Wigan looked extremely nervous in the changing room before the game and those nerves were there for all to see in the first half. Very poor handling, a lack of shape in both attack and defence and too many individual errors.

Got it together a bit in the 2nd half and started to play more direct and with a little more confidence. Unfortunately the odd error and fatigue from having to defend so hard against a physically bigger team meant we could never get back into the game.

Bowen was too static at times which held up our attack. Sarginson runs hard but seems to be running around like a headless chicken at times. O'Loughlin, Burgess and Mcilorum (bar the terrible forward passes) were great.

Clearly a tremendous effort but sadly we didn't do ourselves justice overall.

Good effort in the 2nd half and had we kicked all our goals( no disrespect to Matty Smith, 2 difficult kicks off touchline) we would have been 6 points behind at one point.
The awful handling that led to Jennings 3rd try killed it really.
We need to make sure we get another crack next year.

I thought we looked very nervous as well. Terry O'Connor was saying we looked focussed but I thought the players looked tense and had similar feeling to the fans in that they didn't really believe they could win. I thought they looked even more nervous during the anthems.

It was only in that second half that they seemed to come to life and play as though they had nothing to lose and by that point it was too late.

Wane will be spitting chips over the two tries scored by the Roosters props. That shouldn't happen at this level. It was a lack of concentration.

Have to say I'm disappointed in Bowen. Questioned how's he's linking in attack, which hopefully will develop in time, but the basics of FB play were terrible. He's an experienced NRL (former player) and was one of the worse on the pitch.

You absolutely never ever miss an opportunity

Haha. Several pages of analysis, some good and some bad. And you pick out my comment.

Wigan played well, for what they and the other elite Super League teams are (which is a whole level below the elite NRL teams).

So I'd be happy with a lot of what you did if I were you.

There were nerves/mistakes/lack of cohesion at times but the aggression you displayed and the way some of your players really rolled their sleeves up in the 40-60minute section of the game was very commendable. Apart from Chris Hill and one or two others in my Wire team I don't see where that would have come from had it been us there today and not Wigan (I actually dread to think what score it would have been had it been us!). I think a lot of that is down to your coach so Wayne deserves a lot of credit.

But it's time to increase the salary cap now isn't it? We need to keep hold of and entice more of the elite in Super League.

Wigan can hold their heads high. I feared for the worst after 20 minutes but they gave as good as they got after that. Wigan demonstrated a mental toughness that few Super League teams would have done. McIlorum's aggression in defence was great to watch.

They looked nervous probably because they were nervous.
We had a very young team out there and they couldn't cope with that first 20 minutes. The way they stuck at it and didn't allow their heads to go down was comendable. The fact is the Roosters had a team out there that is far better than ours or any club's squad in Super League. They looked streets ahead on the paper team sheet and they were streets ahead on the field.
Once we got a period of pressure they cracked as we had done and conceded tries.
They dropped ball as we did but they had 60 minutes of pressure on us where we had 20 mins of pressure on them. There's a lot of NRL clubs that will lose by more than 22 at the SFS against the Roosters this season.
Two points from the game- first is a Super League problem and that is the disparity in levels of salary cap. The other is IL's policy of allowing so many experienced players leave early with years left on their contracts.
The salary cap one is nothing the club can do about at present.
The other is, IL has to try and insist that players see out their contract and that when they sign for us, that time period of x years will be aheard to. We now have more central funding, we now need expeienced players more than we need transfer fees.
This will do these players a lot of good long term. Right now they'll be gutted but once they have returned and see no one in British Rugby League has a downer on them then they will be stronger. We just have to try and ensure they stay at Wigan.

I know people like to bang on about contracts here, but it's obvious to all and sundry that they are just not as binding as we the fans would like them to be, and will probably never be so. Many have this IL hobby-horse, and i suppose he is at fault for Burgess going to the RFU..!!!! It would appear that contract are open to being broken, and i can only assume, that that is the way they are written as a norm...

Money talks, end of, and players will not sign contract they can't get out of. The choice about whether to honour them, is as much down to the player as the club.

Thanks, its was a great night!!! Cant believe how many turned up, I thought we would get a decent turn out but that was something else.

Quote ="MidlandsWarrior2"Loads of photos from last night https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 548&type=1'" Not liking the ones im on Check out the videos on there aswell

Quote ="MidlandsWarrior2"Loads of photos from last night https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 548&type=1'" Not liking the ones im on Check out the videos on there aswell

Bondi Warrior thanks for organising a great night at The KSB . Me and my lad have had a fantastic time in Oz. We are now 36000 ft above Australia heading home

Bowen, for all his reputation, reminds me of David Moyes, big boots to fill and it's too much for him to live up to.

Wigan are a team in transition, from memory alone in the last three years or so you've lost Hock, Hansen, J Tomkins, S Tomkins, Leuleuai, Lima, Luaki, Fielden, Prescott, Richards, Finch, Carmont and Hoffman. That's one he'll of a player drain but I admire the production line and the goal of fielding an all Wigan system produced team.

Mossop, Coley, Deacon...

The Moyes comparison doesn't work for me. Moyes will work until he drops to be a success. If he doesn't achieve, it won't be through lack of effort, it'll be because he isn't good enough. The exact opposite of Bowen it seems to me.

I get the feeling Bowen is struggling to settle. Now that's not anything I know for sure but he just doesn't seem his usual bubbly self. A very good point was made by Bilko who mentioned all the travelling he's done since he came to the club. He did a day in Wigan before going to Florida then a couple of weeks before heading back to Australia and then coming back to a place he's not settled in to yet. He's done that without his family as well hasn't he? I think I read they were coming back after this WCC.

If that is the case he can now hopefully get his head down and settle in. Once he's done that hopefully we'll see a guy more focussed and switched on. If we don't then we've git the best up and coming player in the country to come in.

I really wish this game could of happened two weeks after the Grand Final - for me Wigan suffered more than ever because of this and in the end I thought we did quite well to keep it respectable.

I am not saying for one moment that Wigan would of beaten Sydney had this been the case but I do think the score-line would of been closer.

Its a shame that this does not seem possible.

Looking at the stats from the game they were all pretty close especially the metres made which to me indicates how heavily we could have been in the game but for silly mistakes and poor missed tackles. We certainly didn't get steam rolled which considering the size if their pack is a real plus. I thought the way we dealt with Hargreaves, Moa, Nuiasala and co was impressive in the main yet we miss those two silly tackles on the line. We missed a shocker on Jennings for the first try and gave him that one just after half time.

All if only's at the end of the day but I feel comfort in feeling that on another day we could have pushed them really closely.

Where did you get the stats from?

Do you think Hansen. Richards and Tomkins could of made a difference?

Agree with what you have said - considering the start we had we did really well to come back into and I am sure that Roosters will do a similar job on a number of NRL sides this season.

Can't help but think that goal kicking may haunt us this season...

I doubt Hansen had a get out clause whereas we now know know Mossop and Sam had such clauses. I doubt Hansen was the least bit dewy eyed about playing for Salford as was made out and had the club offered an extension mid way through last season when Hansen himself said he was happy to stay I think he'd still be our player. So it is not all down to players wanting away IMO but also at least in this case the [uclubs[/u desire to sell. The club also does not have to agree to get out clauses such as Mossop and Sam had in the first place and needs to decide if it is worth signing players to so called long term deals when they are anything but if players insist on such clauses. The first I heard of Mossop's get out clause was after he left and I don't think it is fair to fans to give the impression certain players are here for 5 or whatever years when the club are virtually certain they won't be.

While I am under no illusion due to the poor deal the RFL have done with Sky we as a sport have ruled out keeping any world class players it needs to manage this so at the end of each season we don't start the next season with virtually a new side. It can do that by not being so keen to sell good players who it could realistically keep like Hansen and not seemingly being taken by surprise that we end up losing the likes of Mossop and Sam at the same time as others such as Richards have contracts that have actually run their course.

If Green leaves at the end of this season as he says he wants to I have no problem with that. He signed for two years and he is going to do two years. I always thought he wasn't given longer because the club had an eye to junior players being ready to take over and if so this looks like a good plan. IMO this is far better than saying you have signed someone for five years for them to leave after two as soon as someone comes knocking.

We won't get a fee for Green but then we won't have a player on a contract with a get out clause which means he has his mind elsewhere or will be distracted by endless speculation. This has got to be preferable to wondering just when RU for the NRL are going to make a bid and must make Wane's job easier.

Wigan getting hammered, hadn't even reached half time and there you were more than happy to stick the boot in and the first person to comment on the game on this board. Couldn't wait could you!!!



Sad

The game reminded me on many ways of the Challenge Cup Semi Final v Leeds in 2012. So many mistakes, then get back into the game and make another soft error.

I believe Bilko has posted a photo showing that the Jennings try from our loose pass was "debatable"