Well we all know this, its been discussed to death. But it changes in a year (I just hope to god they get it right then) - for now we've just got to accept it as it is. This year its ended up favouring us whereas last year it didn't.

Definitely a lot of people looking a bit daft on this thread. As I said last week, I thought we played OK last week and there were good signs. We followed it through tonight and played extremely tough - the only concern now is whether a week off is a good thing for us. But we're back in a good position and with reason to be optimistic.

The week off is good, we don't get battered, the others do. And, we can work on moves I'm certain we have in reserve.

I must admit, for the first time in quite a while I'm glad that we've got a week off.

Wigan have seemed to slip into holiday mode during weeks off in the past, but this season, which has been one of the strangest ones I can remember for years, it feels different.

Whatever Wane's doing behind the scenes, whether it's all part of some master-plan, or he has simply managed to get the team back into form at just the right time (having already won the Cup, of course), I've got to give him a lot of credit.

I've been having serious doubts about SW in the last few weeks, but if he can get Wigan to Old Trafford and win the Grand Final, which suddenly feels possible again, it will be an astonishing achievement on top of the CC, eclipising anything that Michael Maguire managed with a more experienced team. He'll surely be the Wigan coach for years and years to come.

i know that my supposedly "Happyclappy" view counts for little in some quarters, but i have always had faith.

I don't subscribe for a moment to the view that Leeds finished 5th deliberately, they did end up there, and worked from the position they were in, and i don't believe for a moment we have aimed for 4th. What Leeds achieved has caused others to look at the competition differently and act accordingly. Wane and the back-room staff have looked at the situation and at the seasons injuries and have acted accordingly. Sam, Smith, Green and Lockers have all been injured, our main play-makers, it's not surprising that our attacking play has suffered! So they, the management team, have fielded weaker teams than they would have preferred, of that I'm certain. All with the aim of looking too the September/October competition. The management team will not have been looking at the next game like many fans will, they will have planned for the season as a whole, and have contingencies for injuries and the like.

Will we win, i don't know, but we are in a good position to do so. I hope from here on in some of our more negative posters will try to be a little more positive, much as it may pain them to do so.

I'll just finish with the much quoted saying "If you listen to the fan's, you end up sitting with them".

With the best will in the world, the fans only ever have half the facts at their fingertips - often considerably less. Even those whose main purpose online is to turn themselves into legends of inside info can't possibly know what's going on in total, despite pestering their 'contacts' on a daily basis for all the juicy gossip.

If Wigan manage to get to Old Trafford (regardless of the final result), this will ultimately have been a very good season for Shaun Wane and he'll have justified the faith the club's management have shown by extending his deal.

The lads have had three months off to work on moves

To be honest I would already describe it as a good season. If before a ball had been kicked you had offered me 4th, 80 mins from the GF and a Cup win I'd have snatched your hand off.

Yea lets rewind the clock back to January, we had lost a lot of quality players and didnt really have a big signing to boot. We were, what 4/5 th favourites?
Now in September we have a cup in the cabinet and we are 80 mins from a big p1s5 up in Manchester. Thats not a bad season in anyones book

Correct. They've already overachieved IMO. Very well done to all irrespective of what comes next.

We've made (at least) the semi's of the play-offs every year since 2007 - they're just doing what's expected.

Im not convinced yet. I thought Huddersfield were very poor in the second half and looked like we did in last years play offs - burned out. I honestly don't think we were that much better than the week before against Leeds but Leeds forwards were on fire in that game. Did Leeds forwards put so much into that game last week that they had nothing left in the tank today V Warrington? Who knows but a lot of the points made in this thread will be answered in the next few weeks.

They looked like us in last years play offs?

We hammered Catalan in the first week then lost by a point to Leeds in the semi.

LMAO.

Absolute bolleaux.

There is no way on this earth that you could have "seen" anything in the performance vs Leeds that has justified the win over Hudds.

You may have suspected, hoped, prayed, desired...........whatever. But unless you are "Mystic Jonh" there is no way that you could have "seen".

Great result, but we will have to step up again on the basis of todays (Warrington vs Leeds) game.


Compare Burrow to our halves.............hmm.

What is obvious is the fact that we managed to ramp it up a notch in terms of intensity.

That is promising.

Brett, my old love, re read the thread. I stated exactly why I thought a performance was coming, it's pretty much word for word what happened.

It has nothing to do with being "mystic", it has everything to do with knowing the game and noticing players condition.

If you cannot see these things when watching a game then do not get ratty when others can.

I also find it interesting that you compare a lad that plays most of the time at hooker with our halves, but that sums you up.

Clueless.

a boring sunday now just got interesting,

I have better things to do. The reasoning and thoughts on why I expected us to perform are in black and white on this thread.

Brett can have a pop, it's standard Brett, I expect nothing less.

Getting to the GF really is in our hands now. We have a week off and then a home tie against either Hull/Huddersfield - both of whom we have made look very ordinary in recent one-off games, or Leeds/Saints - who will have knocked 10 bells out of each other whilst our squad was watching them do just that on TV.

I think the only side that can stop us doing the double now is Warrington.

Jonh- I am not having a "pop" (though in fairness I can see why you would think this).

I just do not believe that anyone could have predicted our performance on Thursday based on the performance vs Leeds


Personally I believe we would have lost to any of the top 4 apart from Huddersfield. I think we will need to improve (which of course we can do) to beat Leeds or Warrington.

As for your comment re Burrow- he effectively plays halfback. You are showing yourself up as clueless if you think it's not appropriate to compare him to our halves.

Yet I did predict it and my reasons for it are highlighted in the thread. Go figure.

Burrow plays as a scooting hooker looking to capitalise on quick play the balls and lazy markers.

Our halves are more structured and controlling so I still fail to see where the comparison is appropriate. Far more relevant to compare him with Logan.

I was honestly expecting to come on here and see us all united in ridiculing Hudds fans' arrogance, praising Wane and the players, dreaming of going all the way, etc. I'm somewhat saddened to see this thread and others full of point scoring, gloating and grudging praise.

For me, I am delighted to see us raise our game when it mattered in the CC final and on Thursday. Leedsesque IMO and a credit to all involved.

Still think IL is wrong re Mossop, Sam and the whole transfer/contract scenario though, so I'm not in the clapping camp just yet!

Absolutely agree with that.

Huddersfield haven't been made to look that ordinary in the League this year.
Wire did it to them in the cup but that was at HJ.
Great game from the players and the back up from the coaching staff.
That first 30 mins was bloody tough!

In fairness to JonH, immediately after the Leeds game he posted on his FB his predictions and improvements he saw physically in the side and expected a massive improvement this week and it happened. I didnt see that performance coming but some people see things in the game and players that others dont. I think its a statment of fact that he predicted this as thats exactly what happened, it wasnt a case of hope it was a definitive statment of what he saw and what he felt would happen. It did.