Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:46 pm  

As much as there’s a clear issue with the prop position, we will see an upturn in performance getting away from our line when French, Manfredi and Gildart are back. The last two are very good at it (certainly an improvement on Hanley or the back version of Isa) and French will offer a huge threat, both making breaks and creating space for others as defences will be in two minds.

That’s not to say there isn’t an issue because there clearly is but it all has a knock on. Get backs in the back positions and Faz and Isa get in the second row and they make more ground than Smithies usually would (although he was great on that score tonight) and you put Bateman at loose and he’ll make more ground than Partington.

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:52 pm  

Gildart has had a setback which will delay his comeback by a few weeks.

[Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy]

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:54 pm  

We simply lack size and grunt in the forwards (and generally across the team) - add in our plodding line speed in defence and when we face a decent team we could get our backsides kicked.

It was SEVEN years ago that Radlinski said the squad was too small (in terms of physicality) and yet here we are.

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:56 pm  

MadDogg wrote:

Gildart has had a setback which will delay his comeback by a few weeks.

Just seen Matthew Shaw on Facebook saying it happened it captains run yesterday. So it seemed like he was close to being back but the talk was it’ll be 2-3 weeks now.

On the plus side Manfredi should be available next week and French will be.

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:56 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

As much as there’s a clear issue with the prop position, we will see an upturn in performance getting away from our line when French, Manfredi and Gildart are back. The last two are very good at it (certainly an improvement on Hanley or the back version of Isa) and French will offer a huge threat, both making breaks and creating space for others as defences will be in two minds.

That’s not to say there isn’t an issue because there clearly is but it all has a knock on. Get backs in the back positions and Faz and Isa get in the second row and they make more ground than Smithies usually would (although he was great on that score tonight) and you put Bateman at loose and he’ll make more ground than Partington.

I think Bateman is a little off the pace at the moment.

He’s a wonderful player and World Class but he isn’t quite firing yet.

I’m sure he will but we but it’s not just quite happening yet.

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:58 pm  

Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy wrote:

We simply lack size and grunt in the forwards (and generally across the team) - add in our plodding line speed in defence and when we face a decent team we could get our backsides kicked.

It was SEVEN years ago that Radlinski said the squad was too small (in terms of physicality) and yet here we are.

Plodding line speed?!

You are not watching the same team I am.

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:59 pm  

jonh wrote:

I think Bateman is a little off the pace at the moment.

He’s a wonderful player and World Class but he isn’t quite firing yet.

I’m sure he will but we but it’s not just quite happening yet.

Too many errors so far. I think he’s still getting to grips with being a target and it may be a lame excuse but not having a crowd in won’t suit him either. He thrives on the atmosphere of a big game.

Once the big games come round there’s no player I’d rather have in the side.

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:03 pm  

Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy wrote:

We simply lack size and grunt in the forwards (and generally across the team) - add in our plodding line speed in defence and when we face a decent team we could get our backsides kicked.

It was SEVEN years ago that Radlinski said the squad was too small (in terms of physicality) and yet here we are.

I'm not sure you can hold Radlinski to what he said when a different coach was in charge and (perhaps more importantly) we were playing to different rules. Six again, reduced interchanges and the removal of scrums may have impacted that. We do need to produce more hard yards but I can understand why we are generally preferring mobile forwards.

You've lost me on the criticism of our defence. 10 games in a row conceding 2 tries or less (and 8 in a row conceding 1 try or less), even whilst losing the territorial battle most weeks. In fact I think this is the best defensive Wigan side I've seen in the two decades I've been watching the game (watch us concede 50 next week now )

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:08 pm  

Our defence has been a pain in the backside for the opposition in every game this season bar the first 30 minutes for Leigh. We’re flying at teams and defending aggressively and with great energy.

A battering ran through the middle would round our side off perfectly. I wouldn’t say no to Hardakers goal kicking improving either.

[Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy]

Re: Team V Leeds : Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:18 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

I'm not sure you can hold Radlinski to what he said when a different coach was in charge and (perhaps more importantly) we were playing to different rules. Six again, reduced interchanges and the removal of scrums may have impacted that. We do need to produce more hard yards but I can understand why we are generally preferring mobile forwards.

You've lost me on the criticism of our defence. 10 games in a row conceding 2 tries or less (and 8 in a row conceding 1 try or less), even whilst losing the territorial battle most weeks. In fact I think this is the best defensive Wigan side I've seen in the two decades I've been watching the game (watch us concede 50 next week now )

I didn't criticise our defence, I criticised our line speed which was shocking in the first half - hence why it took nearly 20 minutes before we actually had a set inside their 20 (off the back of another set of six). Leeds were rolling forward far too easily - it's a good job they had no halves to play off the back of it.

Yes it nice to have won our first four games but we've played the two teams people expect to finish in the bottom two (and Leigh ran all over the top of us for a large proportion of that game), a championship side in the cup and a Leeds team decimated by injuries. We probably couldn't have asked for a better set of fixtures.