Why?! Totally dominant Props and hooker eating the opposition pack up, big yards totally in control, more or less bang on 20 we pull them off and from
that point on start to struggle and cling on to the lead.

Without starting me on Powell, who despite his heart, offers nothing, there is no need to make subs if the game does not dictate it.

It's not as bad as when Noble was in charge but it is not far off.

I said tonight coming off the ground it was like watching a team coached by Noble.
I know conditions were awful but our kicking game would have done a disservice to an U11 team.
The lack of urgency is lamentable. Our props can't know what fatigue is they never ever play more than 20 minutes.

I said tonight coming off the ground it was like watching a team coached by Noble.
I know conditions were awful but our kicking game would have done a disservice to an U11 team.
The lack of urgency is lamentable. Our props can't know what fatigue is they never ever play more than 20 minutes.

Taking McIlorum off was ridiculous and we lost momentum. I'm convinced he could play longer minutes (and thrive) then he is doing.

I'm just hoping it was a case of easing him and Lockers in to the season.

Several people made this point around me. Flower, Lockers and MM off and it let Les Cats back in. They were not causing us any problems until then. If Wane wants to rotate his props at least do it one at a time and not then go and take the hooker off as well.

Powell on the bench is a total utter waste of time. Haven't got a clue what his supposed strengths are. We may have demolished any aspirations he had of being a quality half back due to our insistence of easing MM in for virtually every game we play. I find spelling pretty pathetic to the point that I'm gradually loosing faith in what was for me the greatest game of all.
Tonight's atmosphere was dreadful and a continuation from last year. A pretty awful way to spend a Friday night.

I don't think the weather of the state of the pitch helped as it really affected the game. The pitch wasn't fit for a school team. Some bloke in the south stand just before kick off deserves a medal. Got everyone going and was brought up on the big screen waving hos shirt around. Give him a job!

Going off your posts mate you're loving the 2016 season already



MM shouid be doing 60+ mins (if not 80 mins) per match. He's too important to us to be taken off the field for too long and he isn't running himself ragged with the ball so I don't see why he can't do it.

DaveO that sums tonight up.
Some Aussie guy chucking around 75p t shirts got more atmosphere than 17 blokes who appeared to have just been introduced to each other.
Weather doesn't dampen urgency and our urgency or lack of it in the last 2 years is for me quite startling.

it is his job he has done quite a few rugby matches doing the same thing

Micky's just come off an off season which required a bone graft from his hip to his hand. He's also one of our most valuable players. Why burn him out early in the season? If we're going to use him for the full 80 let it be at the back end of the season when he's battle hardened, his hand has had longer to heal in a game that really counts.

In Powell on the bench we have a player who can cover the halves and dummy half; valuable incase someone gets injured or sent off.

I think people forget our players are actually human at times.

This...... First game of season, on a terrible surface against a team who were being tipped to do well before a ball was kicked...

2 points, job done..

Whilst Powell can cover both positions 9 times out of 10 he is average to poor. Once in a blue moon he does have a good game but they are few and far between. Normally when he comes in we spend the next 40 minutes running round the pitch with little or no direction, we lose intensity in defence (not helped by subbing Props at the same time) and generally look like clinging on until he goes off again.

We desperately need to sign a quality hooker and Prop if we are to persist with this in game rotation policy.

I highly doubt if Powell had come through the ranks at any other club he would be on our radar. You can't fault his effort or desire but ultimately he just doesn't seem up to it. Personally would much rather have retained Logan Tomkins if we are going to continue subbing at 20 minutes.

I'd much sooner have Powell covering 6,7,9 than Logan. I can't even remember seeing Logan play in the halves.
Our sport is salary capped, can we afford a 'quality hooker' on Powell's salary? Probably not. Could that player also cover 6 and 7? Who knows but Sam can.
Sam's involvement isn't just about his ability, it's about having a manageable squad within the cap.

I mentioned that I hope it's just a case of not burning him out and easing him back in early in the season but longer term we need to get more minutes out of him I believe. It's not a case of him having to do 80 mins every single week but in close games I'd be loathed to take him off for too long. If we're a good few points up then take him off and keep him off if everything's going well so he can get some rest for situations like last night.

First game back in poor conditions after an off-season of recovering from pretty major surgery. In context I'm ok with Mickey not doing the full 80. There's a bigger more important picture to consider.

Completely agree with all of the above!

The title is won in October, not February. I'd rather Wane sub by the clock and keep our pack fresh for them to be fully fit and firing come the business end of the season. Bare in mind Catalans pack, Wane managed the forwards well last night and we controlled their middles. I don't think our forwards will come up against the likes of Stewart and Dave Taylor every week!

After the match last night, I'm happier than I have been about the start of our season since Madge's first year in 2010. Considering the internationals have had 1 week of training with the 1st team, we looked cohesive and considering the conditions- tried to play a bit! There wasn't much rust considering the internationals haven't played in 3 months.

After last night I am confident that we will be successful this year, a lot of teams seem to be in a transitional period whereas we have maintained that squad balance for the first time in I don't know how long!

If we don't want to burn Micky out, how about giving Waterworth some playing time?

I certainly don't understand the regular replacement of Micky Mac with Sam Powell. Yeah, Powell is a willing lad, but does anyone really think he has a future at Wigan? He never adds anything to the team and as others have said, we seem to lose vital intensity when he comes on. It's almost as if we're playing him out of some kind of misguided loyalty. We need MM on the pitch a lot more than he currently is.

Quote ="DaveO"I don't think the weather of the state of the pitch helped as it really affected the game. The pitch wasn't fit for a school team. Some bloke in the south stand just before kick off deserves a medal. Got everyone going and was brought up on the big screen waving hos shirt around. Give him a job!'" Cameron Hughes https://twitter.com/cameroncheers

Quote ="DaveO"I don't think the weather of the state of the pitch helped as it really affected the game. The pitch wasn't fit for a school team. Some bloke in the south stand just before kick off deserves a medal. Got everyone going and was brought up on the big screen waving hos shirt around. Give him a job!'" Cameron Hughes https://twitter.com/cameroncheers

How can MM burn himself out? He has had zero go forward for the best part of two years.
In the past he was my favourite player but recently he is so laid back he is almost horizontal. No urgency comes from him at the play ball and he hasn't improved his distribution one iota in years.
In his defence he is probably playing to instructions which includes knowing he doesn't need to play 80 minutes.
I await the howls of derision from the MM can do know wrong club.

I recall the same being said of MM...

Never been a fan of Powell, he doesn't seem to offer much, and has a tendency to give away pens and yellows with cheap shots which doesn't endear me either. Agree that we might as well give Waterworth some first team game time; I hope that happens. Gildart took his chance well last year (and at the business end of the season too), be nice to see other youngsters do the same.

We have a first team squad of 31 players so I don't think the salary cap is any excuse. If when Wane subs Mick Mac we end up on the back foot which we do virtually every time this happens we need to manage the cap differently.

What I mean by that is Wane's game plan of subbing by the clock [irequires[/i us to have another very good hooker in the squad (and another prop at least as good as Flower since he subs them by the clock as well). As we have not got one then Wane either needs to change the game plan or go and find another good hooker. If the salary required to recruit such a player meant we had to reduce the first squad to 29 then so be it. Powell as sub hooker is no good and the fact he can cover other positions doesn't seem very relevant either because he rarely does that.

Salary cap is obviously a factor otherwise we could bring in whoever we could afford. Do you really think our team would be the same if there was no cap?

Nothing wrong with spelling McM on the first game of the season after he's come back from quite serious surgery, I think a smart club looks after their players and considers the season not just the first game of the season.

Powell is no world beater. I don't know why people are focusing on him. But I see why he's played, currently in our squad I don't know who would be better to cover the halves/dummy half than Powell. And for the moment he's on? It's savy cap management.