Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Thu Jan 04, 2024 4:33 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

There is no way we’ll catch them off guard. To beat them will be one hell of an ask and Saints result only make it harder for us IMO. They (Saints fans) can like it or not but Penrith treated that fixture last year with real arrogance and I don’t think they’ll do it again. I actually came across the highlights on YouTube the other day of the Saints game and the NRL site had titled them ‘Pre season Round 2’. That didn’t mean Penrith saw it like that but it tells a story of what the general feeling was over there.

I reckon we've got 30 to 60 mins max before we see a Saints fan pop-up to refute everything you've said. They can't help it.

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Thu Jan 04, 2024 4:41 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I reckon we've got 30 to 60 mins max before we see a Saints fan pop-up to refute everything you've said. They can't help it.

I don’t get why it’s so insulting to them. If Penrith play at their best against us, are totally switched on and we don’t get the bounce of the ball, they’ll beat us and so they should. They treated that Saints game pretty much as a friendly but that doesn’t take away from the achievement. A team spending 4 times what you can, playing on home soil and being lauded as possibly the best Australian team of all time, should still win the game, even taking it lightly. It was an amazing victory for Saints, no doubt about it.

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Thu Jan 04, 2024 4:59 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

I don’t get why it’s so insulting to them. If Penrith play at their best against us, are totally switched on and we don’t get the bounce of the ball, they’ll beat us and so they should. They treated that Saints game pretty much as a friendly but that doesn’t take away from the achievement. A team spending 4 times what you can, playing on home soil and being lauded as possibly the best Australian team of all time, should still win the game, even taking it lightly. It was an amazing victory for Saints, no doubt about it.

Spot on and, like you said earlier, facing them this time is even more of a challenge. They won't be caught off guard twice, so it will take a herculean effort to turn them over. I'd go as far as to say that, if we played them away, it would be almost impossible.

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Thu Jan 04, 2024 5:04 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Spot on and, like you said earlier, facing them this time is even more of a challenge. They won't be caught off guard twice, so it will take a herculean effort to turn them over. I'd go as far as to say that, if we played them away, it would be almost impossible.

The hope for us are the exits of Crichton and Leniu but any team with a spine including Edwards, Luai, Cleary and Yeo is going to be a monstrous challenge. Add in Leota and JFH and we’ll need everything to fall our way. It’s going to be a great night regardless of the result and you just never know what can happen.

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Thu Jan 04, 2024 5:48 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

The hope for us are the exits of Crichton and Leniu but any team with a spine including Edwards, Luai, Cleary and Yeo is going to be a monstrous challenge. Add in Leota and JFH and we’ll need everything to fall our way. It’s going to be a great night regardless of the result and you just never know what can happen.

Stopping Leota, Fisher-Harris and Liam Martin in the first 10/15 minutes will be crucial. They set the physical tone for Penrith for the spine to play off the back.

Met them three physically. Move up quick/kick pressure on Cleary. To’o is the most dangerous outside back, similar to Makinson. I’d bomb him to restrict him taking a proper carry.

As you’ve said Leniu is a big loss, they should have too much experience coming off the bench but knowing them they’ll be very good young players.

Should be a great game, Panthers are 4 point favourites with the bookies and that’s probably about right.

Should be low scoring.

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Thu Jan 04, 2024 11:09 pm  

So looking at our fixtures prior to Penrith on 24th Feb at the moment we have:

26th Jan - Wakefield A (Friendly)
4th Feb - Hull FC A (Testimonial)
17th Feb - Cas A (SL Rd 1)

So, surely we go strong from the off playing almost full strength at Wakey then full strength at Hull, obviously we will at Cas. I'd even suggest an additional friendly needs to be arranged for 10th/11th Feb. Too long a gap from the Hull game to the Cas game to keep us on point.

By the way, not seen anything relating to Penrith friendlies yet, anything happening there yet? Fully expect a SL team to provide a match and training venue prior to playing us.

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Sun Jan 07, 2024 5:32 pm  

Big block of tickets just disappeared from N2, be fantastic if Penrith have organised a supporters trip

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Tue Jan 09, 2024 10:57 am  

20k barrier broken now, should be a great occasion and hopefully a full house under the floodlights.

Are the club allowing the flags to go back above the South Stand again? Wonder if the club themselves have anything big planned apart from the standard pyrotechnics...?

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Tue Jan 09, 2024 11:52 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

I don’t get why it’s so insulting to them. If Penrith play at their best against us, are totally switched on and we don’t get the bounce of the ball, they’ll beat us and so they should. They treated that Saints game pretty much as a friendly but that doesn’t take away from the achievement. A team spending 4 times what you can, playing on home soil and being lauded as possibly the best Australian team of all time, should still win the game, even taking it lightly. It was an amazing victory for Saints, no doubt about it.

Absolute nonsense mate and you're doing us a massive disservice there. Watch the game again and watch their players reaction to their late try and their reaction to our drop goal. They cared, a lot. To say they treated it as a friendly or took it lightly is just plain wrong and is simply an attempt to play down our achievement, regardless of you saying otherwise.

By the way, 20,000 tickets sold 6 weeks before the game is a fantastic response from the Wigan fans. I'd be made up if that was Saints, fair play.

Re: World Club Challenge - Wigan v Penrith : Tue Jan 09, 2024 12:00 pm  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

Absolute nonsense mate and you're doing us a massive disservice there. Watch the game again and watch their players reaction to their late try and their reaction to our drop goal. They cared, a lot. To say they treated it as a friendly or took it lightly is just plain wrong and is simply an attempt to play down our achievement, regardless of you saying otherwise.

By the way, 20,000 tickets sold 6 weeks before the game is a fantastic response from the Wigan fans. I'd be made up if that was Saints, fair play.

That would be a problem, the TW Stadium doesn’t hold that many