i wouldn't worry too much, we've struggled with mago since you signed him.

I think it's hilarious that oppo fans continually jump to the "won't get banned, the RFL don't ban Wigan players" type posts. Byrne"s 4 games from Good Friday was almost universally condemned as harsh. We had Ellis and Walters banned for similar offences to that of Drinkwater who doesn't even get cited and then 3 matches each, including a final, for these two. Yet the Hiku assault on Field the other week goes completely unpunished with the most ludicrous explanation ever, the Moylan tackle (almost identical to Keighran's) only gets a yellow and yesterday not a single Wire player is even cited.

I'm expecting some backtracking and apologies from all the conspiracy theorists who were quick to post following the game on Saturday, after which I'm off to watch the pig division of the Red Arrows on their annual fly past

Eckersley needs to attack the game and not look at himself as someone who is just filling a gap. He's a great athlete and could be a real threat to Warrington - the difficulty of course is that he only has a few days of prep. Defensively it is a concern - particularly against high quality experienced players like Fitzgibbon and King.

Firstly, I’m not sure we’ve confirmed we are, although I know there were rumours we might but I presumed that was on the basis of us maybe getting him back for the final and that won’t happen but secondly, lodging a single appeal isn’t kicking up a fuss surely? It’s your right to do that if you feel something is adjudicated incorrectly. I’d say kicking up a fuss is moaning in the press, then appealing, then appealing an appeal, then moaning more in the press and then calling conspiracies when things don’t go your way.

We leave that for other clubs.

Its not the first time you've appealed though is it? By the way I've no issues with that, I like the fact that Saints appeal so many even if we seem to have stopped being successful of late!

Peet said that they would appeal if he was banned as part of him apologising to Keighran and that he felt on further review that he had done little wrong.

I even said I thought Dupree would get off so I'm not for throwing the book at anyone who plays for Wigan.

Sheffield 1998

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way. We definitely sit on the side of trying to just soak up any calls that might feel harsh, in terms of not calling it out in the press too much and we haven’t gone down that route of continuous appeals but it’s not doing us any favours looking at this season. Saints do it differently to us, it’s not a criticism, it’s just a fact and maybe it’s working and that’s fine.

Ultimately it isn’t about Wigan and Saints. I have said I won’t moan about none bans and I don’t but I’ll grumble about the length of bans and you can’t help compare incidents. Moylan getting none and Keighran 3 makes no sense, Hiku getting zero and Dupree 3 the same and so on. Good on the lads who’ve got off but what are they looking at?! It isn’t corrupt, it’s just incompetent and it always looks like things are being made up as they go along based on reaction to incidents, both by players on the end of them and by pundits. I really detest what the current set up is breeding and that’s play acting and faux outrage from fans/pundits and screams for punishment. It’s rapidly turning in to premier league football and the game should be embarrassed.

Just to play devils advocate here though and I'm genuinely not looking for an argument but aren't previous charges taken into account like they do with the NRL? Both Dupree and Keighran do have "form"

Also you were on the other side of the coin when Smith got off for the WCC when others were banned for very similar.

I just hope he picks Eckersley and doesn’t shoe horn a second rower into the centres

For me, and I do have cherry and white specs, but I don’t generally use them, the AK tackle wasn’t as bad as I think everyone is making out, especially when you look at generally how you would go into a tackle.
Firstly, players will turn their shoulder into an oncoming player it is a natural action based on making a tackle, anyone who has played the game will tell you this, if you don’t turn into the oncoming player you will no doubt make contact with the player full front on and either get bowled over or at the very least have your upper body spun around on impact.
Secondly the wrapping of the arms, you only start to wrap your arms once your shoulder makes the contact, any earlier and you are going to get your arm bumped off and more than likely not make an effective tackle, so to say he didn’t attempt to wrap his arms is wrong in my opinion, he never got the opportunity to wrap an arm as the player dropped the last second, if he had of followed through with the arm he would have caught him further around the head.
Now I would say the same for any player from any team in this situation, these incidents happen in milliseconds not even seconds, to adjust your gate and body in that time is very difficult, these kinds of incidents will occur what we should be doing is using the fact that all games are televised and technology to measure just how quick a players height adjusts and how quick a defending player can adjust to see if there was anything he could have done to avoid the incident