totally pointless getting 'up' for a game against Wigan and then beating them and then dropping points to Catalans and Hull, may as well have beaten Catalans and Hull and gone easy against Wigan. All the league games are worth as much as any other.

Surely if there are all these hungry players outside the first team, wanting a chance to show their skills, then intensity isn't an issue, you can rotate players through the season to keep them fresh and the ones who were outside, are going to be suitably intense.

Fatigue and injury yes those are fair excuses for why it's not feasible for a player to be at the same level right through the season, which is why you have a squad so you can keep players fresh....when it comes to dropping 'intensity' thats a different story, sounds a recipe for defeat. Can you imagine Ellery Hanley, Dean Bell and Shaun Edwards 'dropping off the intensity'...? Wigan used to be in the finals of so many cups that they'd have about 11 games to play in the last month and they just relentlessly steamrollered teams.