Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:17 pm  

Cas are a show pony side, last years grand final showed that and tonight backed it up, basically they cannot cope when it matters and I don’t think they have the players to get to the next level, and this may be controversial but I don’t think Powell is all that as a coach, he doesn’t seem able to get the team up for it when it actually matters, has he ever coached a team to win anything?

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:25 pm  

ThePrinter wrote:

Fully expect Wigan to continue the Wigan/Leeds stranglehold next week in the GF and make it 11 wins out of the last 12 years between the two teams at the big boys table whilst the kiddy table looks on enviously.

Finally, that's more like the Leeds fans I know, & you wonder why...

Anyhow, well done to Wigan.

I only caught the odd ten minutes here & there, but on all occasions they looked solid, very Aussie like.

Cas on the other hand, were so below par with their handling & decision making. To beat the best you have to play at the top of your game,all game.

If I was a Cas fan tonight I'd be so disappointed with my team.

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Sat Oct 06, 2018 12:52 am  

The Devil's Advocate wrote:

Finally, that's more like the Leeds fans I know, & you wonder why...

No that’s just me having a bit of fun and playing up to the stereotype and you duly bit.

I know why smaller clubs don’t like Leeds and Wigan, not that they’ll ever admit it.

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Sat Oct 06, 2018 4:57 am  

Darryl Powell has done the best job of anyone in any league in SL history, some of the clueless comments on here actually make me laugh.... in 2013 we had 3500 season ticket holders and the last days of Ian millward we actually got attendances of less than what our season tickets were and the whole playing staff were a joke. 2 weeks later DP came in and since then we have lost out on a LLS on the last day of the season, won the LLS, got to wembley and a GF and been a regular in the play offs..... warrington have been trying to crack the grand final for the best part of 2 dacades without success. What DP is trying to achieve at Cas is not hanging on one game.... it’s a long term project that might take a decade, however the club is as strong as ever and we are trying to get to the next level. All this is down to DP.... no other coach in SL history can claim to have done what DP has with similar resources.

Massive well done to Wigan, that was a defensive masterclass and they deserve a spot in the gf.

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:12 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

We just got the job done tonight with no fuss and played ideal play off rugby. I thought Cas lost their identity tonight which they built up last year and at times this season. They were kicking it out five mins in and trying to play a really conservative game and you’d have to go some to beat a Wigan side at that game when you consider a lot of our players have been grinding these games out for the best part of ten years now.

If Cas got the chance over I think they’d come and play a more expansive game.

You'd think so. I'm not sure the players have the necessary belief in the conservative style that DP seems to switch to for the games that count though.

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:49 am  

It winds me up that after 5 or 6 half decent games that Cas fans think so highly of Matau'tia, he's absolutely nowhere near the level of hardaker, his 1 on 1 defence is worryingly bad.

As for last night, at no stage this year have I thought we could be Champions based on what we've shown on the field. We've got nowhere near saints any of the 4 times we've played them, we've beaten wigan 1/4 times, at home we are as good as anybody in a league game, but the mental toughness is away from home against a good side when the chips are down.

We did well to finish 3rd but really we were by far and away the weakest of the top 4, we never had the performance like what wire had in them Thursday night, or nilling wigan in a cup quarter.

It's been a frustrating season of injuries, of poor choices going back a year ago with plotting someone at full back and hoping the best.

On the flip side, a decade ago we were consistently the worst side in the league. Just so frustrating to be in the mix but unable to play even a reasonable game standard wise when it matters.

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Sat Oct 06, 2018 7:10 am  

Cas Till I Die wrote:

Darryl Powell has done the best job of anyone in any league in SL history, some of the clueless comments on here actually make me laugh.... in 2013 we had 3500 season ticket holders and the last days of Ian millward we actually got attendances of less than what our season tickets were and the whole playing staff were a joke. 2 weeks later DP came in and since then we have lost out on a LLS on the last day of the season, won the LLS, got to wembley and a GF and been a regular in the play offs..... warrington have been trying to crack the grand final for the best part of 2 dacades without success. What DP is trying to achieve at Cas is not hanging on one game.... it’s a long term project that might take a decade, however the club is as strong as ever and we are trying to get to the next level. All this is down to DP.... no other coach in SL history can claim to have done what DP has with similar resources.

Massive well done to Wigan, that was a defensive masterclass and they deserve a spot in the gf.

I fully agree and don't think many on here would not go along with what you have said, it's been an amazing rise and all credit to powell and his team for making it happen, you are now firmly set as a top 4 side which is quite an achievement.

That said, it is starting to look a little like Huddersfield who not so long ago were winning hub caps and playing in the big play off games but never able to transfer regular round form to when it mattered into those big matches. Everyone was expecting/hoping Cas had learnt from the experience of last year but it was a very similar performance with players dropping the ball cold, kicking on the second play, taking the wrong option etc.. time and again. That for me is down to the players, it won't have been in the coaches game plan.imo for that squad to kick on now it needs a couple of proven winners who have been there and done it to come in and instill the belief into the rest of the squad, a bit like Hull did when they got Gaz Ellis and went on to claim 2 CC's.

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Sat Oct 06, 2018 7:24 am  

Towns88 wrote:

It winds me up that after 5 or 6 half decent games that Cas fans think so highly of Matau'tia, he's absolutely nowhere near the level of hardaker, his 1 on 1 defence is worryingly bad.

Goes to show how opinions can vary!
I don’t remember seeing Mata’utia make a mistake since he joined. No dropped balls and no missed tackles. In fact, he’s stopped a fair few trees that looked nailed on. He’s got strength, good footwork and a turn of pace when he brings the ball away from the line.
He’s not been with us long so it’s been hard to fit into the attacking structure and to clear that the combinations aren’t always bang on attacking the opposition’s line. But with a full preseason, if he improves this I think he can be every bit as good as Hardaker.
If I had to have an outside bet for next year’s MoS, he’d be it.

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Sat Oct 06, 2018 7:31 am  

Cas Till I Die wrote:

Darryl Powell has done the best job of anyone in any league in SL history, some of the clueless comments on here actually make me laugh.... in 2013 we had 3500 season ticket holders and the last days of Ian millward we actually got attendances of less than what our season tickets were and the whole playing staff were a joke. 2 weeks later DP came in and since then we have lost out on a LLS on the last day of the season, won the LLS, got to wembley and a GF and been a regular in the play offs..... warrington have been trying to crack the grand final for the best part of 2 dacades without success. What DP is trying to achieve at Cas is not hanging on one game.... it’s a long term project that might take a decade, however the club is as strong as ever and we are trying to get to the next level. All this is down to DP.... no other coach in SL history can claim to have done what DP has with similar resources.

Massive well done to Wigan, that was a defensive masterclass and they deserve a spot in the gf.

Two decades? We were a bottom half side for about the first decade of the last two decades. We won the CC in 2009 but finished tenth in SL, it was only the year later we started to become a top side with GF ambitions. That’s just eight years.

But I do agree. Sports fans are very blinkered and short sighted. They think in terms of one year, one month, one week, one game at at a time and don’t see the bigger picture. Cas are a work in progress. Cas in another three years will probably be better than they are now. So when you get people saying things like “Cas can’t handle the big stage” “Powell can’t get his teams up for it”, these are all experiences that can be used to improve on in the future.

Re: GAME ON : Wigan Warriors v Castleford Tigers - 19:45:00 : Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:00 am  

nottinghamtiger wrote:

Goes to show how opinions can vary!
I don’t remember seeing Mata’utia make a mistake since he joined. No dropped balls and no missed tackles. In fact, he’s stopped a fair few trees that looked nailed on. He’s got strength, good footwork and a turn of pace when he brings the ball away from the line.
He’s not been with us long so it’s been hard to fit into the attacking structure and to clear that the combinations aren’t always bang on attacking the opposition’s line. But with a full preseason, if he improves this I think he can be every bit as good as Hardaker.
If I had to have an outside bet for next year’s MoS, he’d be it.

Did you miss him roll the red carpet out for St helens first try last week ? Twice wigan made breaks last night and it's like he crops himself and almost ushers them through . He's done ok and I'm not blaming him for last night but reading comments like he's better than hardaker and potential mos are laughable imo.