Wigan Warriors - wiganrugbyfans.com • Wakefield
Really nice to come on here and read so many positive comments about us! It doesn't seem that long ago that we were heading to places like Wigan with the sole aim of keeping the score respectable and under 40 points! That so many Wakey fans, and Wigan for that matter, think we have a chance is great credit to how far we have come..
I put it down to the brilliant appointment of Chris Chester as coach! The hard work had really started off the field financially to put us in a better position, then since Chester came in we haven't looked back.
The big turning point for me was a home walloping by Hull...we'd been on a great run under Chester and then they rolled into town....we performed well and went toe to toe with them for large parts but in the end were a clear second best. I remember him speaking after about how Hull had bullied us in the forwards and that at times we could be a bit soft and had previously been bullied by bigger packs and it was an issue that needed sorting.
If you look at the pack he's assembled both last season, and this....Fifita, Huby, England, Pauli, Hirst...that is some size and power that won't be bullied by any team in the comp....what he's got to complement that too is arguably one of the hardest working backrows in the league in Ashurst and Arona (2 certain starters every week) both capable of 50 plus tackles a game with few misses...Arona 59 and 0 in France last week...plus any one of Kirmond, who's being looked after these days and being kept fresh which is improving his form....Horo who can add a touch of class being an ex NZ international...and James Batchelor who's not even had a sniff yet but a lad I firmly believe is one of the brightest young prospects in the game and is an absolute certainty to represent his country in the future!
We've pace all along the backline and two halfbacks who really complement each other and two top quality number nines with Rocky Hampshire adding cover....I suppose it comes with watching your own team week in week out but players like Kyle Wood are so under rated it's untrue...when he resigned with us I'll admit to being a little underwhelmed at the time but he's been absolutely fantastic and matured into a very, very good hooker!
I sometimes have to sit and pinch myself as to how far we have come in such a short space of time...we've assembled the best squad I've seen us have by far in 30 years of watching us...we try and play in the right way, and all that on the lowest budget in the league!
Really looking forward to coming over Sunday, cannot wait for what will be a huge test of how far we have come!
I put it down to the brilliant appointment of Chris Chester as coach! The hard work had really started off the field financially to put us in a better position, then since Chester came in we haven't looked back.
The big turning point for me was a home walloping by Hull...we'd been on a great run under Chester and then they rolled into town....we performed well and went toe to toe with them for large parts but in the end were a clear second best. I remember him speaking after about how Hull had bullied us in the forwards and that at times we could be a bit soft and had previously been bullied by bigger packs and it was an issue that needed sorting.
If you look at the pack he's assembled both last season, and this....Fifita, Huby, England, Pauli, Hirst...that is some size and power that won't be bullied by any team in the comp....what he's got to complement that too is arguably one of the hardest working backrows in the league in Ashurst and Arona (2 certain starters every week) both capable of 50 plus tackles a game with few misses...Arona 59 and 0 in France last week...plus any one of Kirmond, who's being looked after these days and being kept fresh which is improving his form....Horo who can add a touch of class being an ex NZ international...and James Batchelor who's not even had a sniff yet but a lad I firmly believe is one of the brightest young prospects in the game and is an absolute certainty to represent his country in the future!
We've pace all along the backline and two halfbacks who really complement each other and two top quality number nines with Rocky Hampshire adding cover....I suppose it comes with watching your own team week in week out but players like Kyle Wood are so under rated it's untrue...when he resigned with us I'll admit to being a little underwhelmed at the time but he's been absolutely fantastic and matured into a very, very good hooker!
I sometimes have to sit and pinch myself as to how far we have come in such a short space of time...we've assembled the best squad I've seen us have by far in 30 years of watching us...we try and play in the right way, and all that on the lowest budget in the league!
Really looking forward to coming over Sunday, cannot wait for what will be a huge test of how far we have come!
Statistics: Posted by upthecats — Mon Mar 05, 2018 10:19 pm — Replies 43 — Views 4849