Wigan Warriors fans reflect on the Magic Weekend loss and look ahead to the derby against St Helens

Glynn Bradshaw

What another dismal display that was.

We started the game quite well but then things very rapidly deteriorated, with our right side of defence in particular being brutally exposed.

We seemed to wait for their players to run at us particularly on our own line, and there were plenty of gaps for them to run through- our forwards were totally outplayed.

It’s so disappointing when you make such a long trip to see the game over as a contest before half time, and it’s the third unacceptable performance this season following the Catalans and Leeds home games.

I appreciate we have injuries at the moment, but we seemed out enthused again, and the way our defence is at the moment you would worry about playing anybody, let alone Saints, Warrington and Salford next.

Worryingly for us Saints to be getting all their players back and the thought of the likes of Walmsley, Lees and Hurrell running at us fills me with dread.

One can only hope that pride and the occasion will lift the Warriors in what will surely be a packed house and a great atmosphere.

I just hope the Warriors can give us something to shout about, and we can get the ball to the likes of Wardle who I thought was our best player last week, but our forwards need to lay the platform.

Here’s hoping, fingers crossed.

Stephen Ford

I was expecting a hard game against Catalans and was a little worried pre-match as they had given us a bit of a lesson when they defeated us earlier in the season.

After a pretty even start I was relatively relaxed when we scored the opening try to take the lead.

Our lack of firepower in the forwards wasn’t too obvious at this stage albeit we were making a lot of individual mistakes- which has become quite prevalent in recent matches.

When Catalans scored their opening try after Wardle failed to deal with a high ball near his own line we just seemed to crumble.

Our defence on our right hand was embarrassingly poor to the point of being non-existent.

Although we did have at least four forwards missing through injury, there were no excuses for such ineptitude defence and sheer lack of basic skills.

I am at a point where I don’t really know what to make of this season so far.

Three consecutive victories over Leigh, Saints and Wire was an excellent achievement particularly after a very indifferent start to the season however, the remainder of the campaign has been blighted by a thrashing from a 12-man Leeds and Catalans twice beating us comprehensively, the second time at Newcastle in a canter and if they had kept the foot on the metal they could have posted 50 or 60 points.

I always thought that we lacked experience in the halves and overall our pack is too lightweight/inexperienced.

The squad is quite “thin,” relying on unproven 18 or 19 lads to step in if we have a few injuries.

Which is the real Wigan? The highly aggressive and intense team that won those three consecutive Lancashire derbies or the woeful efforts where we have been given a lesson of how to manage games against teams with superior and bigger packs.

I am beginning to think that a top two finish in Super League is way beyond us and if we are not careful, we will not finish in the top six to make the playoffs which would be a pretty disastrous outcome after Ian Lenagan declared that this current squad is the strongest for 10 years.

For me our pack is nowhere near big enough or good enough to compete for the Grand Final. I really hope that I am proven wrong.

I am not looking forward to playing Saints on Friday as I think they will win in a canter and if we don’t turn up again another 40 point thrashing or worse will occur.

Not sure what Peet can do to turn things around.

Maybe Singleton to replace Hill in the forwards could occur if he is fit but forwards wise there are no other options.

Field was atrocious in defence against Catalan and I cannot see him at six again on Friday which will see French on the wing with maybe Cust coming in at half back.

On current form this will not be enough to stop a Saints team who are back to a virtual full strength 17 and looking to avenge Good Friday’s defeat.

I will be amazed if we can get within 20 of Saints and fully expect a good hiding unless Peet can pull something miraculous out of the hat.

It’s bad enough losing to Saints but to be on the end of a good thrashing will be very difficult to take.

David Bailey

There was to be no witchcraft and wizardry from the Warriors at Magic Weekend as Catalans Dragons strolled to an easy win.

There was a huge sense of optimism as Jai Field returned to the line up but ultimately it was Wigan's defence yet again which folded.

A bright start ending with an early try for the impressive Jake Wardle was just a smokescreen as Wigan capitulated conceding over 40 points for the second time in a matter of weeks.

Granted the Warriors are light in the pack but even so, there are a huge questions now being asked about Matt Peet’s charges.

I have voiced my concerns about the form of Harry Smith's goalkicking and despite it not costing Wigan the game, a sorry return of one successful kick from five attempts makes for grim reading. I am not going to be critical of Harry but the lad is desperately short on confidence.

There's no better place to address a shaky patch of form than at the home of St.Helens though.

Despite a thumping win against arguably the worst Huddersfield side in years, things still aren't right over Billinge Hill.

Peet seems to have got the knack of big games against our local rivals and with two key matches coming up against Saints and Warrington, let's hope that trend continues.

Brad Singleton will provide a much needed boost in the pack and fingers crossed Wigan can pull off a backs against the wall derby win once again.

Robert Kenyon

The Magic Weekend was more like another tragic weekend for us, we haven’t won at Magic for a very long time.

Catalans join the list of clubs that bring kryptonite that stops French and Fields magic.

Last season Saints were the first, then Leeds, to suss us out.

Catalans look to have done the same and it’s very easy what they’ve done, when we attack their centre jams in and stop our fullback from doing anything.

What frustrates me is we keep doing the same thing over and over throughout the game and we don’t change tactics, early on in the season we started hitting the centre rather than the fullback and caught a few teams out creating space.

We also need to be quicker out of dummy half, Cust looks to have that snap out of dummy half that gets us on the front foot and sucks in the markers before he passes to the player taking a drive.

I think Cust may be the answer for us at nine with French at one and Field at six, at least attacking wise.

Defensively I worry about Field in the defensive line and I worry about Cust in the middle.

Despite a poor team performance where we looked disjointed, like a team of strangers with no direction or leadership; I was proud of Jake Wardle’s performance, he really does put a shift in that lad.

We have relied too much on Field and French this season and it’s good to see Wardle stepping up and really putting himself about, he’s my favourite player at the moment with his effort.

Looking towards Saints, I can see us pulling it out of the bag, like we have done all season, we need big performances from our senior players.

I just want a bit of consistency and to me something doesn’t look right within the team.

They look disjointed and don’t look like a united group of team mates to me because they’re quiet, they’re not showing emotion.

Payers like Liam Farrell are quiet and behaving out of character.

I’d like to see them play more as a team, look like they like playing rugby league and look like they like each other.

The season is all to play for, we have the team to win the lot, they just need direction, leadership and they need to buy into it.