I don’t think too many do believe they’re ‘Grand Final focussed’ on this game though. I can’t lie, I think we’ll see a bit more in game focus from them due to Saints burning them last year but you don’t travel over to the other side of the world less than 10/11 days before a fixture and play no proper warm up fixtures if this means as much as a GF to you.

When you spend 4 times what our sides can though and are being spoken about as one of the best sides ever, in a comp people blow no end of smoke up, you should still beat Saints and Wigan, be that home, away, with warm ups, without, with a full side, with a couple rested etc.

A win next Saturday would mean an awful lot to Wigan fans, just as your win did to your guys last year and rightfully so on both counts.

Can't argue with anything there mate.

You did and you’re right. I’ve no issue admitting Saints win last year would be better than a win for us given it was away from home but either would be great achievements. I just hope we do ourselves justice and push them hard.

There’s a difference between ‘not giving a toss’ and not treating it as seriously as you would a Grand Final. I’ve said above, I think we’ll see a bit more focus during the game because of you burning them last year but it’s clearly not stung enough for them to get their backsides here as early as our sides would go there and a full warm up fixture has not been arranged.

It won’t take gloss of a potential Wigan win for me though. It just makes me want us to beat them more.



**Edit** They fly out on Friday, so by the time they get here they’ll have around a week to get over the jet lag and train ahead of the game. I’d be flabbergasted if one of our sides did that when they went to Australia.

It is still early for them to come over yet and according to that article it is being played on the 25th, so maybe they have factored in the wrong date for coming over, now just need them to turn up for the game on the 25th and a win is guaranteed

The interesting thing here is trying to make it a "one thing or the other" without any shades in between. Penrith could quite obviously be taking it more seriously without it being full on Grand Final focus. It seems to me that Saints win last year will have, at the very least, focussed their minds a little more. That doesn't detract from Saints win or make it, in any way, less of an achievement. The counter argument to this would be that Saints win was away which would negate any potential advantage of Penrith being caught cold.

However, I can't for the life of me fathom why Saints fans would argue that their win has had no impact whatsoever on Penrith or their attitude coming into this game. Surely that's them denigrating their own achievement? If it meant so little to them why point out the Penrith players reaction at the end of their match last year? It seems to me that they want it both ways. Either it hurt Penrith and therefore they'll be more determined not to let it happen again or it didn't which proves that they weren't bothered.

For what it's worth, I think the loss last year will have hurt and will result in a more focused attitude towards the game this time around. That doesn't mean they will be giving it the same importance as they would a Grand Final. There are many shades in between.

I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. Credit to Wigan, they've prepared as you'd expect. I heard an interview with Peet at the SL launch where he was asked about it and they've sold the stadium out with weeks to go which to be fair is some achievement. They aren't at fault for this.

However with news now that Luai is out and they are playing within a week of landing just makes me think it won't be the game I thought it would be. I genuinely thought too that they would have played a warm up game of sorts.

From what I remember from past articles, they were running an opposed session against Warrington, whilst maybe not at fully intensity, I suspect it will be full contact

It’ll be a great night, occasion and game regardless. They’re good enough to overcome some lax preparation, especially with last years game in their minds.

Bloody hell, you lot from over the hill are going to be unbearable if we lose this one aren't you?



Penrith only turning up a week before the game, having 1 opposed session and now the Luai stuff (whether it is through genuine injury concern or not) are all disappointing, no shying away from that and they are all examples of how far down this game is in the Aussies estimations. And the mole's wording on his tweet (still don't get the obsession with this bloke, never seems to get the SL stuff right) is just downright disrespectful and comes across as a sly dig ("Luai OUT of World Club Challenge... @WiganWarriorsRL starting to look a chance at home...") but i suppose that is to be expected at this point.

Not going to let any of it ruin the night for me though, should be a cracker with a great atmosphere in a packed out stadium.