Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:29 pm  

WormInHand wrote:

What are the actual rules on fielding your strongest available team?

Their isn't one and their should never be one. Silly in the Premiership when teams get fined for fielding a weakened side. It should be the club/coach prerogative who they pick to do the job. If Wigan had won would this thread even exist?

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:32 pm  

Think the biggest disrespect is to dismiss' Widnes (who have suffered badly through injuries this year) win down to Wigan underestimating them.

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:34 pm  

Getting a little tired of all this 'disrespect' stuff being chucked around by the Wigan fans. Get over yourselves. Simply an attempt to take the attention away from the fact that we also were missing our best halfback, our top try scorer and two of our higher profile signings. We were FAR from first choice at 1-13. If those players had played, we may have been winners by 21 points not just 1.

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:45 pm  

Just said this on our forum, but I'm not buying the disrespect line in the slightest. How can a team selection be considered disrespectful when it was good enough to go 18 points up and only lost to a drop goal in the last five minutes? Gibberish. That team blew a 36-18 lead and cost Wigan two points. That's the bottom line. They've let themselves and their coach down by doing so

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:56 pm  

Widnes won great stuff but to get to the o. p. wigan fielded a weakened team bringing the game into disrepute didn't saints get fined a few years ago for pulling the same stunt at bradford?

Be interesting what new accounts with bookmakers got opened in wigan during the week

Looked at the team posted on skysports centre and spat my cup of tea out,as there been a outbreak of food posioning at pooles pies?For the wigan numpty coach to field that team?

Serves him right hope the 2 points cost them

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:58 pm  

As plenty have said, the punishment has already been inflicted. A coach can and should choose whatever side he likes from his squad. The consequences are for his team in terms of points, and his job in terms of how his board of directors reacts to a loss resulting from a deliberately weaker selection.

Widnes fans must have enjoyed that a lot. I doubt they'll be calling for the game's result to be nullified on the grounds of "disrespect".

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:09 pm  

As far as I am aware the point of registering a squad is that you can pick anybody at all from your first team squad. If you can't, then why are they in the first team squad? The RFL has no role in team selection. Saints can play whoever they want, whenever they want. Who are the RFL to rule on what is Saints' (or anyone's) "strongest team", and anyway where is the rule that says the "strongest team" has to be selected?

Of course, you can call it disrespectful or whatever, like when Saints fielded the reserves against Bradford and cost us a fortune at the gate, but if the other clubs have a problem with it, then they need to address it amongst themselves. Personally I hope they do it every week and finish last. It bit them on the arrse today, but seemingly they only lost because Charnley missed a sitter of a goal, which his gran could have backheeled over. IF he'd kicked it, and Wigan won, then it would clearly be impossible to say they should have played a stronger team. And totally impossible to "fine" them.

What you're really saying is Wigan should be fined or whatever if they lose to Widnes. And it's nonsense.

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:10 pm  

Wigan disrespectful? How very dare you! You'll be accusing them of fiddling the salary cap next!

Congrats to Widnes on an excellent first win. You've put a smile on the face of a lot of Rugby League fans today.

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:19 pm  

BillyRhino wrote:

Wigan disrespectful? How very dare you! You'll be accusing them of fiddling the salary cap next!

Congrats to Widnes on an excellent first win. You've put a smile on the face of a lot of Rugby League fans today.

No one more than me. The start we've had has depressed me quite a bit.

Re: Disrespect : Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:34 pm  

I think it's less disrespect than a misjudgement by Wane - but then going on Widnes' results so far perhaps only a bad decision in hindsight. Said to the Mrs yesterday Widnes would be well up for this - a few ex-Wigan players, Denis Betts at the helm, the knowledge it's a weakened Wigan side. Not surprised we lost.

I didn't go today but even with a few Wigan players missing Widnes must have played a blinder to win, and let's not forget they also had several players missing. Big congratulations to them on a massive win.

Life goes on.