This is just an observation about certain players being frozen out and others being shunted to one side, it has not been brought on by the defeat yesterday but something that as been on my mind most of the season.
I decided to post it now after reading the comments about Taylor and the puzzling way that after weeks of being missing being named in the 19 for the last couple of weeks of the play offs and it was obvious he would not play, was this a way of humiliating the player knowing he would not be at Wigan next season.
The same as been said about Goulding who is off to Hull next season, therefore nowhere near the team.
More puzzling to me though is the case of Hampshire and Hopkins, it was said on here very early in the Season( by a very well respected poster on this forum) that both Hampshire and Hopkins were made by walk from Orrell to the new Central park centre in full gear for turning up late for training.
Hopkins is a strange one Wigan paid Leigh a fee and he has been nowhere near the first team, he was loaned out to Workington, then he was brought back and still did get near the team. I have recently been informed that he was told to go to London and because he was in the process of buying a house he refused,
He was then told if he was not going to play he would have to do extra training on his own, he refused therefore a loan to Leigh was set up as well as next season.
It is being said that he will not be seen at Wigan again.
Finally Hampshire, even though plenty of fans on here have said that when Blake Green was injured Hampshire should be playing he was ignored, the only time Hampshire was picked was when Bowen was either injured or rested.
This brings me to yesterday morning, a poster going by the name of Pengy said MM was not playing and he was 100% convinced and that he had also heard a rumour that George Williams had been brought into the squad. Rouges posted back that he could not see the Williams rumour being right because he had not played for a couple of months.
I know that Hampshire himself has been injured but at least he has played a few matches for the u19s since he came back, why play a player who has not played for weeks when he could have played Hampshire, some will say on here that Williams was brought in as an hooker,
but Smith could easily go to hooker to allow Hampshire to come on.
Comments have been made today about Wigan swinging it wide at every opportunity and at times almost catching Saints out and only by Saints having the extra player were they able to contain Wigan.
It was calling out for a Wigan player to come back against the grain because Saints knew that Wigan would swing it wide every time, that player was Hampshire and in my opinion he could have made the difference.

This post has gone on a bit further than I envisaged but at least I have got it off my mind.

Critisism OMG!

Constructive observation.
Off to bed now.

Deciding last minute to move Smith to hooker mid-game is a big unnecessary disruption. That was the right call and the club is well run. One loss doesn't change that

Hampshire got injured himself very soon after the Green injury mid season so he wasn't available anyway. He also isn't a hooker so there was no point bringing him in yesterday. I went along to the 19's final last week as well and he looked well short of his best.

Also wasn't it Tierney and not Hampshire that had to do that walk in to town with Hopkins? All a bit if harmless fun like players having to dye their hair.

A player being sent off after two mins was our issue yesterday nothing else.

So, from what you're saying........

YESTERDAY WAS ALL ROCKY HAMPSHIRE'S FAULT ??????

Quick lads - I'll grab the pitch-forks, you grab a torch each and let's see if we can find him walking round Wigan,

Joking btw - Our only problem on Saturday, as NK pointed out, was a player seeing red after 2 minutes.

Let's not go looking for other excuses.

Pie Eyed maybe you misunderstand me, what I said about Hampshire was due to the fact that he as had a few matches (albeit for the under 19s) during the last month he must be more match fit than Williams, after reports that Williams hasn't had a match for getting on for two months.

We had Powell, Williams and Hampshire who as the 2014 season approached were all ready to be brought gradually into the first team who all started as halves in the academy but Hampshire is seen more as a FB now and is being developed (along with Tierney) in that role to take over from Bowen. Powell and Williams are both seen as either half back/hooker and are being developed in those roles. Surely then it makes sense that when Green/Smith were out one of the up and coming halves came in to replace them. Particularly as we knew Green was going so one of Powell/Williams would have to play most games at 6 in 2015. It was best therefore to give them the benefit of experience in that position this year to make them more ready to step in full time next year. It also allowed the coaching team to assess in first team games which of the two was best suited to each role.

With Hampshire seen as a FB then it also makes sense that the majority of his opportunities were when Bowen was not available or rested to give him more game time at first team level in a position he is still learning so that he too is well prepared to step in full time when Bowen goes. Putting Hampshire in at 6 instead of Powell/Williams means that he goes in in a position his training is likely no longer focussed towards and could potentially impact on his ability to adapt to the role of FB and could mean he is then less ready to take over at FB when the time comes. It also means that the players the coaches are looking to bring into that position don't get game time there so are less experienced when they have to step in in 2015.

I (like may other fans I am sure) would have liked to have seen Rocky get more games than he did this year but for one reason or another that didn't happen. I am confident though that our coaches know what they are doing with regard to bringing young players into the team. Hopefully he will get more chances (at FB) during next season.

As for Hopkins maybe he just wasn't as capable of making the step up as was first thought. It wouldn't be the first time that has happened with a player signed from the lower leagues.

Sorry mate. Obviously, my attempt at making any light of the situation was missed.

As the 4th line states:

"Joking mate........."

From now on, I will attempt to remain as dour-faced, apologetic and contrite as some opposing fans (and national media) would have you believe that the ENTIRE town of Wigan should be.

Hampshire hasn't physically developed enough to the stage where he can play hooker. He has a much slighter build than Williams or Powell.

Are the other two though? Soliola ran over the hooker for the crucial try in the second half to put us in the lead.

What makes me laugh on here is how certain you all are thet if Flower does not get sent off you win the game , far from it in my opinion , possible but not certain

What is certain, is that Stains struggled to close out a game against a team a man down....

Or did they have the conviction of keeping it in the forwards was the way to go and we'd get the win eventually as Wigan would miss a tackle or make a mistake like not jumping for a kick?

Either way, whatever your view, what is certain is that Saints closed out the game.

I said they struggled..

HTH

They did struggle as our remaining half back had gone, lots of positional changes having a second row at scrum half a full back at stand off and a prop forward at centre, you are not going to get a creative game.
Take Bowen, Smith, Green and O'Loughlin out of the team I think would Wigan would struggle a bit in a grand final.

Saints only had one option to play down the middle channel in offence and defence. When Wigan attacked out wide we had players quick enough to offer a scramble defence, as the Wigan players tired Saints were able to close the game down.

In theory a couple of days before the final Wigan were probably good for a 20+ points win, but with MM out of the final that margin appeared to be less................then the 2 min madness turned everything upside down.

Powell doesn't seem to have developed his game though. Simply not good enough to be a replacement for Green or McIlorum. Lacks pace, a kicking game and any physical threat to be a success at Wigan.

But Powell is not a hooker is he?

How good is Micky's kicking game? How much pace has he got? How much pace has Green got for that matter.

Let's judge Powell when he has had a chance to play in his preferred position for a while. Or if we aren't going to do that, then at least compare him fairly to the likes of Green and Micky.

Do you not think Bowen and Smith were a bit off par on Saturday, with the key pivotal positions of 1, 6,7, 9 and 13 only Green and O'Loughlin came up to standard.

It was Tierney who had to do the walk along with Hopkins. I believe it was a fine imposed by the players for being late for training.

As far as Smith goes, I think it is pretty hard for a SH to shine when he is playing behind a pack which is a man down.

Bowen, apart from the odd flash of brilliance, has been a disappointment to me all season.

I can tell you Hopkins was in a shocking state when he came back to us, Leigh. I understand you have an option after next season so it will be interesting what happens in a FT environment with us next season as to what you do

Players come and go, some fit in and some don't.
Those that don't, for whatever reason, leave.
Taylor wants to leave so why play him when others can develop their game. At the start of this season Flower and Taylor were our starting props. Up to last Saturday it was Flower and Crosby. Crosby, IMO, has improved massively since going to starting prop and replacing Taylor.
Next season Flower will be missing for a time so, coincidently, the games played by Crosby have served him and the club well. Who starts with Dom has probably still to be decided. We have Tautai arriving and Greenwood returning so maybe Sutton will step up as well.

This action is endemic of a club were not toeing the party line results in bullying and humiliation. Disgusting, Wigan. Wane out!

It's going to be a looooooong off season.