5 missing props? So you play 7 props a game?

How many changes do you make to your side last night with a fully fit squad?

We make at least 4.

My only small criticism of Peet is that he should have switched Bevan to fullback halfway through last year - myself and others were calling for it after the Castleford game post CC final. Its only when he's been forced into doing it that it's happened and now we're reaping the benefits.

Only a minor point though as the work Peet and co have done to develop the team spirit that is there atm is fantastic.

You can't count one that's gone home, you're getting as bad as mr moanalot (Darryl Powell)
In his after match interview he said that Wire didn't get a six again until around 70 minutes. He must have had his eyes shut, they had three in the first twenty minutes. I've only watched the first half, I'll watch the second later.

He confused me with that but then I wondered if he meant in terms of them forcing one via a drop out? (Which I know they did get late on). Who knows with Powell but it was sweet seeing the old, moaning version back!

Excellent performance from so many last night.

A word for Shorrocks playing in an unfamiliar position - good coaching and credit to the player keeping it simple and doing the basics right, having Shorrocks playing stand-off could have effected Harry Smith's game by having him try and do too much but it is working really well and Smith played very well and very controlled last night (I thought the drop goal option was a good call).

Playing and winning games against Saints and Warrington with a forward at stand-off and winning both games is not too shabby!

We played with 1 prop on the bench for 75 minutes, that prop being Paddy Mago playing his first game for weeks. You had 4 props on rotation, same as us.

I think he meant repeat set from a dropout.

I think both Wigan and Wire have learned from Saints. They have run the last few years with a top heavy first 17 team squad. The benefits are many fold ...luck with injury and your mainly competitive and win. Away from the 80 on field players at that level bring mainly good habits that rubs off on juniors. When said juniors come into the team the strong players still around the team can hold things together. Wire are shallow they was down in forwards and have lost a squad member like we lost Batty. So like for like I would say we both had similar amount out.
Funnily enough and without inside Knowledge we haven't replaced Batty but the week after Wire lost a player and amongst rumours of NRL interest for Williams and Vaughn both get new improved contracts making a shallow squad even more so.

I didn't say he would. I said it is no coincidence that we have improved with Miski on the wing.

Peet has set the team up like the one we had when Waney was in charge.

You had your starting pack minus one last night and two players, Kasiano and Clark, who would have been on your bench. Powell made some bad choices on a wet night but Wigan without Cooper and Smithies in the forwards, and Singleton only playing seven minutes, were dominant.

Why? I'll tell you, poor management. If you have both Vaughan and Maguire out for a long period you are goosed. Nobody has mentioned yet that we have not replaced Bateman, we just get on with it and don't look for excuses.

Powell and Wire fans are a match made in heaven, a moaning lot who cannot give credit to the opposition.

KPP essentially played prop as well and I assume that was already the plan. Thought he did a great stint apart from one basic error.

I suspect Ellis would have moved to prop when KPP came on, but we ended up with players doing more minutes than probably planned.

Wire were missing 64 props though so we got lucky.

74-10 win against Warrington reserves.

Hampshire back for the Reserves next week

Yeah, the way we set up means prop / LF is interchangeable, KPP came on to play middle so Byrne/Ellis/Havard could rotate at prop, Mago came on and did a decent length spell for him, thought he did alright.
We've been keeping O'Neill at hooker bringing Powell back on to help in the middle as well.

The amount of Wire traffic on this site last week was incredible they all seem to have retreated now. They will all come out of their hiding places when we next meet no doubt.

That only happened because they had no props

Good news - wil be interesting to see if he gets in ahead of Shorrocks at 6.

With us having Wakefield next Sunday then away to Hull FC I can see Farrell being rested or benched for both those fixtures.
Smithies returns so we have him, KPP, Isa and possibly Nsemba in the 17 for the back row.
Shorrocks at 6 again for Waney then for HullFC Hampshire off the bench with Shorrocks to 2nd row or bench.
After Shorrocks performances against Leigh, Saints and Wire he is virtually un droppable now.

Three incredible results with each of the opposition teams restricted to six points.