How many big games have we lost under Peet? Two semi finals?



That would be a poor record if we hadn't also won one semi final and a final.



So a 50/50 record.

Ah statistics.

One semi final win out of three.

So a 33.3% success rate.



I don’t think that we are a bad team I just think we’ve an unbalanced squad with a severe lack of experience.

Quite possibly. Perhaps they'll learn from yesterday and manage things differently in the next one they play in. That's what will define how good a coach Peet is.



We're hardly heading in the right direction without ever getting there as someone said. We won the f***** thing last year.

I wish my view of success, progression and what constitutes good rugby and good management were as low as yours, I really do. It's not the losses, it's the manner in which we've lost and seeing it repeated. You cling to the positives from defeat that you seem happy with, I'll continue to hope for better

Yeah that could be an outcome but we’ve only Havard to come back so Peet and his team will have to do it effectively with the same team. As a minimum I think Peet will be pressed to trust his youngsters more.



I don’t think that we are good enough to turn it around. As I keep saying hopefully I’m proven to be wrong.

If I’m honest I’m more concerned about next year. For me none of the forwards signed go anywhere near resolving the issues in the pack and the lack of a decent 6 still remains.

100% - criminal not to use Hill who has been playing well and we were 2 interchanges down AND a man down - please can someone explain? Defo throw Hampo in the mix if you don't trust the kid to play....

Name those decisions....you were the best team and have outplayed us on 3 occasions this season - no need to gild the lily

On the money for several points - risk to start Willie, not fit, contributed nothing and broke down - leaving us short, Shorrocks then has to fill in and gets sent off - we are now two interchange players down, so we do not use a form player in Hill so we are 3 interchanges down - this is criminal. But the coaches have form with this, WTF is going on with picking young lads on the bench and giving them 0-5 minutes per game? Peet bemoans losing Nicholson and McDonnell - can we really blame them for leaving? At this rate we will lose Nsemba, Hill and Forber to name but 3. JFB gone mad.

Not sure where to post this so feel free to move it



Someone has left a kids wigan hoody 9/10 years a couple of seats down from us at the match on Sunday, we were in the seats in row M around seats 26



I think it was left at seat 22



I can bring it to the game this Saturday if that’s any good to whoever it belongs to?

Smith’s played 110 games btw. Please stop excusing him.



At the same stage George Williams had won 2 GFs playing alongside Matty Smith, and also 10 internationals (Smith just 1).



Smirh has previously partnered Hastings, Leuluai and Cust. Hardly all crap halfbacks.

When I saw Smith lining up the kick on the 3rd, you assumed he was either aiming for a 40/20 or he saw clear space to aim at for territory. Either one of those would have been fine but unfortunately it sailed right into the arms of the fullback. I can kind of admire him taking the initiative but if you take a risk like that you have to get it right (particularly as KPP had got us in a good position with an offload the tackle before).

I thought Smith was great on Saturday.



He’s under too much pressure and an easy target because he is our only go to play maker and kicker but he as usual ran the show.



He is developing a habit of becoming a nuisance in defence and managing to slow down the play the ball very nicely with a bit of niggle too.



He though got that play very wrong and that is what he will be remembered for in that game. It was a poor decision which in the crucial throws probably lost us the match.



All the best players have these incidents happen as they develop, hopefully he learns from it and we get a proper 6 in the team going forward to support him.

Agree.



A couple of other players came up with dumb plays in the 2nd half but they won't be scapegoated for it like Smith is.

For me Smith is the most important player in the team. If he was unavailable we would be totally and utterly rudderless.

Generally his kicking game and defence were good and I agree that there's too much pressure on his shoulders.

Smith has been consitently good this season and has improved his game steadily, being a key cog means he will get that scrutinty and criticism all the time (unfortunately). I'm not 100% sure who decided on the 3rd tackle kick - I'd expect the coaches/Snr players would have discussed this in the break at full time? TBH, not the worst idea but just didn't work out. Last time we were in GP we knocked on, so try something different?

Good to see some support and recognition for Smith on these pages. Yes he messed up in extra time, but at half any mistake is magnified.

One other thing I couldn't understand is why Faz and Brad O'Neill were the ones closing down Schneider before the winning drop kick. We have two of the quickest in Field and French and on the previous drop goal attempt Schneider couldn't get the kick away as Field was on him in a flash.

I thought the charge down was a 50/50 personally. He’s running towards the player but he turns away and I think it just comes off his leg. It’s one of those where someone’s gonna feel hard done to either way. I’m not sure what the letter of the law is for a deliberate charge down to reset the tackle count, but I didn’t think he actually made a play for the ball when I watched it.

That's an interesting point - I assumed it would have to be a charge down as the arms were up with the intent to block the ball. But maybe it wasn't given as it hit the legs rather than the arms - I'm not sure on the rule.

You've misunderstood what a charge down is. If the player moves towards the kicker with arms up it's a charge down irrespective of where it hits or whether he turns his head.



It was a charge down. The ref got it wrong.

I don’t think that’s right. You see it all the time as well when it hits a player and goes out of play and they deem it not played at. You also see it plenty of times when someone kicks on the last and it hits someone and the ref waves play on. I think it has to be played at to constitute a charge down and I don’t think moving toward the kicker is sufficient for that. Like I said I’m not sure of the letter of the law, so maybe raising his arms is enough for that, but by my understanding you have to make a play towards the ball (not the player)

What about jumping 4 ft off the floor with your arms in the air? Is that a charge down?

He didn’t jump though lol

Quote The Reaper="The Reaper"He didn’t jump though lol'" You sure? https://www.instagram.com/p/CvDuG2DKWWq/?hl=en

Quote The Reaper="The Reaper"He didn’t jump though lol'" You sure? https://www.instagram.com/p/CvDuG2DKWWq/?hl=en