I hate to break this to you, but as we well know, Topping the league doesn't make a great deal of difference.

Not rattled at all. Seeing as we spent four years at the top just recently, we kind of know how pointless it is being up there even though it's nice to have the silverware. Something you lot will have forgotten about no doubt. But aside from that, there's still plenty of the season to go. You could be pipped yet, just as we were last year and Leeds were the year before. Four points is nothing. You need to build a much better lead than that to be secure.

Slow the play of the ball down.

Beat Saints.

Which is why that pillock currently feels cosy towards them.

Which you define as what?

Please explain, step by step the points where you feel it's being slowed down. Please remember in your analysis the point at which the ref calls held.

So true

I don't thnk it's just because it's Wigan. Huddersfield had exactly the same campaign against them last season with their new Aussie coach (new Aussie coach being the importaant common factor as in the NRL defence is king)

A lot of this also started again this year due to how Silverwood reffed the World Club challenge where he allowed the slowing down tactics previously employed in the NRL ( before they introduced two refs to combat it as commentators/administrators and fans were concerned that the NRL was becoming far too slow and sterile with all the wrestling work at the ruck)

As always with Super League we are always 1/2 years behind the NRL and tried to slow our PTB down before we realised at the last world cup down under that the NRL PTB had in fact speeded up (compared to what it used to be like anyway) so consequently the game over here tried to allow a slightly faster PTB again.

IIRC Saints the other year got all their players to trim down in the knowledge that the PTB was going to be quick(er) only for their coach to be frustrated when refs started the season allowing the wrestling and slow PTB defence as the game over here thought we needed to slow the ruck down to be able to compete with Australia and New Zealand,only now as I say to find out that the NRL have speeded up their game (compared to how it was 3 years or so ago)

Your coach is simply employing these NRL techniques but it seems many over here don't like it.

Given the amount of new coaches at Super League clubs next season and the fact that probably the majority will be from the NRL then there will no doubt be more of it next year so other clubs will get criticised instead no doubt or maybe if half the comp are defending the same it won't be deemed an issue as it will be considered the norm?

Something tells me you'll be waiting a long time for an answer to this one.

Which pillock? (I haven't heard/read the word 'pillock' in years. You must be of a certain vintage!)

Most Saints fans hate Wire. I have always respected Wire's style of play as it's very similar to Saints. I happen to like open, pacey, creative rugby league. Cas Tigers can play the same way, when they bother to play at all that is. Wire's problem has been (a) defence and (b) Saints. They seem to have wrapped up their defence, which incidentally involves tackling before the opposition gets to the tryline and scores. It does not entail holding the opposition down/up for around 11 seconds every time. Defence and slowing down the ruck are two different issues.

Whether Wire will address their other problem - Saints - remains to be seen.

You might be right. Hudds copped some flak last year from the other coaches about wrestling too much (including the Wigan coach). But I don't remember players/coaches/journalists/club chairmen all joining together to sing from the same sheet in order to pressurise the officials - and in our case, it seems to be working.

With respect to your second point, perhaps we're in a transition phase - as more NRL coaches join the competition, these tactics will be the rule rather than the exception. By then, we may even have two officials - though we'll probably need to nick some NRL refs to make up the numbers.

As I've Previously said, I dont think there's anything wrong with what Wigan do, they get 2 to 3 men into the tackle and they do it well. It's not the most pretty thing in the World, Much Like scooting all the time, but they are both successfull tactics and it's up to other coaches to develop something to combat them.

P.s Found all my posts of when I come on just after Saints have won yet?

Well thanks for making me sit through watching the Warrington Bradford game another 2 times now, it was so enjoyable for me... NOT

Guess what?

=#FF0040Both Warrington and Bradford do exactly the same as we do in defence (3 men in tackle, wrestle player upright to attempt to place him on his back and then complete the tackle), with varying degrees of success.

Who'd have thought it?



Please don't make me watch it yet again with a stop watch, i'd rather not be quite that pedantic

Total Myth that Warrington play some sort of super fast dropping the guy instantly on contact and then jumping up off him like Bruce Lee used to do nip ups as soon as held is called defence.

To be fair though it doesn't seem to be the actual Warrington fans saying this, only a particular saints poster on here.

Don't see what the fuss is about myself. The sooner we move away from one trick ponies who need ten yards and a quick ptb to do anything the better. Mr Heathrington should quit moaning and realise that rugby league like most games will change in nature and it is upto teams to adapt and find new tactics rather than whinge and moan.

Unfortunately, the experience of these other clubs is that if they whinge and moan enough, no matter how churlish it sounds, the RFL will take action.

The fuss is being made because Wigan's tactic is working. Not every time, but overall it's made us a much stronger and more solid team, and those who don't like this are getting hot under the collar. That's the long and short of it. There is no other reason. If we were doing what we're doing now and sitting 8th or 9th in the table, you wouldn't hear a peep out of the likes of Hetherington and Kear.

Also, those who grudgingly admit that it's not illegal but that it's boring need a reality check. Entertaining the fans of other clubs is way down our list of priorities. Especially when the only thing that would really entertain them is seeing their teams beat Wigan.

The NRL was sterile for a couple of years as this tactic became all encompassing, now they have 2 refs and it is MUCH more entertaining, with play the balls a couple of seconds faster.

I agree entirely that Wigan's defence is legal and whilst it remains so then fair play. But it's not just an anti-Wigan complaint - the NRL coaches and administrators certainly weren't thinking about Wigan when they were making their complaints and Huddersfield were criticised just as frequently last year as Wigan this, including by Wigan fans interestingly.

As much as I love the NRL, some games get so boring. Yes its faster but theres nothing exciting about 5 scoots and a kick.

The thing the winds me up the most is that Wigans play the balls are not slower than other sides.

It is just an urban myth perpetuated by those who dont want us to be winning games.

Wigan fans are really showing themselves up for complete numptys on this thread.

I mentioned earlier in the thread, Hetherington did that interview two weeks ago, this before the Wigan match. Last Saturday's game had nothing to do with his thoughts.

His thoughts in that interview were mainly to do with negative tactics, and In his opinion the need to reduce the number of substitutes as one change required.

You have all just picked up on the laying on thing becuase it obviously touches a nerve. You know you do it, and you know you are pushing the boundaries too far. However, I will look forward to the next game on sky you are involved in at home, where I am sure we will hear no moaning from the Wigan crowd regarding the oppossition holding down. Like that's going to happen eh?

So he came out with article ahead of the fixture then? THat's worse. Clealry another trying to influence the authorities to do something to stop Wigan. Worried sick that this could be the year Wigan overtake Leeds off and on the field.

Grow up.

Jesus, they get worse.

If you google Hetherington's interviews, you will see the full interview done 2 weeks ago. It had nothing to do with Wigan personally, at the time. So get off your high horse and grow up.

He was talking about the game in general. Interstingly the radio stations in Yorkshire and the Yorkshire press, did not highlight the issue of new coaches at all. They tended to concentrate firstly on the idea of reducing the amount of substitutes you can make to bring stamina more to the fore in the game. They also then went on secondly to print his views on the slowing down at the play the ball. Again nothing was attributed directly to Wigan or Huddersfield even.

This so called interview now is a journalist picking up on those comments and rehashing it to get a bite from the numpty's of the like on here. Well done for biting.

He is hardly going to mention any teams names is he?

Well done for biting?



Would that be the same kind of 'biting' that people usually hear about online when they've responded with ridicule to some prat making an even bigger prat of himself.

No. I would imagine it would be the same kind attributed to a complete numpty who blames the salary cap for a defeat.



Like I said a couple of posts back, Wigan fans have done a good job on this thread of highlighting what complete numpties they are. Well done Cruncher for leading the way.

Now that's what I call a bite.