Diabolical performance in the second biggest game of the season so far.

Very worrying as we've bottled both of those games. I don't think Ganson helped, but we were our own worst enemy. Far too many basic errors (handling or otherwise).

Warrington should have put 50 on us.

Hopefully our lads can pull it together for the run in. Performances need to improve dramatically because it's do or die rugby at this point in the season.

Look, I know the GF is a fantastic occasion and a great season-ender, but how is winning that cup competition any more of an acheivement than the Challenge Cup.

Compare your Challenge Cup run in 2011 to your play-off run in 2010.....I'd say the Challenge Cup was the greater acheivement, if you consider the sides you had to overcome.

Nah, the GF win in 2010 was far better than CC last year. It's just a bigger spectacle, it's what you play 30+ weeks for and it's ultimately the biggest prize clubs in this hemisphere can win.

The poster I quoted said us finishing top would be more of an acheivement than Wire winning the CC and GF! People may not like it but the Grand Final at Old Trafford is the pinnacle of the sport in this country, the winners there are crowned champions. The Challenge Cup is obviously still a big competiton though there is little interest in all rounds bar the final. The LLS is a nice bonus, but only if you can follow it up with the charge to the SL trophy. Finishing top then limping out of the playoffs is a disappointing finish to the season in my book.

It showed ALOT when Tony Smith laughed of Wires errors with 20 mins to go, thats how poor we really were

First chance I've had to come on here and agree with the first few posts. We look a way off in the big games and the forwards are powder puff against aggressive packs.

Hate singling out individuals but Hansen and McIlorum were woeful today but at least tried unlike Lee Mossop who has been a liability recently. He has gone backwards this year and his performances aren't acceptable at the minute IMO. He got bullied off the park today yet strides round like he's some sort of hard man.

Totally frustrated with him at the moment. He's a huge talent but he's letting games pass him by.

Agreed, he's missing so many one on one tackles. He had a bit of set to with Chris Hill who then made a mockery of him brushing him off for Harrison's try, I appreciate Lauaki flew out and made the gap but Mossop's gotta do better against a guy of similar size to himself. It was like an under 8s tackle.

I don't agree that Mossop has gone backwards this year. For the most part he's been outstanding although more so earlier in the year where he was definitely in form good enough to deserve his England call up.

In his three previous league games (not including Wire) he's been making great metres; in fact he has almost all season!

My worry with Mossop is that his last really bad game was against Leeds in the cup, a game where we needed the forwards to be at their very best and he wasn't.

Even more worrying is that despite being good at making the hard yards last week against Hull his tackling was appalling, missing some pretty basic tackles and he's done exactly the same again against Wire.

Before the Hull game he had missed just 5 tackles all year. Assuming he only missed the two blatantly obvious tackles that I can remember against Wire then he's missed the same number of tackles in the last two games. He's gone from a strong defender throughout the season to a big liability right now.

It's not just Mossop though. At the start of the season Lima was metronomic in his consistency, making well over 100 metres each game, rarely making mistakes and just generally running the ball again and again. Recently that consistency seems to have slipped and more errors have crept into his game.

They have started to get sloppy and lose concentration. They were a huge part of why we were so good early on and we can't afford them to lose form.

Lauaki puts in huge effort but he doesn't offer much impact or much to trouble a defence unless he's playing in a dominant pack of forwards. He's something of a luxury in that if the defence is on the back foot he adds a lot with his footwork and the fight he shows in the tackle but his physical presence isn't necessarily good enough to trouble a strong defence.

Mind you, I'm not sure I should offer any sort of defence of Mossop because that 'tackle' attempt on Chris Hill was an absolute shocker at any level and I wouldn't argue if Wane dropped him purely for that.

It's good to see so many of being honest and fair, although I think youre being a bit too harsh on your team. I actually think you defended quite well, if you look at our tries quite a few came off your own mistakes and we rarely cut you open. I'd actually say that you played with too much intensity, players trying a bit too hard which led to mistakes. It was the most ill disciplined Wigan team I've seen for a while, you seemed more intent on trying to be hard rather than sticking to the game plan. I think playing Finch was a mistake and without TL you seemed to lack that spark player who set the tone in defence and attack, and you need more depth in the three-quarters. All in all the game was played at a level above any other in SL this season and we're both clearly the two best teams. You're still in pole position in terms of claiming the LLS and get a week off soon to regroup before the Saints match.Good luck for the rest of the season.

Having just checked the morning papers, i see that non of the three trophies as yet have a name on them. But, it would appear that Wigan were last night soundly beaten by Warrington.

That's a relief, I went to bed last night believing that the season was over and all 3 trophies had all been won.

You have to question McIlorum, massively. When a tight forward battle is ensuing, the quality and consistency of your acting half's passing an decision making has to be spot-on. A lack of concentration (knock-ons, forwarded passes), to me is a direct consequence of trying to go around belting people. Totally unprofessional.

The Warrington rlfc are looking for people who are qualified in the art of engraving there are 3 large silver objects that need our name putting on them the first will be on august 25th and the last will be early october

so its not the fault of the players over running the play? Yes he was poor at times but not all his fault. Not only did we over run at times but had dummy runners getting in the way then there was the times we passed to no one. Its gone wrong since Tommy was injured but what concerns me most about that is how much finch has gone off the boil since. I full expected him to step up, but he has gone the other way. I think he is missing him more than than the team is.

Too many stupid mistakes led to us not having enough ball and field position which in turn led to the pack in particular being dead on their feet after 20 mins. Certain forwards in particular have a tendancy to make big mistakes at crucial moments and the mistakes that McIlorum, Prescott and Mossop made were criminal at any level. Without completing your sets and playing much of the game in your own half you severely fatigued compared to your opposition and this was the case yesterday. You are also always going to lose and in some ways it is a miracle that we only lost by 20 points as the scoreline certainly didnt do Warrington justice. Indeed if there was on thing to take from yesterday it is the way we stuck in there and defended, it is just that we played far too dumb to give ourselves a chance.

Well, its a dying art in Warrinton as its hardly been needed for many many years...

Not really. Players have bad games. He put himself all over the field against Hull and was the best player by a country mile but yesterday wasn't his day. Going around belting people is a direct consequence of trying to go around belting people.
Making mistakes in his case is a direct consequence of just trying to do too much when everyone else doesn't seem to be up for it.

Looking at the posts it could be argued that we 'peaked too soon' in the league. Once again you do have to question the team selection.
Finch, who from warm up obviously wasn't fit. but to bring Prescott back for a match like this after 6 game out??? Other posters point to Mossop and Hansen going backwards true, but Prescott other than keeping the medical team in work what else does he offer us? I am afraid that the only consistency he shows is being injured.
Why wasn't one of the 20s picked ? Crosby or Flower ? lets face it they couldn't have performed any worse.Waney says he had to pick Finch why again? couldn't logan been drafted in.
Yes we may have had an inexperienced team but we wouldn't have lacked youthful enthusiasm.

Sorry guys I hope I am wrong but thats it!!!! lets get the shopping list out for next season. 2 big solid forwards, 2 halfbacks who posses a tactical kicking game to get the team moving, experienced centre unless we can persuade George to stay another year!. Oh and another hooker to put pressure on Micky Mac.
A training regime that teaches how and when to pass the ball out of a tackle and how to time a pass , all schoolboy stuff I admit but we seem to have forgot.

Current end of term report reads promised so much but failed to deliver. Could do better .
Thats it! off me chest I think I will go and have a lie down in a dark room...................................................

Spot on. A first half completion rate of 50% should have seen us 30 points behind at half time, but the effort we put in keeping it so close told in the second half. It's all those unforced errors that are worrying me (it's not just this game, either, we've been the same for a few games now, but other teams haven't been able to take advantage as Warrington did).

Ask the players which they would rather win, GF wins hands down.

Is it possible that Shaun Wane being a native son and a Wigan supporter meant that he has wanted his team to be firing on all cylinders every week?. For example, Widnes being a 'revenge game', when Wane sounded more like a fan in his view that Widnes were owed one.

It is impossible to put the same level of emotion and meaning into every weekly round. There will be peaks and valleys throughout a long season and the best coaches know how to select when to ramp it up. Hell, the best coaches know when a loss is not a bad thing, and use them to their advantage. These things come with experience.

We were bloody awful in attack and defence. Playing like that going into the business end of the season is a big worry. For me we are way Behind Warrington and also Leeds . I can see the grand final being the same 2 as the challenge cup .

Simple - there are a few players in the squad who need to be dropped (NOT rested) and this should be done publically so they are in no doubt that they have been dropped. For me it seems that some players performances have dropped a lot recently and they are still selected every week. IF we have to play younger players then fine at least they will put in 100% effort unlike some latley.

Plus playing unfit players is a big mistake - Wane needs to get this into his head NOW.

The SEETHING is strong with this one

Actually think this is the most rational post on this thread. I was going to post something similar. Gutted with the way we played but it's not the doom and gloom some folk have been saying. This was a big game, but so was the saints away game earlier this season and we did ok in that with some injuries too.

One halfback unfit to play and one still new to the team. Many stupid mistakes early on and defending for ages in our own half on a hot day took its toll. Always chasing after that and simply weren't good enough on the day. Sure we need to be better and soon, but we can do it. A week off will actually do us a lot of good for play-offs with regards to injuries, although would rather be at Wembley.

Also, saying the youngsters should be embarrassed is embarrassing. Wane has debuted about 11-12 this year which is great for the future. Thought thornley did ok considering his experience. Many old pros would have been mugged by Monaghan in that match. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and is free to criticise but just think there has been some over-reaction.