Sean O’Loughlin insists Wigan remain capable of retaining their Super League title despite a run of form that appears to suggest Monday’s game against Wakefield is arguably their most important of the season.
The reigning champions are without a win in their past four games and despite a relatively strong start to the season they now find themselves in mid-table as the regular season enters its final stretch.
Defeat to Trinity could leave them as many as five points adrift of the top four come Monday night, but O’Loughlin said: “The majority of boys wouldn’t even know where we are in the league – we just keep approaching games wanting to win,” he says.
“We’ve not won a few now but eventually we will do and we’ll climb up that table. We’ve got every confidence that we’ll be up at the right end and there or thereabouts come the end of the year.”
Wigan’s problems have not been helped by injuries, with the champions without more than a dozen first-team players on several occasions this year.
They will be without a similar number at the DW Stadium, but O’Loughlin believes the pain the club are experiencing will benefit them in the long-term. “We’re down to the bare bones: we’ve had players missing and kids coming in,” he says. “But this will pay dividends come the back end of the year when hopefully we get a load of troops back.
“There’s a lot of competition and some of these kids will probably hold on to their places. At the minute it’s tough, but for the back end of the year, next year and the year after that, it’s going to be great for us.”
However, despite such defiance from the Wigan and England captain, he does concede their form has to improve soon to avoid their season petering out. “In the past we’ve had injuries but managed to pick up wins, and that’s probably one thing we’ve not done as much as last year.
We had a good spell at the start but we’re on a bit of a run now where we’ve not picked up points. We’ve got to address that and start winning games, but if we continue to approach matches like we have done, then we’ll eventually start picking up wins.”
