People rightly talk about George Carmont as one of our unsung heroes but for me Andy Coley was simply immense tonight and is another player who deserves praise for another big game performance.

When you consider that we had no Lima or Fielden it was really down to him to show the way forward and he didnt let anybody down.

Awesome signing.

He really stood up today, as did the rest of our pack. We really matched their big guys considering we had Fielden and Lima out. Just the backs that were the difference IMO.

I know Coley will probably retire at the end of the season but I hope he doesnt. He seems to get better every year, as does Carmont.

I thought Prescott was better but yes Coley was superb. We were not beat in the forwards, we were beat outwide. Their backs are awesome in both defence and attack.

i thought coley was brilliant for you tonight, looked like he really wanted to win it! gave everything, and i dont remember him putting a foot wrong! played very well!

was talking to the stats man after the game and he said that Coley made 39 tackles and had 17 hit ups. he looked hungry tonight.

Coley was great. All the side was we just came against a quality outfit...which in my eyes are exactly the same as us, style of play etc.....but just that bit better.

I don't think tho that we can claim Lima as a loss/missing player. He wasn't part of the squad that got the team to the world club challenge. The game should be played at the end of the season not beginning of next, potentially completely different squad.

Proud performance tho....st George, congrats!

Agree

Should have been a walk in to the last 4 Nations touring party, should again this year.

Has always had the potential but has realised it under Madge.

Some of his his tonight were massive. Everything he does is hurtful in both attack and defence. For me our best Prop by some distance last year and continued where he finished last year thus far.

Also massive wrap for Mossop, makes huge hits and constantly puts us on the front foot, almost always found his front tonight and most weeks generating quick play the balls, and once he matures and adds an offloading game he could very well bo one of the top Props in the game.

I thought Prescott was also very good early but faded a bit as he tired.

I thought Coley was solid and reliable tonight, who gave everything and did lots of time. However I thought Mossop did very well as well. Whenever he got the ball he looked dangerous. Prescott also looked strong.

Good luck to Lima and Fielden, it'll be though for them to get back in the side.

I did too, he ran the ball in very hard during the first half. We just needed Fielden or Lima in our side, and we definitely needed Pat and Gleeson to be fit so we had more quality out wide.

When we first signed him I'll admit I was his biggest critic, but he has just got better and better and improved beyond all recognition. He was my MOM by a long way last night.

Coley should have played for longer last night.

As others have said he looked hungry and up for it.

For me he’s the most consistent player at Wigan. Week in and week out you can count on Coley to be a monster in defence and gain hard yards in attack.

If would have signed him at 25/26years old he’d be a Wigan legend by now

The Wigan performance was superb last night , but we were taught a lesson in how to control a game, (SPEED IT UP AND SLOW IT DOWN ETC)

I thought there where massive performances from Coley and the pack, but again our injuries stripped us of a little bit of depth required at that level.

If i can make one excuse for this team is that it won its first trophy last season and has had to step up to a level the squad as a whole has never played at , however they give it a massive go and where unlucky just some silly lapses in concentration cost us

I hope madge and waney can lift the boys for an onslaught on the SL and Challenge cup and wipe the floor with all they face as they have nothing to fear whatsoever against any SL team

Wigan will be back in the WCC next year and will be much better for this experience

Defo, IL has always said we are 12 months further down the line than what we should be.

Although we are the champions I still don’t think we’ve got into the habit of winning those close, big games. We’ve won a few but we’ve also lost a few as well, Wire & Leeds at home last year, Leeds away in the cup and the Saints game this season are all examples of us possibly lacking that extra bit of experience to hold our nerve and close the match out. That’s what guys like Lima and Finch were signed for and they will improve us over the next 12 months but possibly last nights game just came to soon for us.

Enjoying this thread, especially as i had to contend with some berk in the Brickmakers arms after the game telling me that Coley had a stinker!

Could not quite believe my ears.

Mind you he also informed me that real reason Stuart Fielden did not play was because "he bottled it!" and that he "is always injured"



In general i think that Wigan has more than its fair share knowledgeable fans, but we do have a vast amount of numpties who criticize every aspect of the team. Never fails to wind me up.

Andy Coley was mom last night by a country mile. As Jonh mentioned previously, he hurts them with or without ball in hand. He can be an absolute beast when he wants to be.

Hopefully we will get 1-2 more years out of him and how he is not in the England team is beyond me.

If we had him and Scruton in there the Aussies would be getting whacked all over the shop.

Agree entirely.
Some of Coley's hits last night were bell ringers!
Him and Mossop had there best games in Wigan jersey's last night IMO

Agreed. I was talking to a couple in the Orwell who reckoned our lads weren't up for the game and didn't look interested!

Coley was outstanding last night- we missed him when he went off (and fielden naot being available).

Prescott had a pretty strong game too especially considering he's been getting a bit of flak recently.

I get wound up when I try and talk to them. I really have to bite my tongue sometimes.

No offence to the "older" generation as a whole, but there are a lot of them knocking around who are never happy. They are still comparing players to Jim Sullivan and Billy B etc and would not be happy even if we tonked Saints 100 nil in the CC final

I think its stems from a desire to appear more knowledgeable and controversial, but in reality just makes them look ignorant and dare i say it......stupid?

Bingo. I was talking to someone who said "Wane's team would have licked both sides by 30".

I agree, really thought Prescott stepped up last night, considering it sounds like he wasn't fully fit. I was beginning to wonder if Leeds away in the playoffs had been a one off. Coley was outstanding as you say, he should have walked into the England team.

Coley was Man of the Match by a country mile for me. I recall one defensive set second half in which he was involved in every single tackle.

Coley has been a beast for a while now. He was superb last season and has started this season where he left off.

Im sure any of the St George players who were on the end of one of Coley's many big hits didnt wake up this morning thinking that they played in a pre-season friendly last night!