No completely wrong. If we took a full strength side and beat them easily we would have another 2 points for a win. You can test the youngsters be brining them in 1 by 1 not by making such drastic changes that you lose to the worst side in SL. Wane got this wrong and another excuse is a lie.

2 points gets us what exactly? What do we win by being top of the table in March? If you bring youngsters in one by one they will always be in their comfort zone. If you want to really test them then they have to be tested and today they were.

As said before though, they team was good enough to win comfortably, so Wane didn't underestimate Widnes and didn't pick a team that wasn't likely to win, he picked a team that could have won and let themselves down by terrible indiscipline.

SL this season will be closest for a very long time. 6 sides will challenge for top 4 and unless a side gets the timing that Leeds did last season by getting all players back from severe injuries by August then you have to finish in the top 4. You still do not get it do you we lost to the worst side in SL even worse than Crusaders or Wakey last season.

If players needs to be rested after 5 games then there is something mentally wrong with them. You rest them once you get a top 4 spot not when you are5 games into a season that will be tough to get into the top 4.

It was Disrespect of the highest magnitude, and all credit to Widnes.
Wane made 3 mistakes:-
1) Too many new bloods in the starting 13
2) No experience on the bench to call on if (and as it turned out, when) it all went pear-shaped.
3) Allowing Marsh to play for the opposition.

It was a mistake from Wane IMO. I'm all for resting and rotating players, but only in moderation. Today we played with the spine of the team missing.

In some respects I'm agreeing with Cherry.Pie, we should have won. To blow an eighteen point lead has annoyed me more than anything, plus that coupled with our uncharacteristic woeful defense just topped it off.

For an 18 year old Russel does look very special!

I can't say I'm that annoyed though overall, probably because this loss was so avoidable unfortunately.

This defeat isn't going to prevent us from finishing in the top 4 though. Even if we miss out by 2 points this defeat won't be the issue. We know the full strength team is good enough to finish in the top 2 so if they fail to do that the issue will be one that manifests itself over the course of the season. We are good enough to beat the best sides and if we deserve to get to the Grand Final then we will.

I don't think the players needed to be rested but the youngsters need to be tested. You could say they should be drip fed into the side but that way they aren't being tested. If you just give them a game against a weaker team they are never out of their comfort zone and against a tough side they'll be like rabbits an headlights.

Right now we've given the young players a real good test where they've really had to fight hard. We now know how players react in difficult situations and it's better to find that out as soon as possible and it's better for Shaun Wane to find out how strong some of the fringe players are right now than possibly being forced into it later on and coming unstuck.

Pure disrespect and very poor coaching..this 2 points lost can mean a lot no matter anyone likes to think...I like most things about Mr Wane but today was his call and his fail...simple as that..Hope he learns VERY quickly from it!!

I'm not buying the disrespect line. The team Wane put out there was good enough to go 36-18 up with less than half an hour left. To lose from that position is unforgiveable, no matter who is on the field. The players out there today let their coach down, and I'm sure they know it. Lessons will have been learned by all parties I hope

Well seems that people are taking it for granted we are making top4. And i thought only SW took things for granted. We are a decent side but so are Leeds, Wire, Giants, Catalan and Hull also think Saints will give a push for top 4. No side can be sure of top 4 finish and to let 2 points slip by not playing some of your best players will comeback and bite you. As it did today.

We needed to win today,end of.

People on here who think we can scrape the top 8 and then win in the play offs are deluded.

It was a special Leeds perfomance last year that did it from 5th and I do not think that will be repeated again anytime soon.

We are throwing the chance of the top 2 away, if Leeds and Cats win their games in hand we go 5th.

One word Disgraceful.


I hope Longy and Gleeson didn't find out about the team selection pre kick off.

We aren't going to 'scrape' into the top 8, because we aren't going to rest our best players every week.

Scrape into the top 8? Are you mental? We'll finish in the top 4 comfortably

Really.

A good win against leeds and wins against two woeful sides in Bradford and Cas.

Losses to injury depleted Hudds and Widnes.

Not top four form.

Not like that he doesn't and if he thinks what he did was correct he is has failed to learn a lesson and should just hold his hand up and admit he made a mistake. The hole he has made for himself is already big enough without digging it deeper by saying he was right to do what he did.



No we won't. Instead of young players being introduced one at a time in an experienced side Wane compounded the problem of supposedly three injures by resting two more senior pros. Result? Instead of youngsters being introduced into the first team line up and learning the ropes alongside the senior pros they play in a team more akin to the U20 side they are used to playing in but do so against SL opposition. I fail to what good comes of that at all. They learn nothing and we lose the game.

As to the top 8 system meaning the result is not important in the grand scheme of things that may well be true but that misses the point. There is palpable anger at being ripped off.

People go to league games to support their team and hopefully see them win. If Wane pulls this stunt again he will start to alienate the fans. Do the club really want it to be that crowds only turn up for big games and the playoffs.

It's March! Give your head a wobble. All this knee-jerking is just bizarre. You get no rewards for being at your best after six games. Wane will put the esablished names back in next week and we'll stuff London by 50. Then we'll be the team to beat once again!

The mob is fickle

Really?? This mentality seems bizarre...every win is as important as the next..Wane Forked up big time!!

With Warrington,Leeds,Catalans, Huddersfield and Wigan all being capable of turning each other over this year then every two points counts.

A loss against by far the worst team in superleague causes two big issues

1 loss of two ponts.

2 A chance to improve goal difference.

No team is a shoe in for top 4 this year as Sts are finding out.

Are you mental ?

I never said we would scrape into the 8, I said people on here who say we will.

FS, get a grip.

And I stand by my statement that finishing 5th or 6th is an uphill mountain to climb and we need to be top 2.

Im all for squad rotation and resting a few players throughout the season but I think Wane definitely took it too far. Resting Pat, Leuluai, Sam, O'Loughlin and Farrell when we already have Carmont, Fielden, Roberts, out injured, with Prescott not playing due to match fitness, it was just ridiculous. I'm quite disappointed that Wane hasn't held his hand up and admitted he was wrong, yes the players on the pitch shouldn't have thrown away an 18 point lead but they were inexperienced and had no idea what to do at the end of the game when we had chances to win it. We are the laughing stock of RL today and we deserve it.

Well said Dave.

Why would the RFL fine Wigan?

Today was much better for the game than if a full strength Wigan had beat Widnes 44-10 or whatever. It gives Widnes fans some hope for the season and brings excitement to the game.

It might have annoyed the Wigan fans that they have lost but at least Wigan have got faith in their young players, a lot of other clubs wouldn't produce the high quality youngsters that Wigan do so couldn't pick a squad like this.

So Wigan fans now accept that our 5th place finish was genius?
and it's not how you start it's how you finish?

couldn't you have said that and agreed with us last october?
Regards The SL and WCC champions Leeds Rhinos

Not read the whole thread but saint simons arrogance sums it up! What about the teams battling for the 8th spot? Teams who would really better financially from getting that spot? Not saying what Wigan did today was totally wrong but some of these so called big clubs fans attitudes.....

Resting players is fine, resting 5 in one game, was a mistake from Wane, but no surprise whatsoever that he didnt hold his hands up, whilst at times his arrogance/confidence is his biggest strength, I do wonder if it could be his biggest downfall as well.

Russell will be an outstanding player, and needs to be nurtured with a view to replacing Sam.

Mellor will never be good enough to lead a Wigan team around the pitch in SL and Logan Tomkins is at Wigan purely because of his surname.

We were utterly clueless at times today, no more so than when McIllorum went off and Finch was almost like a one man band, we could have snuck it with Josh's kick, but the pressure got to him I think.

As long as lessons are learned, we will be okay, but it was a great chance to rack up some points & good practice, as it is, the London game has suddenly become much more important.