Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 10:22 am  

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christopher wrote:

We are better this season.

We weren’t at full strength either. I think it possibly is an expectation mismatch, it was a good game against two of the better teams in the league, and Saints just got on top in the second half.

We can over analyse it because that’s what we do as fans but i don’t think last nights game proves nothings changed from last season at all.

I also think ‘major worry’ is overstating your case a bit.

You are very optimistic and that’s a good quality to have. Hope you’re right. Our good teams used to have support runners who converted most line breaks. Shame nobody was backing Miller up when he bursts the line….

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 10:25 am  

batleyrhino wrote:

There’s a difference between recognising where we are at, and accepting it. We’ve made progress with the squad and aspects of performance this season, but we are still a fair distance from winning anything given what we’ve seen so far. It’s ok to hold both of those views simultaneously, we’re on a journey to get back to where a club with Leeds history and resources should be, that will still take more time as we have (and still will) take some wrong turns.

Yep and I think frankly we need a couple of future England stars to emerge from the academy.

It’s also early in the season and form changes - we might be having different conversations by the end of the Summer.

We have some good ingredients. What frustrates me at times is individual players trying to run through the entire opposition, rather than us working harder around the ball carrier as a team to challenge the defence and change the point of attack.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 10:39 am  

KaeruJim wrote:

Yep and I think frankly we need a couple of future England stars to emerge from the academy.

It’s also early in the season and form changes - we might be having different conversations by the end of the Summer.

We have some good ingredients. What frustrates me at times is individual players trying to run through the entire opposition, rather than us working harder around the ball carrier as a team to challenge the defence and change the point of attack.

We’ve never been a well structured attacking team. Even our great teams have relied on individual m, off the cuff brilliance. We had pace though, you need pacey support runners for that style of play. Current team won’t be able to do that regularly enough so will have to learn structure, which takes a long time….

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 10:49 am  

I think it really struck me at Leigh how their attack and runners were genuinely hard to cope with in good ball.

Saints was actually a necessary game, as a yardstick. Hopefully we get Mom and Lisone back next week and the team composition is more balanced.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 10:54 am  

KaeruJim wrote:

I think it really struck me at Leigh how their attack and runners were genuinely hard to cope with in good ball.

Saints was actually a necessary game, as a yardstick. Hopefully we get Mom and Lisone back next week and the team composition is more balanced.

Leigh are probably the best team in the league at those plays (not winning them many games though since the CC)

Since Woolf took over St Helens they aren’t actually a brilliantly structured attacking team like Leigh. They are just machine like, especially in defence. Look at how few trys they concede, think theyve only shipped in 40 points in 5 games, and most of those were against Salford with 12 men.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:06 am  

christopher wrote:

Leigh are probably the best team in the league at those plays (not winning them many games though since the CC)

Since Woolf took over St Helens they aren’t actually a brilliantly structured attacking team like Leigh. They are just machine like, especially in defence. Look at how few trys they concede, think theyve only shipped in 40 points in 5 games, and most of those were against Salford with 12 men.

They’ve also got Lomax!

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:13 am  

Shabino wrote:

They’ve also got Lomax!

They won’t have forever.

Weve got Croft, there’s not much between them imo.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:23 am  

Thought you guys were great to watch last night. After 20 minutes I thought we could be on for a morale destroying drubbing. Not sure how you didn't end up further in front, but our scrambling defence was excellent which it had to be! Really looking forward to round 2 next week

Thought Ackers, Croft and obviously Miller were brilliant and all look like really good signings. Sangare is an absolute monster as well, if you can get him more involved and running at steam with some aggression then he'd be really hard to stop. Think you've got a good base to build with now, which is not how I saw your team last year. Think you will improve and I think your team is probably the top end of the chasing pack to us and Wigan. Do need some more beef in the pack though

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:23 am  

Saints are a top side - they are relentless in defence and you need a well thought attacking structure to break them down - something Leeds don't have.

I am struggling to see what O'Connor brings to the team that Johnson didn't - that move for the Saints try was out of junior rugby.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:29 am  

Zoo Zoo Boom wrote:

Saints are a top side - they are relentless in defence and you need a well thought attacking structure to break them down - something Leeds don't have.

I am struggling to see what O'Connor brings to the team that Johnson didn't - that move for the Saints try was out of junior rugby.