terry o connor take

hope the rest of the moaning idiots from the rest of super league watched our paint drying rugby

Terry spoke so much troof that he doesn't fit in on Sky!

About time someone talked a little sense Well done Tez. Kear going on about creative rugby

lets see how many creative players the NRL produce

since they more or less stopped the dominance of the scoot from the play the ball!
Good defence throughout out league is the only way we will breed players capable of taking on AUS, which in turn would bring us more publicity than any of the half brained dim witted attempts from the RFL.

So what did Terry say?

Recognised Joel's fantastic season, and just basically said everything true that we've said on here that none of the other Sky commentators want to recognise.

Wont be long then till every other set of fans start to hate him because he says positive things about Wigan, look at Phil Clarke

Tez outlined the fact that the way we play is the way the NRL play. If we want to compete then what's wrong with good D. Mentioned the outstanding JT and how he though Faz would go on to be an international. He put a positive spin on our style of play.

Yeah I was amazed by John Kear "I like watching creative rugby, but wigan play the game to the limit of the rules, and fair play to them they choked us out of the match" Erm, did he not watch the first half?!? I don't think you can get to 32-0 without playing some creative rugby.

I think what he meant to say was "my team are crap, and can't play creative attractive rugby. BOO HOO!" It's really winding me up now how every opposition coach is jumping on the "Wigan lie on and slow the game down" band wagon, and moan about poor attacking rugby, when we're beating teams by racking up high scores. It's not just defence that is winning us games, our attack is awesome too.

Unfortunately, voices of common sense like Terry O'Connor's are few and far between in British RL. The official script is to complain about the best instead of learning from them, to resent any club that has ideas above its station, to adopt a parochial attitude whenever possible, and to promote mediocrity at all times even if it means changing the rules half way through, or inventing new ones, in order to maintain the British game's all-important fantasy of 'the level playing field'.

But then ... why would the majority of our impressionable home-grown coaches know any differently? The example was set for them by the RFL, when they introduced a salary cap designed to prevent any club (not just Wigan, though it was mainly us) having the 'unfair advantage' of being able to spend funds they'd generated themselves.

There is no doubt Wigan are playing some brilliant rugby, and fair play to them.

There is also no doubt they are wrestling at the PTB. Again, fair play to them. But it will be a short lived tactic as where the NRL leads, we follow. And the NRL are stamping out the sort of PTB tactics MM is using.

I don't see an issue with it personally, if it isn't breaking the rules, it's OK by me. Can be frustrating to watch the PTBs take an age to clear, but that's what refs are for.

Hudds got a reputation for it last year and refs watch them more closely now. The same will ring true for Wigan soon enough. When done within the rules though, it's just good defence - simple as that.

Saints fans talking sense? Whatever next?

All teams wrestle at the PTB, we just do it better than most. Right from the outset, Wakey had 3-4 men in the first 3 tackles, trying to slow us down. As someone else has pointed out, there was no 4th tackle, as Darrell disappeared down the wing like a coat of emulsion.

No question.

The whole point of the wrestle is to slow the tackle complete down(held) the actual play the ball speed is no different for us than anyone else. This point seems to be competly overlooked, how you can do anything about it is beyond me, the wrestle part is well before the player is stopped and grounded. Only then if the PTB is then slowed is it a penalty simple, it's this part of the game that two refs are being used to look at in the NRL not at the pre grounded bit. The actual wrestle is part of the game and always has been if you then wrestle on the floor like trying to turn a grounded player on his back or holding down then it's penalised.
I realy dont think many pundits actually understand what they are moaning about!! even worse some of the coaches are in the same boat. Huddesfield last year was slightly different they put three players on the tackled player and peeled away one by one which was not picked up, this was used a few years ago in the NRL but it's out dated now.
Watch the Wakey defense they put more than two players in most tackles early game no difference only they did not controle it like we did.

The whole point of this to me and if you want worded wrong is ''At the PTB'' our wrestle is pre PTB and thats why you can not penalise it.

I've been saying the same thing - most people who are criticising wigan for slowing the ptb down don't really watch what's happening they are just jumping on a bandwagon which diverts attention.

Wigan are controlling what happens before the tackle is completed, making sure the ball carrier remains off the ground but wrapped up so they can control how he lands on the floor - once they have completed the tackle they peel off the attacker just like every other team do.

If an attacking player can practice how to land on the floor and get up quickly (which they do) then surely the defending team can practice how to stop the attacker doing this and getting an advantage - that's waht defence is all about isn't it?

Anything which stops teams amlost exclusively employing the 'scoot' in order to gain field position and disrupt the defence and encourages good creative passing, running lines and flair in attack has to be a good thing in my opinion - and having a slower ptb will do this - as has been proven in the NRL............

Im still waiting for any of these moaning coaches to provide actual real hard evidence that we are breaking any rules. Ive watched replays, highlights even after going to the games as well and I cant see anything wrong. As always people love to jump on the bandwagon when slagging off Wigan RLFC, when half of them dont even know what theyre slagging!

The way other coaches go on about is slowing the PTB down I expect our players to be having a cig and a brew reading the paper whilst lay on top of the opposition player trying to get up.

watching kears face then ..you could tell he knew he had just recieved a coaching lesson from micky maguire.

The good thing is we are now at least getting the odd bit of balance. Boots n All tonight even Cullen sticking up for us

It's just basic stuff once the tackle is complete you have roughly 3 seconds to remove yourself from the player, you get a little longer for a dominant or surrender (the time it takes for the ref to shout it) we are under the same rules as everyone else, we delay we get penalised like everyone else, we interfere we get penalised like everyone else, you would think paid coaches would know

(they do, looking for an excuse) The bit we are slowing down is before the tackle is complete, how can you change this aspect of the game? you cant unless you make it tag!! can any fan, pundit or coach show me that it's anything else ?

I was pleasantly surprised by Cullen - first he pointed out that Tommy shouldn't have been penalised, let alone sin-binned, then he showed we were ripping Wakey apart before we'd even done any tackling, then he pointed out we're just doing the same as all other teams, only better. Followed up with commenting that Cummings and his team are always looking for ways to penalise us, and not finding them, then finished off with a vote for Lockers MoS!


Eddie was less than happy...

Always liked Cullen great coach and one of the most gracious players to adorn the primrose and blue .........well just behind Les Boyd

One galling thing about all this fuss is that it detracts from some of the best attacking play I've seen from a Wigan side in many years. Although Joel and Roberts' individual efforts were the cherry on the cake on Monday, our structure and link play in attack was brilliant in the first half.

Wakefield didn't lose because we "choked" them, they lost because we cut them to ribbons with ball in hand during the first 40.

Seems obvious to me - and I'm pleased to hear Terry O'Connor saying the same thing on Sky TV.

It's great rugby to watch, when we hit at the left side defence and then spread it to the right defence(or lack of it) with dummy runners and often two lines of attack it just makes me smile

Have been waiting to see it for...... too long, but now it's here


All this with the same players. I know it's still early days but I think the signs are that we will get better. The confidence grows, they try more things, the ball sticks they believe more and more. The most important thing they are doing it with a smile and enjoying the rugby as much as we are.

As has been pointed out - We *DON'T* slow the PTB with wrestling tactics.

What we actually do is *whilst we are tackling* (i.e. Still stood up), we get 3 men involved and ensure that more often than not, we finish in a "dominant tackle" (making sure the grounded player lands flat on his back).

This gives us additional time to get up, as this is part of the rules.

Additionally, as soon as the ref shouts "Held", we get up immediately or get penalised.

The thing that is annoying me slightly this year is that the opposing teams are not being penalised as often as Wigan for lying on, despite the fact that we actually get up faster on average than they do.

Unfortunately, this is the result of so many out-classed coached whining about our "drying paint" style of defence.

All I can say is "Fook 'em". Let them get their own houses in order, rather than hoping that the ref will give their team a chance by penalising Wigan out of the game for perceived (but non-existant) lying-on.