What we thinking? Full strength then rest players against Saints? or a bit of a mix and max job trying to ensure most players don’t play more than 2 of the next 3? I’d have gone option one but with that Saints game being pushed to Tuesday, I may edge towards the second option. I don’t think you can go full strength for the 3 games regardless.

Flower and Liam Byrne are both available according to Lam, whereas Singleton will be a couple of weeks. Manfredi is out with his head knock.

I’d probably go-

French
Bibby Hankinson Gildart Burgess
H Smith Leuluai
Flower Powell Havard
Isa Greenwood Lockers

Subs-Clark Byrne Shorrocks Bourouh

Rests for Hardaker, Hastings, Partington and Farrell with those to play against both Saints and Leeds. Then rests for French, Leuluai, Havard and Lockers against Saints with somebody like Willie Isa getting his minutes limited as well. Only lads playing 3 games would be a couple of outside backs and then Harry Smith and a few forwards who play limited minutes anyway.

If I was the Saints’ coach I’d tell my players to hit Wigan really hard so...if I was Lam I’d keep my semi final team out of harm’s way.
Not sue if we have enough players for a second team but I would play our second team against Saints.
Play our semi final team against Wakefield and then they will have eight days rest before the Leeds match.Don’t forget that Saints have no match until the Wigan game. They’ll be chomping at the bit!

Would have been handy to keep hold of escare. Could have rested French and brought him in

Full strength for me, then weak against Saints. If we mix and match we risk getting 0 points out of 4 instead of 2

Play our best team and win

(I seem to remember saying something similar before the HKR game).

Correct. We are just beginning to click, now is not the time to start tinkering.

You were absolutely correct on that one but these are different circumstances wouldn’t you say? Would you go full strength for Saints and then Leeds also? That is one hell of a tough ask on those players, especially the older guys and the forwards who play big minutes.

I'll never advocate playing a weak team against St Helens no matter what the situation. Just isn't an option for me.

Of course I want to win the semi final (and the cup for that matter) but losing to saints will never feel right

Were talking about the wakefield game
I've said it before, were not good enough to pick and choose.
Make no bones about it, if we drop 10/15% wakey will smell blood and then it becomes a real dog fight.

I'll tell you what I would do about the saints game after weve played wakefield.
Lose to wakefield and WE HAVE TO WIN against saints. Beat wakefield and we can pick our best/fittest team for saints
Dont get too far ahead of ourselves.
Wakey will have 8/9 days compared to our 6, theyll be smarting from their recent losees, every loss their 1 closer to the win. Let's give them respect and not get caught as Grimmy put it worrying about next week, mixing and matching, and losing both.

You would hope if we play our best team against Wakefield and turn up with a good attitude we'll win. Even if we play our best team against Saints we could still lose and get no points whilst draining the energy of our players.

Weighing it up I'd play the best side against Wakefield, play a weakened team against Saints and take the hit to ensure all is good for Leeds.

Plus they have a good few of their better players back.

Are you the person who follows round a newly appointed coach and tell him in Tesco - “ I don’t care what you do just beat saints”

I’d much rather Saints beat us in a random weekly fixture and we win the challenge cup.

We simply can’t play full straight 3 time in 8 days and expect to get results.

Full strength for Wakefield and heavily rotate for Saints.

The semi final should be the priority.

I’d have much preferred to be playing Saints this Friday and wakefield in the week but not to be.

Yep that's me. I usually tell to win the cup too.

I understand the situation, it just won't feel right.

A Liverpool fan would want to win a CL semi final above a Utd game, but they will still hate losing said Utd game.

I’d be up for them going full strength against Wakey for sure but regardless of the result we’d then have to rest players against Saints. We couldn’t lose the game and then say ‘we need points against Saints’ so throw the same 17 in again and then again against Leeds IMO. That would be potential suicide on all fronts. It leaves you the two options I mention-

1-Wakey-Full strength, Saints-8 or 9 rested, Leeds-Full strength

2-Wakey-Rest 4 or 5, Saints-Rest 4 or 5, Leeds-Full strength.

The Wakefield result wouldn’t have a baring on my Saints team personally. Win the Wakey game and it’s happy days with pressure off that Saints game but lose against Wakey and I wouldn’t panic and throw important players in again. We can pull two league defeats back (although it would be tough) but we can’t pull a cup semi final defeat back.

Full strength against Wakefield and give Wells Killner and Hankinson a chance against saints they've been waiting long enough for a chance and we may need them further down the line

We have lost Eddie Battye and Liam Kay but have a decent amount back for for Friday
Fifita
Arona
Green
Tangata
Ashurst
Miller
Tom Johnstone

For me you pick your best available team for every match regardless. After seeing our lads complete 'Mission Impossible' where we played 8 games in 18 days to win the title I have high standards.

We've already been burned by Hull KR this year by resting players.

It's always the same problem. Deliberately picking an understrength team implies to the opposition that you think you can beat them with your subs. It's a red rag to a bull.

And the truth is that we can't beat people with our subs, as we've already proved ... especially when we're up against a team who are even more determined to beat us.

Even the John Monie Wigan team avoided resting players, and that was 1,000 times better than this one.

Full strength injuries and suspension apart https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2020/09/ ... wakefield/

Full strength injuries and suspension apart https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2020/09/ ... wakefield/

Correct decision. Go for it against Wakey and let the fringe players and young guns have a blow out against Saints. They have nothing to lose. Getting to the final of the Challenge Cup is more important than beating Saints in a regular game at this point of the season. Saints will be out of the first knock out game of the play offs anyway

Yeah happy with that. They may still rest one or two but it looks to be full strength and then possibly rests against Saints on Tuesday. This would clearly look the more winnable game, so as long as the attitude is right and they can get the win, they give Lam the breathing space to do what he sees is right against Saints.

Just watched interviews with Lam and Gildart on Wigan TV and they all but confirm it’ll be a real second string team against Saints, with lads not playing Friday getting a chance and talk of a few debuts.

And we know what happened last time in 2003 we put out a scratch side against Saints.

That would be very nice. Maybe Lammy can put the boots on to add to the nostalgia

I'm not usually a fan of weakened teams we've lost a few over the years like London last year and a couple of times at Widnes but a win with a strong team against Wakefield we could then rest a few players against saints and that really puts the pressure on them and as nidger says they've blown it before when that's happened