Biggest game of the year so far on Saturday how are we looking? Did anyone play their way into the game last night?

I would go:

French
Manfredi
Hardaker
Gildart
Burgess
Hastings
Leuliai
Partington
Powell
Flower
Isa
Farrell
Harvard

O’loughlin
Smith
Shorrocks
Kilner

I think Bullock did enough last night to play on Saturday, Kilners time will come.

Bullock is the kind of player we need for games like this. He's a big roughhouse who doesn't take a backward step. That isn't something you can say about all our forwards. He'd be in my 17 for sure.

I agree but doesn’t he have a broken hand? I was shocked to see him in the line up last night so wouldn’t expect him to back up again so soon. There’s no point I. Playing someone who isn’t 100% fit in a semi final.

In his interview on Wigan tv he says he's ready to play.

Good selection would like to see greenwood in there. We’ll see how lockers is I guess.

I think he was purposely kept to limited minutes last night. Looked to me to be blowing the cobwebs off in readiness for the weekend - a fitness test of a fashion.

Bullock/Greenwood to replace Kilner
Lockers starts game - Havard at prop with one of the other 2 (Possibly flower) coming off bench

French
Manfredi Hardaker Gildart Burgess
Hastings Leuluai
Havard Powell Partington
Isa Farrell Lockers

Subs
Bullock Greenwood Shorrocks Smith

Clark and Hankinson 18/19th men.

Subject to injuries I think the starting 17 is pretty spot on.
The only possible difference maybe Flower for Shorrocks. I believe that Flower was pretty narked about having to play last night and that maybe showed in his display. Depends if Lam wants as much experience as possible in the squad for Saturday.

I hear a lot about him being ‘narked’ about this and that. Who does he think he is? His form, discipline and injury record far from justify a starting spot every week.

If Flower was annoyed about that in addition to being annoyed about losing his squad number, I suggest he takes a look at how he’s performed over the last couple of years. His form when playing has been non existent and more often than not he’s injured. He’s looked so far off the pace in his last couple of appearances even though the effort is very good. It just looks like his body isn’t up to it anymore.

Shorrocks will play for certain IMO with him being left out last night. I think it’ll just be a decision of 2 from Clark, Bullock, Greenwood, Flower and Byrne to go on the bench alongside Shorrocks and Harry Smith.

Wasn't Flower narked at losing his squad number earlier this season?

TBF I'd be peed off if I lost my squad number to Tony Clubb

I think George Burgess took it off him (which on current evidence could be seen as even worse).

As it stands I think him and Clark just miss out on the 17 as Greenwood provides more flexibility for us as a sub. I thought Bryne was the worst of our props last night and is probably on the outer atm.

Well aye number for number. Burgess was always going to be a starting prop but you would expect to be the other if you were Flower.

Agree, it’s a shame because he looked great since lockdown before he apparently got Covid.

George Burgess, Clubb and Singleton all up for Selection in 2 weeks, with Smithies next week.

Should be good competition for places.

Is 'Flower is narked at having to play against Saints' going to be the new 'Hastings isn't going to come to Wigan'? Where we hold it against him with no evidence (yes I know there was the squad number interview which annoyed me too).

I know what you're saying, but those are three pretty poor options to have coming back imo. I doubt any of our current props are looking over their shoulder at these.

I agree, we have so many props but lack REAL quality (Havard and oli P are great but still Kids)

In no particular order

1 GBurgess
2 Clubb
3 Flower
4 Bullock
5 Clark
6 Partington
7 Havard
8 Bryne
9 Singleton
10 Kilner

Never known depth like it number wise but it still think in the big games we will struggle to match the quality of “Cooper and Hill” and also “Walmsley and Graham”

I understand his major ‘Nark’ is that he’s been done out of a testimonial by IL in moving him on to Toronto (presumably he’ll still leave this winter). I think that has left him in a position of being peeved at anything and everything.

We should’ve gotten rid to Catalan when we had chance and not had him sulking around all year.

Can I just say...


it's Byrne, not Bryne


I suffered in silence through years of Sean Wain, etc., but the wrong spelling is starting to become more common than the right one here!

And you could add 'not really a prop' Joe Shorrocks to your list as well. I don't see Graham as much of a threat. His best days are well behind him. Mind you, so are the first three on your list!

Especially with the 6 again rule change. I heard that was one of the reason Graham was shifted on to saints because he couldn’t cope with this rule. At the time it wasn’t in place in the SL. It’s the new crop of props coming through who are more suited to the game at the moment.

We’re in a really unusual position with the props IMO in that it’s an area of weakness currently but with absolutely massive potential to become a real area of strength in the next year or two. We’ve got a couple of guys past their best, who if we moved on and replaced them with one experienced top quality prop, we’d suddenly look in such a better place. We have Bullock who has come on leaps and bounds this season and we then have Partington, Havard, Byrne and Kilner, who are all quality young players and if they keep developing as I expect will become top players.

I think we’ll be sat here in another 12 months saying the prop position is finally in a really good position tbh.