Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:55 pm  

I applaud the club for trying something new and hopefully they will make a few quid out of it.

The concern I have is the effect the traveling will have on the players at the start of a long season.

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Tue Jan 16, 2018 8:30 pm  

Ashton Bears wrote:

Look who we play first week back Warrington away.

and Hull have Castleford away

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Tue Jan 16, 2018 8:54 pm  

Aboveusonlypie wrote:

Just wondered if other season ticket holders felt like I do over this. I invest quite heavily in the club to the tune of 5 season tickets every year, which I am happy to do. We have great seats and the value, I believe, is good. But I feel a bit short changed this season. We paid the same price as last season for potentially one less game. I say potentially, because if we finish top 4 (or 9/10) then we will get 14 home games, but if we finish 5-8 (11/12) then we only get 13. In 2016 we had 15.

There is no way I can afford to go to Australia, it is just a non starter. But I feel justified in asking for the Salford away tickets in compensation, and I've written to Ian Lenagan to suggest this (I'm not expecting any reply).

A second point that I'm not happy about is sending the team to the other side of the world to play a home league game which disadvantages the team over the season because we are playing less home games, in effect than say Saints or Leeds. You don't see Leeds sending their fans to Sydney for a home game (or even worse - to Millwall!!!).

I usually support IL and I believe he is a good and responsible owner, but on this issue I can't get my head around any benefits for the club, who are effectively putting our players in the shop window again and also knackering them at the beginning of a long hard season.

I'd decided to get a season ticket this season after quite a few seasons of just buying on the gate (for various, mainly work-related reasons), as it would just about make financial sense and the convenience would justify it. However, the initial marketing email I received saying "price freeze" while I would actually be able to watch one, possibly two less games, left a bitter taste in my mouth and I decided to not get a season ticket.

I understand the reasoning in taking a home game to Australia, but as a fan I want to watch my team in the flesh and not on TV ideally and I refuse to pay X amount to watch a home game in Sydney. The fans are getting disillusioned with the club, whether it be Thursday games, fixture rescheduling, announcements that everyone knew about made after Christmas or playing home games away from home. They need to think carefully before chasing every last penny.

Without fans attending games, the sport/club will die.

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:31 am  

I don’t have an issue with missing a game here tbh. I attend enough Home and away matches to not feel to down about one game but I get that some people maybe just attend home games and we don’t have enough of them in the early season as it is. If the trip makes money though then it’s easy to see why they would do it.

My main worry is what’s already been mentioned in that we play Wire on a Friday on our return. We’ve zero chance in that game now imo and that’s poor considering that you’d imagine Wigan and Warrington may be pretty close come the end of the season. If Wigan are taking it upon themselves to go and promote superleague down under, I’d have thought we could’ve requested a Sunday game at home to at least give us that bit of extra recovery time.

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:05 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

If Wigan are taking it upon themselves to go and promote superleague down under, I’d have thought we could’ve requested a Sunday game at home to at least give us that bit of extra recovery time.

Salford away, then Hull at home, a two week break, then Wire away and I'd be reasonably confident of three wins. Like other posters on here I have zero confidence of three wins as it stands, especially as we will quite literally get smashed by the Rabbitohs.

Of course the Wire game is on TV and as Wigan/Warrington is usually one of the highlights of the season we couldn't expect TV to leave it so we could play on a Sunday. But for the sake of the players health that is exactly what should happen.

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:10 am  

Suzy Banyon wrote:

They need to think carefully before chasing every last penny.

Without fans attending games, the sport/club will die.

Yes I agree. It seems that Wigan are always first to get involved in these ventures, whereas Leeds, the sports most successful club, just concentrate on playing. I always feel that at Leeds their fans are worth extra points to their team, whilst at Wigan the fans mostly seem disgruntled, possibly for the reasons you have mentioned.

Though to be fair Wigan's away support is unrivalled.

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:33 am  

I just don’t understand this whatsoever.

Is it a game to promote Super League? I can’t get my head around that. SL doesn’t need promoting in Australia, nor do they give a toss about Wigan v Hull/Souths.

I just feel that this is a mistake of epic proportions and we’ve missed a beat with Canada/USA. If we really wanted to promote the game and make a few quid, why not go to Toronto/New York and play a few exhibition games there to help get it off the ground properly?

That’s long term effects. Not some poxy tour to Australia at the start of the season. I can see this being an utter farce.

I get why we want to try new things and I admire that we are adventurous, but this idea is simply ludicrous and may well be detrimental to our season which isn’t looking to great to start with anyway.

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:47 am  

Wigan want to be the Man UTD of RL; with fans all over the world. I.E. they simply want to be successful financially and they are pushing this to further increase the popularity of their brand. Aussie folk may not turn up to the game but it will be a talking point and any news (ok, most news) is good news for the sport in this day and age.

i'm expecting to be pleasantly surprised by this venture no matter the results and impact. from what I hear the club needs the money as IL is pumping his own money into the club now which is not what he wants to do. he is a businessman, he wants the club to operate with profits but I can't see this kind of venture subsiding until the club is doing this on its own again, so get used. us mere mortal fans will just have to enjoy the ride best we can!

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:39 pm  

100% Warrior wrote:

I just don’t understand this whatsoever.

Is it a game to promote Super League? I can’t get my head around that. SL doesn’t need promoting in Australia, nor do they give a toss about Wigan v Hull/Souths.

I just feel that this is a mistake of epic proportions and we’ve missed a beat with Canada/USA. If we really wanted to promote the game and make a few quid, why not go to Toronto/New York and play a few exhibition games there to help get it off the ground properly?

That’s long term effects. Not some poxy tour to Australia at the start of the season. I can see this being an utter farce.

I get why we want to try new things and I admire that we are adventurous, but this idea is simply ludicrous and may well be detrimental to our season which isn’t looking to great to start with anyway.

Cant help but feel the same,

Like it or not Toronto will be there or there abouts next seasons,a blank slate on a continent that could well embrace the sport, if the Wolfpack are to be emulated, surely is the right way to go, this has all the hallmarks of another Millwall,and we know how well that turned out.

You keep pushing fans you will lose them and in this day and age at a time where there's endless opportunity to spend leisure time and money you won't get them back simple as that.

Re: Feeling a bit let down over Sydney : Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:42 am  

I think there are far more positives than negatives. Promoting the club in Australia will just showcase that we are a professional, ambitious and progressive club and if a decent Aussie player fancies a dabble in Superleague then ventures like this might just edge them to sign for us rather than an opponent.
Add to that the financial benefits to the club as well as all the free marketing in the worlds biggest RL supporting country and it seems to me a very worthwhile venture for the long term.
This fixture was arranged well before the SL fixtures were sorted and it’s just unfortunate that we have Warrington the week after. We can’t expect to be given special dispensation, nor would we want any.
We have a good squad and if used correctly, 3 wins is entirely possible (albeit unlikely).
I like the whole idea and it’ll be interesting to see if there are any benefits longer term.
I’d much rather do this and get rid of magic weekend, the concept of which I hate!!