Wigan Warriors- The 18th man: 'Good Friday is better than Christmas for me'

Robert Kenyon

The Wakefield game showed again how good Jai Field is. He scored three and could have got more.

Liam Farrell was industrious as ever and Cade Cust was pulling the strings. We muscled up in the forwards, took chances in attack and really did everything we could to prepare for Good Friday.

The welcome return of Bevan French means if Saints prepare for Field we can swap him around with French, maybe use one out wide and alternate them between wing and fullback throughout the game to cause mayhem with the Saints defence.

If I had to think of a favourite Good Friday game it would have to be the 2004 game at Knowsley Road with the brawl, followed closely by 2003 with the kids team and the 2011 last minute Farrell try.

The 2005 Good Friday with the record crowd was a good game too.

Every year it is the game I look forward to the most. I was explaining to a bloke from work Good Friday is better than Christmas for me.

Darren Wrudd

I am still getting used to just how good we are as a side this year, too often I have felt like a Wire fan - is this our year.

That said, to weather the storm of set after set from a well drilled Wakefield side when every pundit was crowing about how Wigan would be in trouble energy wise come the second half, then to speed down field and plant a try in the corner was simply ace.

It came at just the right time to give us a rest from the onslaught but also to seed doubt in the opposition with all their possession on our line having come away with nothing.

The combination of free flowing rugby, speedsters ready to back up and support and a swift switch to a hard defensive line scrambling to save any attack is what we all crave and I keep having to pinch myself to make sure it's really us.

The confidence that Matty Peet instils in the side to try the flick pass or perhaps push the offload is obviously backed up with a determination to defend an error and work as a team.

It keeps the opposition honest in their defence, not rushing up too often for fear of a chip or an offload and this was in real evidence at Wakefield last week. The semi-final against Saints was a foregone conclusion and should be an absolute corker.

Before that of course we have the totally different prospect of two points to bring back from over Billinge Hill and it will be a tough game for sure.

Saints have been a good side over the last few years and their dominance is well earned, but they have their weaknesses and we need to play them at their own game to exploit them.

Number up and fast scramble in defence to smother their chances whilst stretching their line in attack by playing the full width of the park, gaps will open up and we have two players who seem to be the absolute best in finding them.

I don’t think anything will have prepared Jai Field for the atmosphere of our derby, but I think he will love it.

The memories from years gone by are many highs and lows, sprinkled with fantastic drop goals by Pat Richards or all pile on Liam Farrell as he scores the winning try.

Scraps a plenty from Knowsley road belters to Central park brawls. They all make me smile and each has its own villains, more often than not wearing a red vee.

What will this one bring, we shall soon find out and I simply cannot wait.

Stephen Ford

On the way to Wakefield on Sunday I was a little apprehensive but on arrival at the ground we found out that Wakefield were going to be missing three of their main players due to injury.

The one player that I was particularly worried about was Fafita and he was one of the three who had failed a fitness test.

Almost immediately I relaxed and was confident that if we performed to say 90% of our capabilities we should be okay for a victory.

Wakefield started strongly forcing several repeat sets but our defence was strong and after absorbing a lot of pressure on one of our few breaks into their territory, Field scored a scorcher after a great break by Farrell.

To be fair Wakefield responded strongly and equalised after we bombed a chance to go two tries clear.

A bit of Tommy magic enabled us to go into half time ahead and I was at that point very confident of a win after feeling very unsure after Wakefield had brought the tie level.

The second half was a very pleasing 40 minutes. Some fantastic tries and the defence looked water tight throughout.

Overall probably our best 80 minutes of the season. Every player for me played well but I thought Mago, Farrell and Hardaker were very strong. Shorrocks also played a lovely cameo with a great break and his usual full on defence.

Onwards to Saints on Good Friday.

After several seasons where we failed to turn up or on the majority of occasions probably not capable of beating Saints I think we go there with a slight chance of upsetting the odds on Friday.

Heart says a victory head says hopefully a great effort but probably a loss.

We are making incremental improvements as the season progresses and I hope we can continue this upward trend. If we have dry conditions, maintain our improved defence and if Saints are slightly below par I wouldn’t rule out a victory.

I’m hoping that Saints put too much effort in negating Field which will leave opportunities elsewhere for Farrell, French and Cust to open up the Saints defence.

I’ve got a feeling that Cust will have a very good game on Friday. Obviously he hasn’t played in a derby yet and think that he is the type of player that will thrive in an hostile atmosphere.

There is no rationale to my prediction on Cust other than some players do step up in such circumstances and he comes across as a fierce competitor.

A good weather forecast, a full house, top versus second and Wigan going into the match in a confident mood means I can’t wait for Friday to arrive.

My favourite Good Friday match was in 2012 when Farrell scored the winning try with I think less than a minute to play. A glorious day, a full house (a SL record?), some fantastic tries and the right result.

Saints took a 10 point lead within the first 30 minutes so we had to drag ourselves back into the game and we responded with 22 unanswered points before they came back to take the lead again.

Probably one of my favourite matches of all time.

Another great Good Friday was in 2010 when we beat Saints in the final derby at Knowsley Road 18-10. Not a great game but to beat the old enemy on that special day is a great heart warming memory.

Jon Lyon

I thought to a man, Wigan were outstanding against Wakefield. Defensively sound, with Tommy Leuluai’s return making a big difference, we were clinical in attack with Field as usual just too fast for Wakefield’s defence to deal with.

The phenomenal Liam Farrell was given the official man of the match, but it could have been awarded to half the team. I thought John Bateman had his best game for us since returning from the NRL.

He was aggressive in both attack and defence and looked busy and hungry for work. He is an absolute joy to watch when he plays like that.

Our forwards completely dominated Wakefield’s pack and gave Cust and Leuluai the field position to create and they didn’t disappoint. For a cup semi final it was as comprehensive a win as you could possibly hope for, even allowing for Wakefield’s spirited efforts.

Somewhat surprisingly drawn against Saints in the semi-final, with a big crowd for the final in mind I thought we might be “accidentally” kept apart. Before that match up though comes the Good Friday clash.

After our performance against Trinity, every Wigan fan will be looking ahead with cautious optimism.

Saints were also very impressive in the cup, dominating Catalans quite easily, and at their home it’s a very tough ask.

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time Wigan have triumphed as underdogs against the Saints should we win, so why not dream?

I certainly hope we do, because losing to that lot will completely ruin my Easter weekend.

This match just matters more, too much if anything, it’s almost an uncomfortable watch with every tackle and every referee’s decision meaning the world.

Maybe it’s wrong to put so much on the outcome of one game but that’s how we’ve been brought up isn’t it? I’m going for Field and Cust to star in a 22-18 win.

I have two standout memories amongst the agony and ecstasy of the many Good Friday derbies over the years.

The first was an incredible game in 1993. The match finished 8-8, with the second half being pointless, so to speak.

There was action aplenty and brutal defences on top. Towards the end of the game there was the sad sight of Kevin Ward breaking his leg, which turned out to be the last on field action of his career.

Then with only minutes left, Joe Lydon struck what he thought was the winning drop goal but it was ruled Gus O’Donnell had somehow touched the ball in flight ruling the drop goal out, something that every Wigan fan there would dispute to this day.

Watching that game was exhausting, in the best way possible, it was everything a derby match should be.

My other Good Friday magic moment came in 1995 with one of the most bizarre tries I have ever seen.

Wigan dropped out from behind their own posts and the ball bounced near the halfway line.

While two Saints players dithered and left it to each other, Henry Paul raced half the length of the field to snatch the ball from between the two and strolled away untouched to score under the posts.

I’ve never seen a try like it before or since, and to do that against the old enemy has secured Henry Paul a place in my heart forever.