I find it strange that we can be good enough to finish top but not good enough to win the GF. Really, the team finishing top is actually the best team in the league, especially under the current fixture format.

course we wont win it (sarcasm) we have only been top all the league throughout round 1

Never works that way ask Saints fans.



The team the wins the Grand Final gets remembered not the team that wins the shield.

Schoey was pretty positive in parts about Wigan I thought. This is the article for those who haven't seen it:



GARRY Schofield, Great Britain's joint-record caps holder, believes that Wigan's only chance of silverware this season is holding on to their top spot and lifting the league leaders' shield.

Commenting after watching Wigan lose at home to St Helens by two points in Sunday's derby game, Schofield said: "Wigan have had a very good season and their recovery from being a mid-table side has been great for Super League.

"But I feel that they've peaked already this season and I'm not sure how much they still have to give. We know that at least one or two of the sides below them will come strong when it really matters.

"Wigan were poor against St Helens and the final score flattered them. Saints were worthy winners and were unlucky not to win by a much wider margin.

"Wigan can be a bit too predictable. It's too easy to read what Sam Tomkins and Thomas Leuluai are going to do sometimes and when teams snuff them out like Saints did, you wonder what else Wigan have got up their sleeve.

"But they have got plenty to be positive about - especially when you look at their recent past. They've come a long way and they're going in the right direction under Michael Maguire and Shaun Wane.

"Mike McIlorum had a very good game and I think he's someone that England should be looking at for the Four Nations. Martin Gleeson is still olur best centre in my opinion and Joel Tomkins has had a great season.

"But this year is too soon for them to be a realistic bet of winning the Grand Final."

Like you say you wont win it,you are top now and so what .IF, and i say IF ,you get to the grand final you will bottle it over 80 minutes!! TRUST ME .

.....is the right answer.

Except that Schofield doesn't know what he's talking about because he's thick.

Does anyone else wish Schofield would just drop off the face of the earth? HE has to be the biggest egotistical K-nob around.

Doesn't preclude certain posters on here for offering their virtuous knowledge. And yet he has played at the highest level.



His =#FF0000OPINIONmust be wrong then.

A man who puts his tacky jewelry back on before he goes up to collect his loser's medal is thick.

You are talking out your jacksie.



You don't know what will happen. TRUST ME.

Schofield does have a point, the team have lost 2 games recently against 2 injury ravaged teams (Leeds + St Helens). You will finish top of the league but can you go the distance to get to the final, will the cracks appear in the play offs.

I love it. Stains & Leeds have 5-6 players out and they are "Injury ravaged".



Wigan have 4-5 players out and ......................, suddenly we've past our peak.

Theres going to be some suprised people around superleague when they see the likes of Phelps, Hansen, O'Loughlin, O'Carroll, Mossop(back today), Roberts etc back in our team and realise we've actually had our fair share of injuries aswell.



It's fantastic that unlike most teams we haven't decided to whinge about it instead choosing to use it as a positive to bring more superb kids in and give them their chance. Injuries have handed opportunites to both Farrell and Tuson in recent weeks and both were excellent again today.



Happy days.

Don't be silly

Don't agree with him.



Wigan have an excellent chance of getting to Old Trafford and winning.

You've now joined a fellowship of about ten million people who'll have said this about Gary Schofield during the course of his life.

n

i've never liked Gary Schofield... although i have no idea why





to be honest, i don't understand how people can tip us to finish in the top 2 yet then struggle in the playoffs. do they realise we'd only have to win one game to get to the GF if finishing 1 or 2???





makes a change from 2 tough away fixtures before even a chance of getting to the GF. jeez.



IF wigan get top spot they'll be at the GF in my opinion.



if somehow they drop a few places given the wire fixture still to come etc, then who knows.

+1

I,ve not really mentioned about Wigan being past there peak but the pressure of being top, are cracks appearing being beaten by depleted squads.

When I mention "injury ravaged" I mean injury ravaged to the extent of 8 to 10 players out from the squad, Wigan and Warrington havn,t suffered as greatly to the extent Leeds and St Helens as the league positions show.

For example could Wigan be confident of winning games with the likes of Phelps, Richards, Carmont, Roberts, Tomkins, Fielden, Coley, O Loughlin missing from the team.

Injuries are no excuse. Everyone suffers gluts of injuries now and then. Certain clubs, however, talk about them a lot more than others. Saints and Leeds being prime examples this season.

Not worth rising to it, some fans will not give Wigan credit in any circumstances and will always find some sort of excuse why their team is not top of the league or above Wigan. RL is a squad game - Wigan have had little sympathy from other quarters when devastated by injuries in the last couple of years and given little credit in the past when winning with depleted teams.



Whether Schofield is right or wrong will be decided at the end of the season, but it's a brave man who rights off a team that has beat everyone bar Bradford this season and with 3 of this season's 4 losses having been by only 2 points. All evidence of this season suggests that beating Wigan home or away will be a tough ask in any circumstances.

I may be being negative but I think this may be a year too early for us to win the grand final but I would be happy to be proved wrong. I find it hard to believe that the same squad from last season could win the Grand Final. I think next year may be more realistic with Madge getting his own players in plus the likes of Tompkins x2, Mossop, etc having another year of experience.

On the other hand we have missed Hansen most of the season, the same with Phelps, Mossop, Roberts, Lockers and Deacon have missed a large chunk of the season so should be fresh. Players like Gleeson have missed a few games through discipline, lads like Tuson, Farrell, Davies and Marsh have played more first team than they would have expected with the same being said about Goulding and Pryce so it shows what strength in depth we have. If it is not this season it does not look to far away. 2010 has been a year of exceeding expectations for me. I expected maybe a top 4 finish and maybe a final.

I don't think this is the case unfortunately. I think we would have to play twice possibly three times if we lose the first home tie.