Please lord tell Lam to pick a forward who realises the clue is in the name!

It absolutely won’t be the team but I’d go-

French
Manfredi Hardaker Bibby Marshall
Smith Hastings
Bullock Powell Flower
Greenwood Farrell Smithies

Subs
Clark Byrne Isa Leuluai

Rest for Lockers, a return for Manfredi, a deserved second chance for Smith in more comfortable circumstances and some punch in the forwards.

Won’t happen

That’s the team I’d go for too. Big powerful pack and good backs behind them. But you just know Clubb & Lockers will start and have a bench of 4 youngsters again.

I have no gripe with Lockers, he was excellent last week and looks in good shape but picking 3 young props and just Clubb to go alongside them was suicide tonight. I’d rest Lockers next week, drop Clubb and get a bit more punch and experience in to the team. It’s doing Partington, Byrne or Havard no favours being asked to all play alongside each other. You want them doing a Matty Lees job of coming in to play alongside 3 or 4 experienced props and not being expected to do the experienced props jobs. I know Burgess and Flower we’re out tonight but we still had Bullock and Clark. Granted they’re not exactly veterans themselves but they’ve more first team rugby under their belts and both would’ve been chomping at the bit.

Bullock needs to turn up to training every day on time and Clark needs to do whatever it is he isn't

Don't hold your breath, asked about changes for next week "No I don't think we will make many, I think we may only make one or two changes."

The worrying line was ‘maybe we got ahead of ourselves after last week’



How? Why would we? We were poor and dropped on with Wires indiscipline. If anything the players should’ve been buzzing to get out there tonight and try and improve.

We only need one or two.

Clubb and one of the young props out.
Two of Bullock/Clark/Flower/a fit Burgess in

I like NK's team too, but am equally sure it won't be happening. Two talented halves, decent outside backs, a full-back who can chime in and make things happen: it's not hard to see what the problem department is. ON the other hand, the lack of on-field organisation, ball not being effectively delivered to a half on sixth tackle etc, makes you wonder what's going on on the training ground.

Lenagan will be gutted about tonight's result. Had we won in style then Thursday's game against Toronto might have brought a few extra supporters out, curious to see the new team in action.

The attendance will already take a hit with it being a Thursday SKY game and without 3000 away supporters to help us out like Wire did last week.

Now most will think screw it, watch it on telly.
Always cutting our own throats, similar to last season I'm sure I saw a post to say we lost every single 'big game' that could have generated a platform to a bigger attendance the following week. All adds up.

Was clubb injured because he never came back on,also for me Smith was amazing he took over the kicking game and considering his lack of first team action was the best player on the Wigan team and would be in the team next week

Lenagan only has himself to blame I'm afraid. How we're even close to the cap with the squad we have is mismanagement on an industrial scale - that's on him and Radlinski, along with a lack of playing philosophy and coaching vacuum. Wane helped paper over the cracks in his last couple of years, but they're there for all to see now and Radlinski is out of him depth and not the person to get us back on track.

Just got home and just said to my son that Smith must play next week even if Powell is back. TL can't do 80 so we need Smith in the 17 preferably in the starting 13
Clubb is permanently injured. A waste of a shirt for the last 3 seasons if not more.

Blame Lam, he’s a poor coach who talks the talk, like an Australian Richard Agar. The sooner he goes the better, if anyone thinks its too soon then tough, I said it all last season.

Next week I’d go:

1 - Hardaker
2 - Marshall
3 - Manfredi
4 - Bibby
5 - Burgess
6 - French
7 - Hastings
8 - Bullock
9 - Leuluai
10 - Byrne
11 - Farrell
12 - Isa
13 - O’Loughlin

14 - Smithies
15 - Partington
16 - Clarke
17 - Kilner

We lost every big game bar the first playoff

Oh I think Toronto could give Wigan lessons on poor use of the cap,but I take your point this isn’t a great squad with a coach who really doesn’t seem to know what his best tactics are.

Unless things change and quick a long hard season is in store

Agreed. I tried to hold off but after the first two games it’s obvious nothing has changed and he needs to go. I’d have a slightly different team;

1 Hardaker
2 Manfredi
3 Hankinson*
4 Bibby*
5 J Burgess
6 French
7 Hastings
8 G Burgess (assuming he’s back from injury)
9 Powell
10 Flower
11 Greenwood
12 Faz
13 Smithies

14 Bryne
15 Isa
16 Smith
17 Partington

*i don’t think they’re good enough but with Gildart still out the only options we have

Liam Marshall over Joe Burgess every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Couldn’t agree more with this.

In

Clark - Big body chance for him to provide some punch of the bench

Bullock - Good game for him to impress. Like has been said been our best prop in preseason games, we need a prop to break some tackles and make some yards

Greenwood - we look like we’ll struggle to many tries, this guy at least has flair. Was a real asset in the grand final push in 2018, lost confidence due to injuries last year, give him a go. adds size aswell which is good.

Manfredi - top 3 winger in SL when he’s out there. Marshall playing out of his skin for me. Burgess looks timid and slow again this year. Runs with zero agression.

Powell - I really like Harry Smith, and Toronto at Home is exactly the game we should be playing him in. Tommy on the bench is a bit like a rest for a veteran player.

Flower - experience again needed in the pack, Clubb is finished.

Out

Havard - like this guy, great size and looks great. But shouldn’t be an every week player at this stage of his career.

Partington - great attitude, heart and bravey. But not big enough to be a starting front rower. I’m not one who cries out for position changes but think he could go alright in the back row. Bryne looking the better front row prospect.

Burgess - as above looks finished, slow when he’s make breaks this year. His yardage carries are hard to watch.

Clubb - 2 year deal wow.

SOL - home game against a bottom half of the table team, when we have such a big squad. Rest him.

Sharrocks - another new contract which I disagree with. Just not good enough for Wigan. I would rather josh woods still be with us. Gets his name throw in with youngsters but he’s 25 this year, year older than Gildart!

No doubt Lam will “give the players a chance to respond”

We’ll beat Toronto but look unimpressive. Then get mullered by Hull Fc

Looking at last nights game statistically I may amend the bench and go Havard for Byrne. It’s early days for him but 98 metres from 12 carries is so impressive and he looked comfortably our best prop on figures alone. You don’t want to overplay him but then you don’t want to do that with Byrne or Partington either.

Suppose I’m just used to putting his name down but I agree!

Thought Smith was our only positive last night, his kicking game was the best I’ve seen for a long time, I think every long range kick found the ground. A refreshing change.

I’d keep hardaker at centre until Gildart is back. When Gildart is back I don’t know what we do with french. He is too good to leave out but I don’t really know where he fits in.

Isa needs to go back to being a bench player. He isn’t big enough and gives away too many tackles. Yes he is a ‘work horse’ but he shouldn’t be playing 80 minutes every week, he is at best a bench player, to give the big lads a rest.

Jake Shorrocks needs to go, is has never offered anything to the first team, I can’t understand why he gets picked at all.

As for 10 minute Tony why we gave him a 2 year contract is beyond me. He offers absolutely nothing anymore. I see there is a thread asking why Lam is playing all the young kids at the same time, they are playing well. We should be asking why he is giving Clubb 10 mins every week.


French
Burgess
Bibby
Hardaker
Marshall
Smith
Hastings
Partington
Leuluai
Bullock
Farrell
Greenwood
O’Loughlin

Clarke
Powell
Smithies
Isa

Definitely need to sort out the Joe Bullock problem, whatever that problem is. I keep hearing ‘he’s late for training’ but something like should be relatively easy to get to grips with.

At 6ft 5in, 17st 7lb, aged 27 and an athletic build, he should be one of the first names on the team sheet. I don’t know if the lad himself is to blame or if that finger should be pointed at Adrian Lam but, one way or the other, his career is in danger of fizzling out. He has had a great opportunity to press on at Wigan. What a waste if that doesn’t happen.

Ever since the WCC defeat to Roosters in 2014, we’ve been banging on about having a big, physical pack but it still hasn’t really materialised.

One player not being mentioned is Hankinson. Looked very good in pre-season and can cover a variety of positions. Possibly move Bibby to the wing if Manfredi cannot play.

Bibby at fault for bith tries

Second try yes he should’ve done much better but on the first Harry Smith shoots out to leave a 3vs2 and Bibby and Burgess in no mans land. Arguably on the second Smith should’ve gone for the legs too as Bibby already had the upper but the Cas player had momentum into the tackle.