Wigan Warriors: The 18th Man - 'A team filled with pace, skill and high on confidence...'

Our panel of Warriors experts run the rule over last weekend’s big win over York Knights and look ahead to Saturday’s trip to Hull FC...

Glynn Bradshaw:

Watching Wigan away, watching Wigan away... The favoured song of the Warriors faithful at the moment is certainly proving to be very enjoyable.

A fantastic turnout from the fans in a wonderful city, and a dominant Wigan display, who could ask for more? Yes, the Knights weren’t at their best, but a combination of sleight of hand and foot from the imperious Warriors proved their undoing.

With a 72-0 scoreline on the board with still 23 minutes to play, it looked like it could be a record score, but a combination of the Warriors’ sloppiness and an improved performance from the home side meant we didn’t add to our total, and they added four quick-fire tries - shades of Good Friday - but it didn’t really matter.

Once again, I loved our start and the intensity. We are playing with such confidence that even Luke Thompson was offloading the ball, a sight we rarely see. Forwards dominating and backs revelling in getting on the front foot meant it was a joy to watch.

It is hard to single out a Man of the Match, but Jai Field got my vote, with a masterful attacking display of tries and assists, but once again, a team display of the highest order. Our side with Jake Wardle at his best is looking so balanced, and with three pivots on the field at once, it’s very hard for teams to defend against us at the moment.

Taking advantage of the reduced coach travel on Saturday from Robin Park, which I’m sure will mean another strong turnout from the Warriors fans. It is a very winnable game, but remember in 2024, we were playing well, and Hull weren’t, but managed to turn us over, so we need to be cautious, but at the same time, with I think an unchanged team, hopefully we can pick up from minute 65 at York, and come away with the victory... Fingers crossed!

David Bailey:

The Warriors went from champagne rugby league to cheap cider in a brown paper bag defence in the blink of an eye at a sun-drenched York last week.

Whilst arguably the players earned the right to clock off in the wilting heat, there was just something about the last 15 minutes that didn’t sit right. As Wigan walked back after taking a 72-0 lead, three players, who will remain nameless, had a bit of a laugh and a joke, celebrating and encouraging the crowd, and the tone was set for York’s resilient last stanza. The points were secure, this time.

Fans and Matt Peet, though, had the muscle memory from Good Friday. If a stretched, tired, and thoroughly defeated York can score four tries in quick succession, then I am sure some of the big boys will fancy their chances as the season heats up.

That’s the negative out of the way. Wigan, though, were scintillating in attack. Field, Noah Hodkinson, Wardle and Jack Farrimond broke at will. Harry Smith once again was sensational with the boot. Junior Nsemba is back to his destructive best, and Wigan are a team filled with pace, skill and high on confidence.

Poor Zach Eckersley must be wondering what he has done as all the tries on his side seem to be for Adam Keighran, whilst young Hodkinson is scoring for fun, thoroughly enjoying being outside Wardle.

This week, the Warriors head to East Riding of Yorkshire and whilst Hull FC are currently decimated by injuries, I won’t be taking anything for granted.

The Warriors have to continue to show defensive resilience and attacking sparkle. In the last five away matches at the MKM Stadium, Wigan have won two and lost three. Those last two wins were in the most recent away games in the loop fixtures last season, but Wigan cannot underestimate ‘lower’ opposition. We remember how Huddersfield and Castleford worked out.

I am torn as to whether Bevan French makes his long-awaited start with Farrimond as 14, to cover French or Brad O’Neill. Peet could stick with the old adage, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Either way, we are blessed with halfback options at the moment and can change a game with one substitution. French’s finish at York was worth the entrance fee alone.

The forwards need to really lay the platform for the backs to shine, and a Hull team shorn of their most prominent leaders should be a more attractive proposition. With Andy Last holding the fort and rumours of a clear-out, they are lacking confidence, and Wigan must capitalise.

The results seemingly are being kind to the Warriors, and with Hull KR facing Leeds, the Warriors have the chance to pick up another two points while one of their rivals drops them. There will be a lot of jockeying for position as we race towards Round 27, and Wigan have a real chance of a top-two finish if they can keep applying the pressure. Old Trafford is the goal now that the Challenge Cup has been secured, but it is all to play for.

Darren Wrudd:

Rarely have we had such an emphatic win and come away feeling so odd about the performance.

I’m not disappointed, of course, with so many silky skills on display, put paid to that early on, along with such a huge tally of points. But the last 20 minutes, I bet, are almost all that Peet has talked about at this week’s training sessions. However, as I like to concentrate on positives and there were so many, I will leave that discussion to the coaches and hope we don't lose focus next time out.

Whilst the forwards dominated and bullied their opposite numbers for the majority of the game, it gave our backs the freedom to shine, and goodness me did they shine. Field is back to his best - it’s taken a little while, and any injury takes time to heal and then time to work back to where you were. His positional play for most of the game was perfect, both in attack and defence, popping up every so often as if from nowhere, like a magician’s assistant, he just appears and terrorises defenders.

The engine room in games like that, though, are the two halves with Smith staking his claim as the best halfback in Super League with his organisational attributes and vision, add in his kicking game, and there's not a player I would swap him for.

Farrimond must be giving Peet sleepless nights at the moment! How on earth can he fit in three halves of such talent, and how can he justify a marquee player like French sat in the dugout for most of each game? Giving Farrimond a run at hooker to spell O'Neill was a good option and will test his defensive mettle, as O'Neill leaves some big boots to fill. But to have the three on the field, playing behind a dominant pack, is good to watch.

With two energetic wingers, both with their own strengths, Keighran shining in his role too, it just leaves that performance by Wardle as the cherry on top. Often unnoticed, Wardle has such elusive footwork that he must be a nightmare to tackle, but again, his rugby IQ is up there with the best, knowing instinctively when to play and when to pass. A deserved Man of the Match award in my eyes.

This week, of course, we travel to Hull FC - a bit of a curate’s egg year for them - good in parts, but they are wracked with injuries, and 11 first-team players out last week saw them fall to Wakefield, but not a blowout score.

To me, this speaks of desperation in a squad with a new incoming head coach. Steve McNamara has his critics, but plenty of experience and the club has already reportedly started to offer contracted players out to other teams, so the feeling in camp cannot be good and desperate teams can always pull off a shock. We need to be out of the blocks and in their faces to get on the front foot, and if we do, I cannot see anything but a convincing win.