Re: SL 2015 table : Thu Nov 20, 2014 11:58 pm
Amor is actually Saints best prop and an international in the near future. Averaging more metres, more carries, similar tackles and busts than any of Wigan's props.
I think Walmsley is by far your best prop, probably the best in the comp. I have no problem praising players from other teams. Amor's stats don't back up what you said. He made more carries and therefore metres than Clubb and Crosby, but his average gain is less than Clubb's, but more than Crosby's, but I do feel Crosby improved as the season went on. He was very impressive in the big games at the end of the season. Clubb had twice as many tackle busts as Amor, with less carries. I do think Amor was impressive for you though, and yes you did miss him when injured.
I'm happy to acknowledge that I'm not averse to coming out with the odd bit of hyperbole. I'd probably been reading too many posts from Wigan supporters and decided to join in. I like Sarginson, he's improved tremendously but his metres are more to do with Wigan's tactics than any real individual brilliance.
Thank you for admitting you got that wrong. It was that comment that got me to bother to post a reply, because it was ridiculous. However I think you're underestimating Sarginson's elusive running ability, he just seems to get past or through people when he shouldn't, which is shown up in his tackle busts for the season.
Your pack didn't compete at all. Your front row put in one of the worst propping performances in a big game I've ever seen, hence you consistently went wide.
We didn't have as strong a front row as saints before Flower was sent off. I've never said we did by the way. With only one prop on the pitch at any one time and no Micky Mac, we were never going to go toe to toe with your bigger pack, that would be suicidal, our only option was to go wide and we did it pretty well I thought. As for worst propping performance, did you see our play off game against Huddersfield, they were awful.
O'Loughlin is the best player in SL whilst Farrell is superb. His line running is the best in SL I believe. I'm happy to say these things because I watch the sport in a balanced fashion. If Wigan have a diamond, I have no issue in saying it. Unfortunately, your mob's RL considerations tend to revolve around everything Wigan being awesome and everything else being poop.
Well your posts on here have been anything but balanced up to this one, makes a refreshing change. Not every Wigan fan thinks like that, I certainly don't. Roby should definitely won MOS in my eyes for example. We would have beaten Aus and NZ with him playing, IMO.
Because our pivots ended up being Jordan Turner, Mark Flanagan and Paul Wellens. With the best will in the world, they aren't passers of the ball.
Why not? They are professional rugby league players, surely one of the most, if not most fundamental parts of being a rugby league player, is to pass the ball to a teammate. Ok, they might not have the skill of Lomax or Walsh, but against 12 players, surely they could have passed the ball on to a teammate out wide, where we would have been short of numbers. If we had for example Sarginson, O'Loughlin and Bowen/Hampshire as our pivots, I would be embarrassed if they couldn't pass the ball.
The two occasions since have seen Saints be more aggressive than they've been in years. The results have been obvious. With Walsh out injured at Wigan, they were still able to win and despite having no halves at all at Manchester, they did it again.
We had 10 first team players missing at the DW, and SOL playing his first game back from injury, yet it's despite WALSH being injured. We won't ever know what would have happened 13v13 at the grand final, but the bookies don't often get it wrong.
Let's remember as well, it was the ridiculously aggressive start to the game that Saints made that saw Flower lose his rag. Ultimately, without McIlorum, Wigan simply couldn't compete in the middle of the field against Saints last season and Wane is intent on sorting it.]
Yes the ridiculously aggressive start, shoulder charge on very first tackle, Masoe's high shot in the first set and then LH elbow/forearm smash on Flower. Yet it's Wigan who are thugs apparently. Lance should have gone for what he did, even YG has admitted that. There's good reasons why we weren't as strong in the middle in the last 2 games, look at the pack we had at the DW, and i'll say it yet again we had 12 players for 78 minutes, with only one prop on the pitch at any one time. How did you get on after Walmsley got sent off? You were leading weren't you?
Finally, yes Wane has recruited some props who should improve our go forward. I'm really looking forward to see how Tautai and Patrick go. I hope Mossop's shoulders hold up, he always gave us some go forward when he played. I also think Crosby will improve his stats considerably next year. He's a young prop, still learning, but he played really well at the end of the season, hopefully that will have given him some confidence that he can compete against anybody. If we had Walmsley, we would be almost unstoppable.
