Puzzling some of the team selections on here, you'd think some of the people started watching rugby 4 weeks ago.

I dare some people to question me over their selection choices?!

Braindead springs to mind.

Which choices? Player wise?

Green was really quiet/poor before the play offs and many were calling for him dropped then too. Powell has had two very great games v Hudds and NZ so I don't think it's that surprising that many, including myself, think he's likely to have a better game than Green next week. No one should be undroppable, least of all someone who has yet to find form for us on a consistant basis

Let's put it this way, Bowen, Green and Pettybourne would all play without a doubt.

I'd go

FB 26 Hampshire
RW 2 Charnley
RC 3 Goulding
LC 23 Sarginson
LW 32 Burgess
SO 19 Powell
SH 7 Smith
P 8 Taylor
H 9 McIlorum
P 16 Dudson
SR 10 Flower
SR 12 Farrell
LF 13 O'Loughlin

S 15 Tomkins
S 17 Crosby
S 22 Pettybourne
S 25 Bateman

Hampshire just impresses me every time he takes the field. I'm sure Bowen will be the better option once he's settled in but we don't have that luxury for the WCC, we need our very best team out for that one game. Sarginson and Burgess should go without saying IMO, I don't really see any big advantage Thornley has over either. Powell over Green is obviously a bold move but Powell's an out and out half IMO and his form is far better than Green's. Flower in the back row because neither Clubb nor Hughes fill me with much confidence, we need a reliable defender there, preferably with a bit of size to offset Farrell and Bateman being quite small, so Flower's my man. Reluctantly picked Tomkins on the bench because McIlorum looks out of sorts and he's the only other specialist hooker we have. Just to add I fully expect Wane to pick Bowen at FB, Green at SO, Clubb at SR and Powell benched.

Green was excellent in all the big games WHEN IT MATTERED. Green and Smith are the settled half back partnership. Green was man of the match in the season's biggest game. And you think an untried youngster on the basis of one league game at hooker should play in the world championship?

Have you lost the plot?

Bowen
Charnley
Goulding
Sarginson
Burgess
Green
Smith
Flower
McLlorum
Taylor
Farrell
Hughes
O'loughlin

Pettybourne
Dudson
Bateman
Powell/Crosby

I think the majority is nailed on tbh. I actually think Wane will start Clubb at SR and Hughes Bench.

Also be interesting to see whether Wane will revert to his big game selection choice from last year of 4 forwards on the bench which we may need against the Roosters, if he does it'll be extremely harsh on Powell but he'll get plenty game time this year.

Why are you so convinced I'm basing all my views on one game of Powell's? This 'untried youngster' has played 20 games in the first team and I've seen all of them, plus a few for the reserves.

I'd love to have your faith that Green is simply a big game player on the basis of him putting in three good games at the end of last year despite being distinctly average before that, but I think the simple fact is that either by luck or design he hit form at the right time last year, and Powell has hit form at the right time this year. My evidence ? He played in the halves v Leigh and set up two tries (one with a pass, one with a chip), he had a good stint at hooker v Saints, a great game v Hudds at hooker when everyone else struggled, and then a superb performance today.

If Green had a long history of big performances when it matters then I'd agree with you, but he doesn't, we're talking about three games four months ago. FWIW I do think Wane will run with Green at SO and Powell off the bench, it's just not the team I'd pick. At the end of the day I think Sam Powell is the better player right now so he should get the spot, if that means I've lost the plot then so be it.

Well MoM in the GF is the biggest game of the season has got to count for something. You seem to be minimising his form in the playoffs. Perhaps you would be happier if he'd not bothered too much but looked great in meaningless pre season games. Like you I've seen every game Powell has played and I like him. But he has done nothing yet to make a case for inclusion in the biggest game of the season. How you can rate Powell a better player "right now" is laughable. Based on what? The Huddersfield game and a meaningless friendly today? By the way, Green played well at Saints so effectively you advocate dropping a player after one poor game.

My team after today's game would be;

Bowen
Charnley
Goulding
Sarginson/Gelling (I think Wane will go with Sarginson of course)
Burgess
Green
Smith
Taylor
McIlorum
Dudson
Hughes (played himself into contention here)
Farrell
O'Loughlin

Flower
Pettybourne
Powell
Bateman

Harsh on Hampshire who has been very good however you have to go with Bowen's experience. Gelling also played very well when he came on today and is the forgotten man of the squad based on the odd blunder. Gareth Hock regularly made monumental cock-ups for us but was forgiven time and time again. Gelling isn't extended the same courtesy and I imagine that's partly because he is not a Wiganer (puts tin hat on).

Gelling offers a lot more to the team than Thornley and is strong, powerful, has good feet, can pass and isn't too shaky in defence either.

I see no benefit to us picking Clubb at SR. Looked poor every time i've seen him play, lethagic, slow, penalty machine. Stick with Bateman and run with it, he's the next SR superstar

I think people reservations with Bateman is his size and the fact that playing alongside Farrell would make for a small second row. He is however exceptionally strong for his size and he was punching holes all over the shop yesterday.

He's a must for the 17 and possibly for the 13.

No, he was great in the play offs, but they were four months ago and he was average before them amd now he looks average again. You seem to be minimising his average form over 25 games, including his most recent one, in favour of three games, that makes sense if they were an indicator of his current form, but they aren't!


Yes that's what I'm saying, in addition to losing the plot I wish our players didn't play well in finals.

For a socialist you really struggle to accept differing opinions to your own. You'll love forums!

I don't really have much to add to what I already wrote. Friendlies are played to get players fit and gauge their form. Why bother if a fringe player excels and still can't get a look in?

My team would be :-
Bowen,
Charnley, Goulding, Thornley, Burgess,
Green, Smith,
Flower McIlorum, Taylor,
Farrell, Clubb,
O'Loughlin.
Bench - Pettybourne, Crosby, Dudson plus Tomkins or Powell.

Though I do think SW will go with Sarginson instead of Thornley, maybe Bateman rather than Clubb. He needs to go with three props although P'Bourne can play 2nd row if needed.
I'm worried about Sarginson & Burgess facing Michael Jennings and R T Shek. I think we need a bigger and more defensive man than Sarginson. Burgess is a shoe in. Bateman worries me too due to his size. The Roosters have a big pack, Bateman and Farrell 2nd row could get over run.
This is a very important team selection for Waney and he has to get it right.
We beat Hudds, Leeds and Wire in the play offs and GF. The Roosters are a far, far better team than any of those!

If there was no point in friendlies besides fitness they would just spend the day training instead. Powell has done everything right v Leigh, Saints, Huddersfield and NZ. Yes there were no trophies on the line but three of those teams took some beating and all their players will have been eager to impress. If Green had been great all last season then just had a quiet couple of games then I wouldn't be saying is, but realistically three great games four months ago doesn't give me the same blind faith in him that I would have in McIlorum or Lockers who we have seen step up to the plate time and time again.

That Jack Murphy comparison is laughable, he had played one first team game v Bradford before that and was in the most exposed position on the field against the best play kicker in the league. Powell isn't straight out of the academy, he has 20 games under his belt against a range of opposition, it would do his career no harm whatsoever to play in the WCC, and I fully expect him to do so albeit out of position

I think the general feel on here is that Clubb should be dropped. But interesting to see how Wane views his performances of late.

Nah i wasn't thinking of playing hampshire out of position i just think we need some spark on the bench to bring on att he right times throughout the game, sort of a plan b so we could either spell bowen or throw hampshire into the halves he's the most skill full back that we have by a long way i feel and we cannot ignore that against a highly skilled team in the roosters. Not only do they have skill in abundance but they have huge power and probably greater fitness levels due to the weather out there so i really think that Micky Mac will have to put in 80 minutes like he did against huddersfield alowing us to put some big men on the bench to cover the forwards who will no doubt be blowing in the humidity a bench of Pettybourne, Burke, Dudson and Hampshire would be the way to go to match the physical strenghth of SWB and co. Either way only only a week and 2 days to go, beers already in the fridge cooling.

Yeh i think the general feeling is that he hasn't yet adopted the Wigan way and there are bigger units in the squad who defend better and have got more games under their belt doing things the Wigan way, but it will be interesting to see if he plays him, personally id drop him to 19th man but Waney makes the calls wel have to wait and see

he played well against saints but awful against hudds and NZW. I think he will take a couple of months getting used to he looks a little lost in defence.

And running the wrong lines in attack.

Forgive me but I think you are over emphasising the usefulness of friendlies and you certainly can't use them to gauge form.

Friendlies are for match fitness and maybe to try new things out. Remember when Hock came back from his ban, looked as fit as he'd ever been, but was blowing after 5 minutes, because he wasn't match fit. The players need the friendlies to get that sharpness back that no amount of gym work can give them. But the quality of the opposition needs to be taken into account. Out of Leigh, Saints and NZW only the Saints game can we verify the quality of the opposition and Green played well.

1. Hampshire
2. Charnley
3. Goulding
4. Sarginson
5. Burgess
6. Green
7. Smith
8. Taylor
9. McIllorum
10. Dudson
11. Bateman
12. Farrell
13 O'Loughlin

Subs
Pettybourne
Powell
Clubb
Flower

Bowen
Charnley
Goulding
Sarginson
Burgess
Green
Smith
Flower
MM
Taylor
Farrell
Clubb
O'Loughlin

Pettybourne
Dudson
Hughes
Crosby

This is what I think will be played. I think SW will use a prop/SR strong bench with Powell (unluckily) missing out.

If we are talking about match fitness Lockers should not get near the team, yet everybody on here has him in even though he has hardly played during the last few months.
I hope we are not going to get into a situation when we play an unfit Lockers out of desperation and then have him missing for weeks afterwards.