https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/04/ ... alans-r10/

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/04/ ... alans-r10/

This is where it gets tricky to pick the side - be interesting to know if Cooper has missed out due to injury or by Peet's choice.

Great that Walters is back - I'd assume he will take Cooper's place - personally I I would start him and allow Nsemba to move to the bench where I think he'll be most effective at this stage.

Peet obviously has the option of bringing in either Liam Byrne or Harvie Hill but I'm not sure who they would come in for.

I am confident that Byrne will make the 17.

Me too - think he's one of Peet's favs. He may even choose to move Leeming out and go with three props off the bench.

The backs pretty much pick themselves for now but the make up of the forwards will be interesting. I expect Byrne and Walters will come in to the 17 from last week, so Cooper is one who is missing out and then we'd need one other. If they can get enough minutes in to Walters in the next couple of weeks and they feel he's capable of 80 minutes, I think it'll be Nsemba who misses out come the semi but for Friday, I wouldn't be surprised if it were Mago or Dupree. Either could count themselves unlucky but then neither have been rested as far as I remember. I'd say with Dupree having a week off with his ban, it would make Mago favourite and that would leave us looking something like-

Field
Miski Keighran Wardle Marshall
French Smith
Byrne O'Neill Thompson
Nsemba Farrell Ellis

Subs
Dupree Havard Walters Leeming

If everyone makes it through to the Cup semi, I think Walters will end up in the second row and Mago/Cooper will come on to the bench, with Nsemba missing out.

As Ellis missed out yet ?
Thompson to 13 for a game could give him a break, nice to have so many options.

He was rested at London. I'd move away from rests and rotation for a while now with eyes on that semi final but Walters only just coming back means he's unlikely to be able to do 80 minutes and then to me, you need him and Nsemba in the 17 for this week and you have to leave one prop out. You then make a decision based on form or just who hasn't had a rest. If it was form, then it's extremely tight and if it's a rest, it's probably Mago.

I guess a few would just say to leave Byrne out but I think we need him in our best 17 because of the aggression and defensive intent he brings. He needs to be the Byrne of the WCC and the back end of last season though and not the one we've seen for much of this season.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... 82r2UWsxHE

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... 82r2UWsxHE

Makes sense I suppose. They can probably get him a full 80 minutes in the reserves if they wanted, whereas he'd probably be looking at 20-30 minutes maximum in the first team.

It's been confirmed Cooper failed a HIA last week, so is forced our rather than being left out.

Did anyone see what happened to him - maybe explains a couple of errors?

I agree with your 17. Hill has been a little unlucky but hopefully he will realise that his time will come.
Hopefully we get the right reaction from last week’s defeat.

If Walters does not play Hill should get his chance.

I thought it was strange him being left out after so few games of his return. He's barely got up to speed yet. I thought it might be because we needed to get Byrne back in the side and he didn't want too many returnees at the same time but the HIA makes a lot more sense.

Just watched Matt Peet on Wigan TV and it sounds as if Walters won’t be in the 17.
Between Hill and Mago I suspect for a bench spot.

I think Smith is lucky to keep his place. If Keighran is kicking he offers very little apart from bombs on the fifth, which are brilliant if we are in the right field place.

Rob/Stef/Lebron/etc's new "I'm a Wigan fan now" by any chance?

He should try and ease his way in with a few sensible posts but you are what you are I suppose.

Peet has confirmed Hampshire, Eckersley, Hill and Walters are the lads providing cover in the 21 man squad tomorrow, so it looks like the same team as last week, with just Byrne in for Cooper. He’s also said it’ll be full strength sides for a while now, with no rests/rotation, so a couple may go out on loan (Chan in particular was mentioned).

It's a difficult situation in that Hill should be in and around the full strength team and I think he would be almost anywhere else. Even without him there's 6 players for 4 (sometimes 5) first team prop positions. That's an embarrassment of riches.

Really looking forward to this one tonight. Both sides will be smarting and on the back of defeats last week and Catalan have Abdull, McMeeken and Bousquets back.

The pitches are finally starting to dry out so here's hoping we see a great game.

Should be a good game if both teams come out firing after poor performances last week.

we're missing Cooper from last week but Byrne / Hill to come in should mean we are still strong in the pack, likely to go Thompson, Dupree, Mago, Havard & Byrne or Hill on the bench. I'd personally go with Hill given Havard only 1 week back from hamstring injury, so carrying 2 returning players a potential risk

Field looked like he was getting back some confidence last week with some good 1/2 breaks.Just need see him stretch his legs fully so we know he's got his confidence back and not carrying the niggle which has been holding him back

Really big game this. A win tonight would put last week to bed quickly and may move us joint top again by the end of the round if Hull KR are able to do to Saints what they did to us.

Hopefully the drying conditions will see us open up a little and stretch the Catalan defence.
I’m a big Abdul fan so it will interesting to see how we handle his kicking game.

Big game for Field tonight.

I think he’s looked a little lethargic so far this season in attack however last week in the second half he seemed to come to life and look a lot more interested.

His form needs to improve as the second pivot and it seemed to dawn on him last week that this was the case (maybe after a rocket from Peet at half time).