[urlhttp://www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-warriors/selection_headache_for_maguire_1_1493616[/url

Great news just ahead of the play-off's

along with Fielden "set to stay on" no other details thou

Sounds like good news about Fielden staying.

Its the Wigan Evening Post.

I'd take:

FB 2 Roberts
RW 24 Goulding
RC 3 Gleeson
LC 4 Carmont
LW 20 Pryce
SO 1 Phelps
SH 6 Sam
P 8 Fielden
H 7 Leuluai
P 17 Paleaaesina
SR 16 Bailey
SR 29 Tuson
LF 25 Farrell

S 13 O'Loughlin
S 15 McIllorum
S 19 Prescott
S 21 O'Carroll

Give the players returning from injury a run out before the play offs and give a rest to the star players and the older guys. He'll probably go with a full team with a view to building momentum but I just worry that it's been a long season with 3, maybe 4 really tough games ahead. I'd rather take the chance to rest a few bodies and have a look at some of the fringe players.

There's some really interesting positional battles to look at too with Pryce and Goulding fighting over one wing spot, Bailey and Tuson battling over a bench spot, Feka O'Carroll and Prescott all going for two bench spots and Roberts, Deacon and McIllorum only have two spots between them. This would be a good chance to see which fringe players are best to take into the play offs.

O'Carroll and Bailey are injured.

So you would deny Pat Richards the chance to break Andy Farrells record, and thus become a true Wigan legend?
Very strange .

What........ no Paaaaaaaaaat, as the once famous tennis player said. "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!!!!!!"

1. Amos
2. Goulding
3. Gleeson
4. Carmont
5. Richards
6. Sam Tomkins
7. Deacon
8. Fielden
9. Riddell
10. Coley
11. Farrell
12. Joel Tomkins
13. O'Loughlin

14. McIllorum
15. Feka
16. Prescott
17. Tuson

may get a bit of stick for leaving leuluai out for this friday but I feel deacon could be the key for us getting to old trafford. we need the experience of deacon to move us around the pitch. McIllorum needs the minutes.

Roberts needs to be at full back! We looked deadly when amos was on form at full back. Lets get him firing for the playoffs, his confidence looked to be returning last week and nows the chance for him to shine at full back!

1. Sam
2. Roberts
3. Gleeson
4. Carmont
5. Richards
6. Deacon
7. Leuluai
8. Fielden
9. Piggy
10. Coley
11. Farrell
12. Joel
13. Lockers

McIlorum
Prescott
Feka
Tuson

Bradford's defence has been dreadful of late, let Sam have some fun at FB.

Normally, I'd suggest giving Prescott & McIlorum a run out in the reserves first, but since this is kind of a "nothing" game, it makes sense to bring them straight back in.

Roberts
Goulding
Gleeson
Carmont
Richards

Sam T
Leuluai

Fielden
Riddell
Prescott
Farrell
Joel T
O'Loughlin

McIlorum
Coley
Feca
Tuson

In the middle of writing that exact same team - you've saved me the bother.

Didn't realise he was on for a record, which is it, points in a season?

Rested not dropped, didn't realise he was chasing a record. If he got injured in this game we'd be gutted.

Points in a Super League Regular Season. Andy Farrell has the record with 388 points set in 2000. Pat is currently on 374 points.

That's some effort from Farrell considering he was playing loose!

plus, pat's already in with a shout of top try scorer, goal kicker and points scorer as well as farrells wigan points record. so, the team on friday should give pat all the assistance needed to finish top in all three categories.

Hence why it's the record

Roberts omitted from the squad.

S Tomkins,
Charnley, Gleeson, Carmont, Richards,
Deacon, Leuluai,
Fielden, Riddell, Coley,
J Tomkins, Farrell,
O'Loughlin.

Feka, Tuson, Prescott, McIlorum.

I can't understand why Amos is out unless he is injured or some other domestic matter.

Give him another week in the reserves. he just needs to be fully fit to fire I think, he's said as much really in his interviews. Give him a mini pre-season and get him back 100% firing for the playoffs.

What they may do is to play Roberts at stand off in the U20's again to give him more game involvement.

IMO Sam is better at 1, but I'd play him as a 6 on friday for damage control. Wrap him up in cotton wool. Use Amos as FB he'll still get game involvement and he played fantastically there in the past.

Works for me.

Gives him a good 80 minute workout in less physical conditions.

The team have had two weeks off in the last month. Why would anyone need another rest?

They have also busted a gut over 26 rounds to get us safe at the top with a game to go. Plus we haven't been able to rotate team much because injuries have dictated the side most weeks. Plus we have the play offs and final to think about, we may well have to play four games in a row against top 6 opposition, so an extra weeks rest might just help to keep them fresh, also if one of our top players got injured in a dead rubber we would be kicking ourselves. Also its a good chance to get a look at some of the fringe players to see who's in form ready for next week. Phil Clarke made a point about this last year when he said that resting a couple of players for a dead rubber doesn't neccessarily weaken the team, because the players coming in will be trying to break into the team, rather than just thinking about next week.

I disagree. Now is not the time start looking at "fringe" players or messing about with the team. The play-offs start here and we need to play with that intensity on Friday so we don't go in cold in week 1. As for injuries, they are part of the game which is why we have a squad, you can't keep players in cotton wool and then expect them to play at 100% in a high intensity game.

We are in a better position than our major rivals who haven't had the same rest we have over the last month. I'm struggling to see how any more is beneficial.