Radlinski: Wigan lacked leadership and composure

Wigan general manager Kris Radlinski says the Warriors lacked leadership and compsure in 2015 and have been working hard to improve in those areas.

Wigan reached the grand final but were pipped at Old Trafford by Leeds 22-20. They also missed out on the League Leader’s Shield to the Rhinos on for and against.

Writing for the Warriors’ website, Radlinski said the club has changed its pre-season training regime ahead of the new season.

“Having spent many hours with the senior management group and with input from Mr Lenagan, it was felt that this year something different was needed,” he wrote.

“We were very close last year, but not close enough.

“We were two seconds and two points away from celebrating a double. Instead our rivals Leeds walked away with all three trophies.

“No disrespect at all to Leeds but I never felt that they were three trophies better than us.

“I could have accepted a 2-1 defeat but 3-0 was hard to take.

“Having said that, I was glad that their iconic players Jamie Peacock and Kevin Sinfield bowed out in such an emphatic way.

“In the Grand Final, the leadership and composure that these two players in particular showed was probably the difference in the game.

“We struggled in this area. The best example I can give you is that with a few minutes to go, we had an opportunity to take a shot down a blindside where we had numbers.

“Executed correctly, this was a wonderful scoring opportunity. Instead, our dummy half found Tony Clubb who punted the ball.”

“In these key moments, the great teams find a way to win. The best Rugby team on the planet is currently the All Blacks.

“They plan for this eventuality – losing by a few points with just a couple of minutes to play, they know exactly what they have to do, which player gets the ball, what part of the field that they are working to and most importantly of all, they have the composure and trust to execute.”

Wigan’s squad has gone through a two-day military camp to help improve leadership skills and coping with pressure.

“The military camp that we have just been on was designed around improving these areas,” Radlinski writes.

“In Florida we had ball in the players hands for hours and hours each day.

“On this camp they touched a ball for about 45 minutes. Leadership, communication, strategy, focus and of course physical endurance were all put under extreme pressure.

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