Re: Bradford : Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:53 am  

The 1st Bradford game has to be our worst performance of the season and that included Oldham and Toulouse. We played well for 10 minutes, should have had the game won by half time and then literally threw it away by the end of the game. That hurt because I thought Bradford looked very avaerage. To be fair to them since then they have done really well and Sunday will be a tough test. As mentioned above Bradford are a big side and will come and try and bully us down the middle an area where we lack any real size. Our strengths though are that we are mobile and we need to try and move the big Bradford team around the park. Hopefully our pitch been nearly twice as wide as the Bradford one we can use to our advantage.

Re: Bradford : Thu Jul 29, 2021 3:55 pm  

I would think on a proper pitch and with Bradford's half back situation Fax ought to win this weekend. Bradford's coaches/players/fans all seem to think they should have beaten Fev this weekend but that was a weaker Fev team than the one that won at Fax, and was effectively running with a 2-man bench after half back Spence had to replace Doyle on the wing. The players were backing up from a torrid game in hot weather the week before, and had had no proper training sessions for 2 weeks, whereas Bradford hadn't had a game for a fortnight, they will never get a better chance of beating us than that.

Re: Bradford : Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:26 am  

faxcar wrote:

With the departure of Gad the Fax pack are significantly weaker in the impact department and Sheffield won more of the collision on Sunday and I expect a big test against the Bradford middle this weekend.
Our D will have to be back to the levels set prior to the Eagles game.
Despite the Bulls having both of their own halves missing Joe Keyes is better than either of them IMHO so I don’t see that as a weak area for them.
A few selection questions for SG this week.
Hope I’m wrong, Bulls by 6 to 8 points.

Don't be fooled by the 'big pack' syndrome. For me, Bulls have a few questionable forwards who can easily be arent the most mobile; Crossley, Fleming, Walker. If Moore and Davies go early at them, make them work we will score plenty of points I think. Watching the highlights from the weekend, 4 of Fev's tries came from quick work around the rook or having support play straight out of dummy half. I'd bring Calcott back in this week. He gets his nose through the line just as much as Springer and with a decent offload.

Re: Bradford : Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:34 am  

The Phantom Horseman wrote:

I would think on a proper pitch and with Bradford's half back situation Fax ought to win this weekend. Bradford's coaches/players/fans all seem to think they should have beaten Fev this weekend but that was a weaker Fev team than the one that won at Fax, and was effectively running with a 2-man bench after half back Spence had to replace Doyle on the wing. The players were backing up from a torrid game in hot weather the week before, and had had no proper training sessions for 2 weeks, whereas Bradford hadn't had a game for a fortnight, they will never get a better chance of beating us than that.

Whilst I agree we should have beaten you, and had a great opportunity for the reasons mentioned, we were also missing our starting 6,7 and 9.

I fully expect a Fax victory this week however. Great form, maybe smarting a little from throwing away a 14 point lead at Dewsbury and we've no half backs.

Re: Bradford : Fri Jul 30, 2021 11:48 am  

SingaporeFax wrote:

Don't be fooled by the 'big pack' syndrome. For me, Bulls have a few questionable forwards who can easily be arent the most mobile; Crossley, Fleming, Walker. If Moore and Davies go early at them, make them work we will score plenty of points I think. Watching the highlights from the weekend, 4 of Fev's tries came from quick work around the rook or having support play straight out of dummy half. I'd bring Calcott back in this week. He gets his nose through the line just as much as Springer and with a decent offload.

Yes when playing against BIG forwards ask questions of their fitness, work them hard and use our mobility is a tactic often employed.
I wasn't so much worried about their BIG pack more about our own missing the go forward of Springer and Burough based on our most recent games without them, against Haven and Eagles where we were less dominant and Calcott is not in the 21 for this week.

Re: Bradford : Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:20 pm  

There's probably two evenly matched teams here and I honestly believe the difference at Dewsbury was the ref. Aye we should have won after he had us well in front at one stage with the penalty count, we should have held onto our lead, we should have gone for the one pointer but the big decisions went the bulls way. Two trys from forward passes, the one to the winger was so obvious, did us in the end and we lost by a point. It will be tight again and could come down to the team as makes least mistakes, hopefully that's Fax. I'll go for Fax 24v12 bulls. Up The Fax!

Re: Bradford : Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:30 pm  

Can only think Calcott is injured as he's definitely been one of our better forwards - without him, Hewitt and Springer from earlier in the season no idea why Jones can't at least get in the squad now he's proved his fitness playing at Hunslet. Don't normally like to criticise the club but the lack of information behind squad selection is frustrating

Re: Bradford : Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:16 pm  

I agree about jones we are down to the bare bones in the forwards he as played a handful of games for hunslet but hasn't played in there last couple of games so i would of liked to see him given a go. As for the team this week i would pick. woodburnhall, saltonstall, barber, worthington, rawsthorne, harris, robinson, murray, moore, larroyer, garside, tangata, fairbank, subs, morris, kavanagh, curtis davies, grix, I would play tangata at right-side second row this week with kavanagh playing in the middle and garside left side second row. Hopefully this would help sure up our right side defence from last week which was pretty weak and also give us some punch on that side that we have lacked since hewitt left. And kavanagh as got good footwork which could come in useful against a big pack.Add to that barber at centre should help also.

Re: Bradford : Fri Jul 30, 2021 4:05 pm  

calcott in isolation. jones and rawsthorne are coming back from injury

Re: Bradford : Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:36 pm  

...and bradford sign Jordan Baldwinson on a one match loan from York. You couldn't make it up.