You play like you did against Huddersfield and we like play we did against Leeds and you can kiss that trophy goodbye.

Do you really believe that you will get the field position you had at Leeds against Saints' pack ? No chance.

You defended desperately against a Leeds side missing their best back and best forward. You still required what were very fortunate tries to win the contest. Well done. However I think Wigan are up against it with size of Saints forwards. If we kick well, Wigan will be looking at scoring from their own 20 metre zone for 80 minutes, which is a tough ask.

If you think that you only have to stop the cunningham to win on saturday you are deluded.I would worry about how coley and fielden are going to cope against the power and size of graham puletua and soliola.
Remember you might have beaten the defending champions last week ,but they were without 4 of their key players ,3 of them being their best prop forwards.If wigan were depleated like that they would struggtle to cope .You have been relatively injury free compared to leeds and saints this season and its shown in the table at the end of the year.Heres for hoping for a classic to be decided by the King at the death.

Yes field position is important, but the difference is that Saints need it otherwise they are very unlikely to score. We have a lot better chance of scoring from our own half than Saints. Withough Pryce and Eastmond you look a very slow team.

But two of those are 2nd rowers. In which case we would have Fielden, Coley, Hansen, Tomkins and Lockers who are all quality defenders.

Stopping you getting easy metres is the key, but our defence has conceded over 100 less points than you this year, so its one of our strengths.

We heard this sort of excuse-making quite a lot early season, when Wigan first took pole position. I wondered which brazen idiot would be thick enough to keep using the same unconvincing excuse seven months down line. Thanks for answering the question.

If you think KFC and your forwards are just going to slap their tits into our lads faces and barge over our line you can forget it

Whats the difference between desperate defence and normal defence? I thought defence is just stop the oppo scoring at all costs full stop?

I just read the first few replies quite incredulous, how you can say their players in ANY position are p1ss poor is beyond me. This kind of attitude will get us nowhere. They're backs may be the weak link as shown in the Hudds game in parts.

Let's be honest though, as "poor" as these players are supposed to be, they have experience playing at OT effectively year in year out. This is invaluable going into such a big game.

That being said if we shut Cunningham down I think with Eastmond seemingly not fully fit we should be able to get a roll on their forwards. We need to go with 4 props and try and run through them early on to put pressure on Matty Smith to produce something when playing behind a fairly unfamiliar pack and more importantly one that's being beaten.

We've have shown we're not invincible against Leeds at home even with their injuries, so let's not start off on the basis of their players being p1ss poor.

What are these documented problems and how are they different to any problems which Wigan have had over the season?

Having their 4 first choice half backs out throughout the playoffs is probably one of the main ones.

You must be a hard man with a name like cruncher.A hard man with not much grey matter.If you think that injuries havent played a big part in leeds and saints being behind you in the table it is you thats the idiot .Saints finished all of 4 points behind you and did remarkably well in doing so with so many key player out for so long.You had amos roberts out for a long spell and a few of your fringe players,but your key players in the main have been luckily injury free.

I think we've had our fair share of problems as well. Our first choice full back at the start of the year was Phelps, he got injured so we shuffled Roberts to full back. He was in unbelieveable form then he got injured so we moved Sam from the halves and had a new half back combo with LuLu and Deacs. Deacs was injured for a fair bit of the season so we moved Lockers to SO. We have shuffled our team about quite a bit through the season with very little fuss.

That's true to an extent, but I'm starting to wonder just how much a first choice Kyle Eastmond should be. He seems to be injured all the time. I'm starting to regard him in the same way I regard Amos Roberts - a very useful player when he's available, which isn't often.

Determined to perpetuate this myth, aren't you?

What you mean is we haven't made any fuss about our injuries in the same way Leeds & Saints have, and also we have had better youngsters to come in and cover for them (in many cases good enough that our first choices couldn't get their places back after their injuries).

First half of the year he was quality. Just had a couple of long term injuries.

I'd say he's different to Amos in the respect that Amos is fit just isn't in form.

I think if Kyle's fit then he definately improves saints.

Wheeler and Lomax are also big losses, I think both (but especially Wheeler) would have nailed down first team spots if fit, Wheeler was supposed to take the other centre position wasn't he?

Hey it could be worse. I could be named after a self proclaimed hard man who in reality lost more fights than all his fellow Saints forwards put together.

Injuries are part of sport full stop. Do you think they put the number of injuries a team had in brackets next to their name each season in the history books? Blaming injuries is a pathetic excuse because everybody has them and everybody has a squad to deal with them its just some are better than others.

Cunningham currently has a chest infection. Now although I don't expect it stop him playing, I do hope it leaves him physically drained. No matter what the Saints fans say Keiron is the lynch pin in their team and stopping him goes a long way to stopping Saints.

But not as many as your top enforcer Stuart Fielden.

Possibly but i have never seen Stu Fielden pretend he was injured like Graham did against hudds. Shocking behaviour for a prop.

I Have informed the PFU chairman

Even more so when they're missing first, second and third choice half backs.

Fielden never had a rep for starting fights. Your mon did, but he was w**k at it. And you've named yourself after him.



I guess you'll think twice before mocking people's monikers from now on, yeah?

I just think a bit of perspective is necessary with [isome[/i of the Wiganers who have posted on this thread.

There is little necessity to perpetuate any 'myth' about Saints' injuries this season. They are well documented. At present we are probably stronger than we have been all season and are still missing Leon Pryce and Kyle Eastmond, our starting halves. I think we all know that missing your halves probably has more impact on the side than any other.

Anyhow, it matters not. In terms of the game itself, I cant see anything other than a tight affair. We have played each other twice and both were tight games which could have gone either way. I am more confident because Matty Smith is playing. Saints, more than any other side, are aware about how important kicking is at Old Trafford. We've all sat there and watched Sinfield systematically take us apart with kicking for 3 years at the place. I also believe Saints are stronger up front and would expect both sides to defend for their lives in a final. Wigan are stronger on the flanks and Saints will need to defend well out wide. I do believe that Wigan would want it to be dry on Saturday, if it rains I think it plays into Saints hands. I see us putting Meli in the centres to stop the inevitable hammering he would get from kicks on the wing. Saints will play through the middle and Wigan will be creative and that in essence will be the contest.

Lets hope for a great game and may the best team win.