21 Jun 2019
THE LOWDOWN: GIANTS VS WIGAN
All the information you need to know ahead of the Champions visit to the JSS
All the information that you need to know ahead of Friday night’s showdown, as the Wigan Warriors travel to the John Smith’s Stadium.
The Brief
The Giants go into this game looking for a big response, after a 38-2 defeat at St Helens last time out. Wigan, on the other hand, will be looking to continue their winning run, as they beat the Leeds Rhinos 23-14 last weekend. A win for the Giants will see them move level on points with the Warriors, meanwhile a win for the visitors will see them move into the playoff spots, if other results go their way.
The Opposition
It was a slow start to the season for Wigan under new head coach, Adrian Lam. Last season’s Grand Final winners started their campaign at local rivals St Helens and were beaten 22-12 by the red vee.
They did get their first win in their first home game though, beating the Leeds Rhinos 34-16 at the DW Stadium. The following week, the Warriors were beaten 20-8 at home in the World Club Challenge by the Sydney Roosters.
Wigan then lost their next four Betfred Super League games. The week after saw their first experience of golden point. A Marc Sneyd drop-goal meant that they lost 23-22 at home to Hull FC. This was followed by a defeat at newly promoted London Broncos, an 18-16 defeat in the capital. A third consecutive defeat in the league followed, as the Giants travelled to the North West and won 14-6 in March. A 25-12 defeat at Warrington followed the week after.
The action from last night's game between @WiganWarriorsRL and Leeds Rhinos 🔥 #SLLeeWig pic.twitter.com/XhogpWlUoQ
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 15, 2019
Wigan’s March ended on a brighter note, winning 30-22 at the Salford Red Devils, for their first win in four league games. A second successive win followed for the cherry and whites, as they demolished the Catalans Dragons 42-0 at the DW Stadium.
A tough trip to the Castleford Tigers saw them lose their opening game of April, 38-28. Another trip to Yorkshire followed, as they travelled to Wakefield Trinity, where they were beaten 30-20. A third successive defeat followed, and a second to local rivals St Helens, as the Warriors were beaten 36-10 at the DW Stadium.
Three successive wins in the Betfred Super League followed. They beat the Salford Red Devils on Easter Monday 30-26 at the AJ Bell Stadium. That was followed by a hard fought 6-4 win over the Castleford Tigers. The cherry and whites then began May with an 18-8 win over the London Broncos.
Form
Friday night’s visitors have won two out of their last five games, with both wins coming in their last two fixtures. Like the Warriors, the Giants have also won two out of their last five games.
Both sides were knocked out of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup at the last 16 stage. The Giants were beaten narrowly, 22-16, by league leaders St Helens, whilst Wigan also lost narrowly, 26-24 at the second placed Warrington Wolves.
There were contrasting fortunes for the two sides the following week. The Giants defeated Hull KR 30-22 at the John Smith’s Stadium, whilst Wigan lost at the Camp Nou, losing 33-16 to the Catalans Dragons.
Magic Weekend followed. The Giants won their second successive game in impressive style, beating Hull FC 55-2 at Anfield. Meanwhile, the Warriors were beaten 26-14 by Warrington in Liverpool.
The following week, the Giants were narrowly beaten in golden points against the Castleford Tigers, losing 27-26. A late drop-goal gave Wigan a 19-18 win at Hull KR. Last weekend saw the Warriors pick up their second successive win, a 23-14 win at the Leeds Rhinos. The Giants were beaten 38-2 at league leaders St Helens.
Key Players
Sean O’Loughlin
Sean O’Loughlin has played at the Warriors since 2002. The loose forward has won four Grand Finals during his spell at the cherry and whites. The Wigan captain has featured in 14 of his sides 18 Betfred Super League games so far this season. O’Loughlin has made 1002 metres for his side, whilst also contributing to 437 tackles. The loose forward has also made 16 offloads to his team-mates. The Wigan skipper will be one of the players trying to guide his team around the field on Friday evening.
Lee Gaskell
Lee Gaskell in Round 17 🔥
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 11, 2019
✅ 3 Tries
✅ 3 Man of Steel Points
✅ Top 10 in Man of Steel Standings pic.twitter.com/MFXZ7DXiLw
Half-back, Lee Gaskell has featured ten times in the Betfred Super League for the Giants so far this season. Gaskell has scored three tries for the Giants in the 2019 campaign so far, as well as setting up a further eight for his team-mates. The half-back has made 768 metres so far this year, an average gain of 7.84 metres. Gaskell has kicked 20 out of the 26 goals he has attempted in 2019. Like O’Loughlin, Gaskell will be a key player when it comes to guiding his team around the field on Friday night.
Key Battle
Zak Hardaker v Darnell McIntosh
Two battle between the two fullbacks could be very key on Friday night. Zak Hardaker joined the cherry and whites ahead of the 2019 Betfred Super League season. Darnell McIntosh made his Giants debut back in 2017.
Both players have made big metres for their sides so far this season. McIntosh has made 1804 for the Giants in 2019, where as Hardaker has made 1714, but has played a game less. The Giants fullback has also had a big hand in his team scoring tries. McIntosh has scored eight times in 2019, as well as setting up a further ten for his team-mates. Wigan fullback Hardaker has scored four times in 2019, setting up his teammates on five occasions.
Both players have made 80 tackles busts so far in 2019, as well as both carrying the ball 240 times.
It is Hardaker who has made the more tackles though, 121 compared to McIntosh’s 76. Hardaker has also missed fewer tackles, missing 16 compared to McIntosh’s 22.
Previous Meetings
As noted earlier, the two sides have met once already in 2019, in March.
The Giants travelled to the DW Stadium with both sides in need of two points to kick-start their seasons. The two points would return to West Yorkshire though, with the Giants winning the game 14-6 in the North West.
A 12th minute Kruise Leeming try gave the Giants the lead, Gaskell adding the extras. Wigan then levelled in the 52nd minute, via a Morgan Escare try. Zak Hardaker converted it to level the scores. Gaskell kicked a 59th minute penalty to regain the Giants’ lead, before Joe Wardle scored 15 minutes from time. A Gaskell conversion gave the Giants an eight point lead, and with no further scoring in the game it ended Warriors 6-14 Giants.
Don't forget!
Tonight is #WearYellowDay in association with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. We're asking all fans to don yellow for the night in aid of Charlie Lee, a 1-year old Giants fan with the genetic condition. The two teams are taking part, and will be wearing yellow armbands for the fixture and young Charlie will lead the team out this evening.
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