Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Fri Oct 01, 2021 9:56 pm  

Totally out played out muscled and out coached tonight.
Saints were very good all round and we were very poor.
Our pack was well beat by the Saints pack and their backs out played ours.
We had Lui as our only threat and I thought Smith went well for the time he was on the pitch.
As for distribution from both Dwyer and Leeming it was nothing short of abysmal.
We were flattered by our win against one of the worse Wigan teams in a long time.
Decent winger and prop required along with a new coach.
Thanks Richie but time to move on.
Wrt Tetavano I do think he has had to curb and adjust his tackling technique and that might be influencing the way he is playing.
Prior also poor tonight.

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Fri Oct 01, 2021 10:21 pm  

That game against us last week gave a false impression of how Leeds were shaping up going in to tonight IMO. We are an absolute joke and it was basically a bounce of the ball which stopped it finishing 0-0 (I’m presuming the ball isn’t in the same spot at 6-0 to go 8-0) I think a lot of people felt it was an impressive result but I certainly didn’t think it was an impressive performance, simply because of how dire we are.

Every side in this league really needs to wake up. Saints are head and shoulders above everyone and aren’t even as good as they were when Holbrook left. That means teams have not progressed at all and if anything, they’ve actually gone backwards. The lack of intensity in teams play is astonishing. It’s a given that you should be supremely fit and should be able to go hell for leather for 80 mins. Teams looks so shocked by Saints intensity.

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Fri Oct 01, 2021 10:21 pm  

Went to the game tonight and it was disappointing.

For all the talk of Walmsley, don’t get me wrong he is a quality prop, however he goes on the back of two or three quick play the balls from Grace, Percival and Makinson. At no point did we control the exit from Saints, they made easy meters over the first couple of plays, had us going backwards and we then cannot stop Walmsley etc.

The things we need to work on for me are:

1. A better kicking game - hopefully a fit Gale, Sezer and Austin address that issue
2. We need more from Myler/Walker, handley and briscoe or another winger in the first couple of sets. We are steady but we lack pace and we rarely get quick play the balls to allow Mik, Prior, Tet to come onto it without heavy line speed coming at the. To me we need another winger and I hope Walker can get fit and give us some zip from full back next year.
3. Better line speed - I don’t know if this is purely coaching or that players are gassed as we rarely get a quick play the ball in early tackles. I think this is a coaching issue
4. A more cohesive game plan, we do often look out of ideas, appreciate we have a hooker playing half back but we seem to have one shift play wide and that is it. I would hope with Gale, Sezer, Austin and Leeming at 9 with Walker/Myler at full back we can have more options moving forward.

Overall I think we have to remember how tough we have had it this year. We have done well to get to that game and we weren’t good enough. Saints are a better team than us this year. We just need to make sure we continue growing and improving and putting ourselves in a positon to be more consistent over a full season.

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Fri Oct 01, 2021 10:59 pm  

One step too far tonight and showed we are still a bit off at being a consistent contender for a Grand Final again, however I think 2022 will be the year we hopefully & finally turn that corner and should be there or there abouts for Grand Finals. With Sezer & Austin coming in we have genuine Spine that can lead us too a Final. The players need a rest after a strange year with injuries & covid and then get a big pre season in for 2022. I'm already looking forward too our 2022 just want Catalans too do Saints over next week and keep our 3 GF in a row record. We'll done too the players & staff and everyone at the club again this year. MOT ALAW.

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Fri Oct 01, 2021 11:08 pm  

Did the game go any differently to how anyone expected it to? Saints are just different gravy to the rest.

The tactics of kicking early to make Walmsley as ineffective as possibly was right but we missed too many tackles, made too many errors and just couldnt handle them. They was on top of us all night.

Been a season of great effort and pride from the team. Weve faced real adversity and got to wiithin 80 mins of Old Trafford. We all know we should be a better team next season but to topple Saints, who are a very very good team, will take some doing.

We are heading in right direction as a club tho i believe.

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Fri Oct 01, 2021 11:12 pm  

Marty Grrrrrrrrrr! wrote:

Did the game go any differently to how anyone expected it to? Saints are just different gravy to the rest.

The tactics of kicking early to make Walmsley as ineffective as possibly was right but we missed too many tackles, made too many errors and just couldnt handle them. The was on top of us all night.

Been a season of great effort and pride from the team. Weve faced real adversity and got to wiithin 80 mins of Old Trafford. We all know ee should be a better team next season but to topple Saints, who are a very very good team, will take some doing.

We are heading in right direction as a club tho i believe.

It went exactly how I thought it would if im honest with myself.

Saints are a level above and playing with one half fit halfback and starting with Dwyer we were in a hiding to nothing really

Personally im proud of the effort in what has been a difficult season

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:31 am  

christopher wrote:

It went exactly how I thought it would if im honest with myself.

Saints are a level above and playing with one half fit halfback and starting with Dwyer we were in a hiding to nothing really

Personally im proud of the effort in what has been a difficult season

Exactly. Agree 100%. Trust me Leeds are in a good position going forward.

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Sat Oct 02, 2021 6:12 am  

Tough night yesterday and a reality check on where we are as a squad. This year has been really hard and so badly disrupted with injuries its difficult to make a clear judgement on coaching or players especially ones playing bust or out of position.
Our recruitment for next year with hopefully a prop and potentially a winger to come in looks to be in the correct place to move us to the next level.
Heres a few of my end of school report observations.
1. Fix the hooker issue as its the primary issue for our stalling attacking platform. For all his industry Dwyer has to go. Give Leeming a career highlights video of James Roby to study for the winter and integrate Corey Johnson.
2. We must get more minutes and game impact from our marquee players.
3. Don't let Harry Newman become the next Kallum Watkins lost in the centres dreaming of a decent pass constantly running into heavy traffic or tackling all night on the back foot. Fix point 1 will help.
4. We need more pace or thrust in the back 5. Even with the addition of quality halves do any of our existing players bar Newman actually hit the line hard. Be interesting to see how walker returns hopefully a bit stronger. Tom Briscoe has been a great servant but he looks half the player these days.
5. With a decent hooker and a full compliment of halves we need to establish a style of play and a varied kicking game. Both Saints and Catalans have clear styles of playing backboned by key players and have been the best teams this year by a distance. Thats why the youngsters like Morgue and Welsby can flourish as they are coming into an environment where everyone know there job.
Anyway roll on 2022 probably give us a 7 out of 10 this year and a well done for effort but hoping for a big step up in 2022

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:05 am  

Lprhino wrote:

Went to the game tonight and it was disappointing.

For all the talk of Walmsley, don’t get me wrong he is a quality prop, however he goes on the back of two or three quick play the balls from Grace, Percival and Makinson. At no point did we control the exit from Saints, they made easy meters over the first couple of plays, had us going backwards and we then cannot stop Walmsley etc.

The things we need to work on for me are:

1. A better kicking game - hopefully a fit Gale, Sezer and Austin address that issue
2. We need more from Myler/Walker, handley and briscoe or another winger in the first couple of sets. We are steady but we lack pace and we rarely get quick play the balls to allow Mik, Prior, Tet to come onto it without heavy line speed coming at the. To me we need another winger and I hope Walker can get fit and give us some zip from full back next year.
3. Better line speed - I don’t know if this is purely coaching or that players are gassed as we rarely get a quick play the ball in early tackles. I think this is a coaching issue
4. A more cohesive game plan, we do often look out of ideas, appreciate we have a hooker playing half back but we seem to have one shift play wide and that is it. I would hope with Gale, Sezer, Austin and Leeming at 9 with Walker/Myler at full back we can have more options moving forward.

Overall I think we have to remember how tough we have had it this year. We have done well to get to that game and we weren’t good enough. Saints are a better team than us this year. We just need to make sure we continue growing and improving and putting ourselves in a positon to be more consistent over a full season.

Good post, think Makinson and Percival are key to what comes later in the sets with Walmsley, they come off the back fence, at full speed, run straight and hard with very little footwork and Bend/Break the line nearly everytime. Compare that with Handley and Briscoe who have a hop, skip and jump approaching the line and are lucky if they're half pace by the time they hit contact.

Our attack with good ball is hopeless, i know people will point to our spine never being the same from game to game, and i get that, but id still be looking for a bit more cohesion and a bit more of a clue to what they're doing, admittedly you sacrifice any hope of structure the second you select Dwyer, who was, yet again, absolutely terrible last night imo. But the jurys very much out for me on Long and our attack.

Great comeback season for Newman but a game too far last night, wasnt his night to say the least.

Next seasons looking promising, some good signings already, desperately need another big prop which im confident we'l get, and maybe a bit more belief, think that was bit lf an issue last night.

Overall, we'v done well to reach a semi-final all things considered, short term future looks bright, long term future looks even brighter...So as infruriating as last nights performance was, lots to look forward to.

Re: SL GF E | St Helens (A) : Sat Oct 02, 2021 7:08 am  

Saints were the better team, think if they had suffered with injuries like we have this year, would be a very different team though.....