Wigan Warriors 19-Man Squad John Bateman, Matty Bowen, Joe Burgess, Josh Charnley, Dom Crosby, Connor Farrell, Ben Flower, Ryan Hampshire, Michael McIlorum, Lee Mossop, Sean O'Loughlin, Larne Patrick, Sam Powell, Dan Sarginson, Matty Smith, Ryan Sutton, Taulima Tautai, Joel Tomkins and George Williams. Referee - Phil Bentham Read more at www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... WfdlDx8.99

Wigan Warriors 19-Man Squad John Bateman, Matty Bowen, Joe Burgess, Josh Charnley, Dom Crosby, Connor Farrell, Ben Flower, Ryan Hampshire, Michael McIlorum, Lee Mossop, Sean O'Loughlin, Larne Patrick, Sam Powell, Dan Sarginson, Matty Smith, Ryan Sutton, Taulima Tautai, Joel Tomkins and George Williams. Referee - Phil Bentham Read more at www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... WfdlDx8.99

The build up and (away) form coming into this game feels very much like the 2008 "Magic" game - lets hope it isn't 16-57, but a hammering wouldn't surprise me at the moment.

Id say Farrell C and Bowen to miss out. I know rocky has been a bit dodgy last few games but I seriously wouldnt play Bowen again

Larne Patrick and Sam Powell to miss out for me.
Purely as both have done very little to justify their selection with their performances after being given numerous opportunities.

I appreciate the selection of Connor Farrell may be a risk but he surely can't contribute as little as patrick!

PS

I think he will leave Patrick in and Connor Farrell will miss out.
And I think he will leave out either Bowen (Who I didn't think did too much wrong last week till the last 10/15 and was certainly not as bad as Half a dozen others!) or Hampshire.

I think we should try Hampshire in the halves, he is clearly not a fullback.

Bowen
Charnley
Tomkins
Sarginson
Burgess
Hampshire
Smith
Mossop
Mcilorum
Flower
Bateman
Patrick
Lockers

Williams
Tautai
Sutton
Crosby

Good to have Flower back.

As for Bowen, not sure Wane would bring a player back after missing 9-games only to drop him the week after no matter how badly they played. Would've thought he'll stick with him and see how he goes.

Personally, I would bring Hampshire back but that's probably just me!

No mater who you play Bowen or Hampshire, Sinfield will have a field day with high bombs unless we can control his kicking.

Bowen is generally a better catcher than Hampshire, so if catching is the main concern, he would be the better bet. In attack, it depends whether Lockers is up to it.
I think that Lockers' return has so far done us more harm than good. His big hits have been mis timed, and his attacking work has been so off that it has disrupted patterns of play that were working smoothly. If he gets back on form, then Bowen is less of a risk, as at least he has played (and well) off him before. Without Lockers, a combination of Williams and Hampshire works because they have played together so many times, with him that breaks up the balance.
So, in the hope rather than the expectation that Lockers' timing will be back.
Bowen - Charnley - Joel - Sarg - Budgie - Williams - Smith
Mossop - Mac - Flower - Bateman - Farrell - Lockers
Tautai - Crosby - Sutton - Hampshire (with one of the halves covering for Mac)

I think we'll win if we play as well as we can. HKR was conditions, complacency and being out coached, Cats was one of those things. Reach the heights we scaled against Brisbane, or even Wire and we'll be fine.

The most pressing matter for me is to get Joel Tomkins back in the back. He's totally wasted at centre and his size is needed in that back row. I'd look to swap him and Bateman around. I'd also bring Hampshire back in ahead of Bowen. I fancied Bowen to come in last weekend and make a real go of claiming the shirt back but he looks like a man that's mentally hung the boots up already. The fullback spot is starting to prove a real issue to the point were I'd give one of the wingers a shot when all three are fit (probably Burgess due to his height and ball playing ability).

I'd go for this on Saturday-

Hampshire
Charnley Bateman Sarginson Burgess
Williams Smith
Flower McIlorum Crosby
J Tomkins Patrick Lockers

Subs
Sutton Mossop Tautai Powell

Good call, J Tomkins never has been and never will be a centre, get him back in the pack were he can do real damage to the opposition.

I'd stick with Bowen. From what I've seen there is no way Hampshire is a better fullback. Even in last week's debacle I thought he offered more than Rocky and, hopefully, he will have shaken off some rust in France.
I'm with you on the centre spot, though. We miss Joel in the pack too much.
Finally, if I was Logan I'd be looking for the exit. He clearly has no future at the club despite IMO being a better front row option than Powell.

Agree with all of that....

I thought Bowen did ok for the first 65/70 minutes. He was pretty safe in defence and also offered a bit in attack (set up the first two tries). Hampshire was poor for a few games before he was dropped, so Bowen deserves a chance. Hampshire hopefully will be on the bench in place of Powell but Wane won't go that way.

There's no way wane will not play his very average love child of a player that is powell

He's not done anything this season but that's unfair. He has showed a lot of potential in the opast, particularly against New Zealand Warriors when he tore them apart and Hull FC when we almost beat them with an academy side. He'll become an established SL halfback IMO, not confident that will be at Wigan though.

I could write an essay on what my views are of the Wigan club at the moment. I've only been watching them since the 1950's.

Last week was bloody shocking, and it's not the only time we have performed like this this season
is it ?
It is happening on a regular occurence. I didn't particularly like Wanes appointment as I think he lacks an high IQ, but I have to admit he has done better than I thought. He has not been helped by our Chairman, who I think is 'tighter than a ducks bum'. We have lost player after player over the seasons, and they haven't been replaced with similar quality.

Now, back to the present.

Against Leeds, I think we might get slaughtered. And I can't see a win for the foreseeable future.

There has been too much 'pennypinching' at the club, and we are now suffering badly with that policy. The problem with businessmen is, they all love money too much. We are living in this 'austerity cycle 'that shows no sign of abatement in life, and the consequence is no one complains about falling standards anymore.

This team is not the club I have followed for many decades. There seems to be no desire, and the quality is not there.

Even 'Lockers' has been a shadow of his former self, of late. Can we name one player at Wigan, that we could say would get in any in RL team anywhere at the moment ? The answer to that is no.

...and yet despite that, we are third in the table, have scored the second most points in the league, and conceded the third fewest .

Go figure, eh?

And have just secured the signature of one of the UK's best players.

We're in a rut, for sure, but for some people the glass is always half-empty.

It's a shame Gells is injured because I bet Wane would be wondering about throwing Sarge in at full back and playing Joel and Gelling at centre. Was superb against Hull FC last year, and his horrible defence recently won't be too much of a worry back there.

Out of Bowen and Hampshire, I'd stick with Mango. I still think he offers more than Rocky does, even though I do rate Hampshire, I just don't think he is a full back. Really think this could be the weekend which we turn our away form around, it would just be typical Wigan to do it in the hardest away game possible!

This pops up time and time again and I'd love to know who has spent more on transfer fees than IL

Off the top of my head
J Tomkins
S Tomkins
M Smith
S Taylor
M Gleeson
L Mossop
D Sarginson
T Clubb
J Bateman?
I Thornley?
T Tautai?

Apart from the bottom 3, who I'm not 100% sure about, we paid a transfer fee of some sort for these lads. Give me the name of another club that has paid a transfer fee for 11 players over the past few years? In fact give me the name of a club that's paid a transfer fee for 5 players over the past few years.

Sure we paid about £50k for Bateman and possibly something for Thornley. I believe TT was out of contract

How dare you let facts get in the way of a good old fashioned rant.

So, apart from paying significant amounts of money on transfer fees what has IL ever done for us?

Did we pay for blake green????

Yes