Title says it all really.

Great effort from the lads, left feeling disappointed but a fair result overall.

Thought they were better than us.

We had no answer to their attacks down our right flank and they looked likely to score at will, but credit to us, we defended well too.

Any other team tonight and we win.

The future is bright at Wigan.

Well said PEAPOI.

They were definitely the better side, and the score probably flattered us to be honest. But a good effort nonetheless.

Cracking to watch us playing against a great side. The NRL is the standard that Bristish RL needs to continue to aspire to.

Agree 100%. FR more clinical in attack and ruthless in defence. We showed glimpses of what we can do but overall the best team definitely won.

Fair result. All the points we identified pre-match: eg poor kicking game, discipline, and yet we still came close. Great effort from the lads, and a performance that would have beaten any team in SL.

Don't know if it was my expectations being too high, but I was a bit concerned just before ht at how knackered we looked.

Yep, great effort from the boys, and with only 2 recognised props too.

St.George were another level above any team I've seen Wigan face though.

Very fair comments as a saints fan totally enjoyed the game. bBoth sides would have beaten saints tonight. Well played Wiagn and how well did the Dragons defend.

They played well but the Aussies are something else to be honest.

One thing that needs to be said though is that Carmont did not deserve to be on the losing team tonight. I hope he doesn't retire this year. When hes fit hes one of the best players we have and spends alot of time being vastly underrated. Massive plaudits go out to him tonight.

Very fair result.

Totally agree re Carmont. Great player and very very underrated. Carmont vs Roberts? Hmm let me think about that for half a second.....

Disappointed but not downhearted.

Great credit to them. They've come to the other side of the world, not had a warm up game, lost the presence of their coach and played in a stadium with a partisan crowd.

I felt their defence was more intense than anything we're used to in SL. Sowerby absolutey kicked us to deeath. In the second half especially we were starting our attacks form our 10 metre line. We were unable to generate any sustained pressure on their line. Add in that some poor execution when we did build some pressure, left us struggling to score points in the second half. It didn't help either only having two frontline props and then to lose Gleeson really left us without experience and pure muscle. In attack Morris was the big difference. He was strong and quick and looked dangerous everytime he had the ball.

I was extremely pleased with our efforts and defence in the middle of the park. We were extremely aggressive at times. We'll learn from this though. Don't forget many of us felt winning the GF last year was a year too early, so to have given the Dragons the game we did is very encouraging.

The futures bright. The futures Wigan

I agree George was Wigans MOM for me by a long way. That's the best I have seen him play. He ran like a 2 year old. It's a great shame he is now at 'that' age.

I think we missed our props tonight and Sam was played out of position IMHO. Wasted at full back tonight. Our attacking options were minimal as a result.

Sams strength is his broken field play but you can't run the full length of the field in that sort of competition.

Spot on!

Very dissapointed this morning but the best team won.



I am slightly annoyed with Madge that a player who simply was not fit was in the starting line up.

It was a fantastic effort from us though and we did throw everything at them but their defence was immense. The difference at the end of the game was the St George backline, Gasnier, Cooper, Morris, Soward etc, it is a different class to ours and we missed Pat and a fully fit Gleeson last night.

A fantastic game but unfortunately someitmes the result does not always go your way. We can be part of this game next season and go on to win it I am sure.

The better side won on the night. Maguire took a chance with Gleeson and it backfired. Had Fielden been fit then I am led to believe that Gleeson and maybe Prescott would have been left out.

St. George were very efficient in what they did. Sam Tomkins was met with a wall of ten players in a line when returning the kicks. The loss of two experienced front line props was a massive blow as we didn't have the muscle to suck them in.
Look at the difference in how they defended close to the touchline, they gave us no room on the outside.

Slightly off topic I was sat alongside Stuart Cummings and Tony Brown and was querying the rule on water carrier and the other man on the field (who turned out to be the physio). He explained, politely, that the game was being played under International rules, so the water carrier can come on when his team is in possession and the physio can come on at any time. I then pointed out that both of them were on the field when Wigan had the ball so were in the eyesight of the Wigan players (taking up space).

His reply, "There's nothing we can do about it"

Can't disagree with anything that has been said so far in this thread. Very proud of the lads, they were just a bit (but only a bit) too good. Great game and although we lost I throughly enjoyed 2 teams going at each other for the full 80.

Well played Pie people. You weren't disgraced by any means, but the Aussie can play the game at a different level.

And what about Carmont? Oldest guy in your team, and a outstanding performance!

That sums it up very nicely

Well said. However I didn't feel too disappointed.
In fact that's the happiest I've felt when Wigan have been defeated. Strange feeling.

Gleeson should never have played, could see before game he wasn't right. stupid choice I think as 1) Wasted another forward interchange when we lacked forwards cos Joel had to move out to centre and 2) Contributed to the poor defending on our right hand edge. Charnley would have been better option as fully fit and pace to get him out of trouble if positioning wasn't perfect.

Where were you ? The cheap seats ?

ive said this before.........water carriers should be banned from the pitch in ALL matches , except when a tries been scored and the balls effectively dead. If a player needs a drink during open play, he should go to the touchline for one?......wont happen of course.

how many times have we seen a "water carrier" on the field and nobody has had a drink?

hes effectively COACHING............Francis Cummings of Leeds was an expert........you could see him talking to the players and pointing out gaps.......telling them where to attack.

back to topic............outplayed........simple as that

Just backs up what we've been saying for years.

Classy player.

very strange feeling at FT for me , almost a warm fuzzy feeling even though we didnt get the result , i could almost smile

we lacked the punch up front that lima and fielden would have provided

poor poor kicking game again from us , but i cant fault any one of them , 100% from every man jack

they worked on sam too with their kicking , how often do you see him cramping up ??

we can take a lot of positives out of that game , i even think it will do us good in the long run

What is impressive is this.
Eight out of the ten forwards that played last night have come through Wigan own academy system.
Of those ten only Coley is over thirty years of age.
Five are aged 23 or less, and Hansen and Precky are only 25.
Only Hoffman was an overseas quota player.

Believe George only 'found the game' in his early-mid twenties. The theory behind it is that helped him keep fresh legs even at 32. Bounces around like a 25 year old at times.

Without doubt one of IL's finest signings.