Wigan Bull:
I don't buy in to the make or break element to this game.
Lose (which seems fairly likely) and it doesn't mean the season is over, we can still work toward a big end of season finale. The season is over when we lose in the play-offs.
Win and likewise it doesn't make us champions, it's a building block to the play-off series. Likely we'll face York in those again too.
I agree it has been a disappointment on the field given the last two seasons and positive recruitment for this year.
However, 3 x 3rd place finishes if nothing else is consistent and we have been crying out for a move away from boom - bust - boom - bust.
Other facets to the club and running of it suddenly take on equal importance alongside the playing element, so maybe slow and steady wins the race to SL?
I'd love it to be true but I just can't see how we recover if we lose this. The frustration of the fans was clearly bubbling during the Hunslet game. I thought the body language of the players looked worrying. Certainly didn't look like a team that wanted to right a few wrongs.
Barrow got pumped against Featherstone this week. That shows how far off the pace we are.
The last two years have shown how much of a disadvantage going to Toulouse in the play-offs is. This was the year we got them to come to us. But we've blown so many opportunities. We just haven't proven in any big game we're capable of coming out the right side of these games. If results go a certain way, we could find ourselves 4th come 5pm Sunday.
I just think psychologically losing to York 3 times, along with the other big games is too big of a disappointment for this to group to overcome.