Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:35 pm  

Any update on Newmans injury?

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:39 pm  

Ok let's get real, these away results are clearly unacceptable.On paper I believe we have a top five team BUT obviously we are not good enough for whatever reason.I for one thought coach Smith could do the job but it's becoming obvious that he is not the man for taking us forward.
Yes he has done a sound job in getting the squad age down but results are not good enough.He would be an excellent reserve/academy coach for my money.We have no divine right to win everything but losing to Cas,HKR and now Leigh is (not forgetting Hull at home) very VERY poor for a so called major club.

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:51 pm  

chapylad wrote:

Any update on Newmans injury?

Not serious, apparently. Sezer picked up a quad injury.

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:55 pm  

chapylad wrote:

I listened to it on the radio and only heard Sezers name mentioned twice.
Was he playing?
Sounds like Austin had a mare and I really do think and have thought it for the last 2 years now that we must have one of the worse halfback pairings in the league and that needs to change.
O`Connor getting flogged again when Johnson should be sharing the duties.
No structure and that`s been the case for most of our games this season and this passive defence gifting teams field possession and points in the first 20 minutes is ridiculous.
I`m not in the Smith out camp due to the credits he banked last year.
But I`m sure we will hear this is a building process and we will come good next year.
Will that be 8 or 9 years we`ve been building!!?

Sezer went off at halftime so that’s ehy you won’t have hesrd his name in that half

Im afraid it is a rebuild process, Smith was brought n to sort the mess we were in especially the salary cap, he won’t do that in a year.

Weve got our two biggest earners off contract next year.

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:56 pm  

LanzRhino68 wrote:

Ok let's get real, these away results are clearly unacceptable.On paper I believe we have a top five team BUT obviously we are not good enough for whatever reason.I for one thought coach Smith could do the job but it's becoming obvious that he is not the man for taking us forward.
Yes he has done a sound job in getting the squad age down but results are not good enough.He would be an excellent reserve/academy coach for my money.We have no divine right to win everything but losing to Cas,HKR and now Leigh is (not forgetting Hull at home) very VERY poor for a so called major club.

I think that’s knee-jerk. Cas is always a hard place to go, Kr are running in third atm and Leigh are a tough ask at their ground, have recruited well and aren’t easy beats.

I still think the club is in a far better place than when smith arrives. Some of what he has done has worked. Some hasnt. But if he’s the coach most seems to think he’ll move on from some of it asap. The halves are also a problem but one he can’t do much about.

If I’m going to be critical I think Rohan is obviously still a young coach and maybe a little strong headed on ‘his philosophy’ I also think he’s too much of a tinker man. Either Tindall is good enough to play and you don’t carry a winger on the bench, or he’s not good enough and you still don’t carry a winger on the bench. It must be a smith family trait, see Uncle Tony’s attempts with JJB at prop etc.

I still think he’s the right choice.

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:57 pm  

LanzRhino68 wrote:

.I for one thought coach Smith could do the job but it's becoming obvious that he is not the man for taking us forward..

Is it? Were you saying that 11 games ago?

Our cap has been horrendously mismanaged that aint going to be sorted in the last year.

He got rid of some deadwood and the same will happen next year.

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 10:01 pm  

All points accepted, it's the manner of these starts that's absolutely dreadful and we've left it too late on a few occasions now and others could well have got too far away with the bounce of a ball til we decided to have our say.

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 10:05 pm  

Seth wrote:

All points accepted, it's the manner of these starts that's absolutely dreadful and we've left it too late on a few occasions now and others could well have got too far away with the bounce of a ball til we decided to have our say.

I totally agree on the starts, im not happy with our form at all, but talk of getting rid of smith is just daft imo.

And look at the table its very tight, if we get a run it will look a lot different in a few weeks.

One thing is our home form is very good only one loss in a year, we just need to sort the away form!

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 10:09 pm  

Seth wrote:

All points accepted, it's the manner of these starts that's absolutely dreadful and we've left it too late on a few occasions now and others could well have got too far away with the bounce of a ball til we decided to have our say.

Agreed. That’s the main thing that needs to change. For me some of it might start with the pack. I don’t think we’ve decided on the best front row yet, there’s been lots of chopping and changing there to say everyone’s been relatively fit. I also think there’s an argument someone like Bentley starts or doesn’t play. For me he’s not a bench player, his value is in high energy minutes.

Obviously not every game but some of it also lies on Sezer and Austin. Thereve been a couple of games where we start ok, then we finish a set with a stupid pass or purely executed kick and then all of a sudden we’re on the back foot for the next 10 minutes. Same with some of the penalties.

It’s all fixable. It’s all fixable by the current staff. I don’t for one second think the intent is to start slow, but I do think we’re now at the point where the passive defense needs putting in the bin. We have the pack to not need it, whereas last year it was a necessary evil.

Re: RD 10 | Leigh Leopards (A) : Fri Apr 21, 2023 10:09 pm  

What I would like to hear, as someone said before, is some acknowledgement by Smith that we haven't played well. I understand he doesn't want to give too much away in interviews, but as a fan the 'tough game of footy' mantra when we've played badly is starting to wear a bit thin. The journalists could ask better questions but as fans I think some acknowledgement of reality is due, as it would suggest he knows its not good enough and needs to make changes.

Our starts are terrible and our defence generally isn't good enough, either in terms of field position or points conceded. Last year we had no field position but defended our line well and then played out of defence with style. We built that style because we had a miniature front row. That isn't the case this year and there's no reason for losing field position every game. Take away the huge self belief the team built and the big effort in scrambling defence and the game plan just looks like playing with one hand tied behind your back.

He needs to revisit this as we're just not getting the results. Its not that hard to go back to the basics in defence, as every single player in the squad will have played most of their career under a very similar plan.

I also think he's making things a bit worse in some selections - I don't like Martin in the centres long term, or a winger on the bench. He's picking Bentley, who looks like he's waiting to hear which NRL team he'll join next year, but underplayed Walters, who in the few games he has played has looked really good (just 3 games from 10 now).

None of that means I don't think he's the right man for the job. I like most of the squad building he's done, and we play some very attractive rugby at times. But it feels like Smith is waiting for the performances of last year to just click in, when I don't think we can replicate the results with the same gameplan. Mid table is OK this year but only if it feels like we're moving in the right direction. Its worrying that after ten games we've maybe strung five good halfs together, and not one 80 minute game.