Brave but ultimately poor : Sat Sep 21, 2013 2:33 pm
It's pretty hard to knock the players after that effort last night. A real gruelling game, a fantastic advert for Super League and the intensity of the play offs. Leeds are a superb side, a side of winners and I want them to win it again. They've got everything we're lacking by the bucket load.Leeds dominated us throughout in terms of field position and Sinfield and particularly Burrow marshalled them round really well. If we had one player of the quality of Sinfield, Burrow or McGuire we'd have won last night. The lads defended superbly, some really heroic stuff. Manu, Jones and Wilkin all tackled themselves to a standstill. I thought Manu was absolutely sensational tonight, setting a ridiculously high standard throughout. LMS too had a dig again.
When we did get chances tonight we were pretty shocking. Although the defense was good tonight, the attack wasn't good enough. We've had a full season under Brown and it still doesn't look like the players actually know what they are supposed to be doing when they get into the opposition half. It seems plays 1 and 2 are just one up tackle wasters to settle in. 3 is a crashball pass telegraphed, faxed and emailed to the defense in advance and plays 4 and 5 are blind panic. I think some of the senior players really need to take some of the blame for it though. Meli's hand in to give a stupid penalty on Leeds' line on a rare sortie down into Leeds 20, Roby's decision to kick on the second when under Leeds' sticks when it wasn't on at all was also stupid. Hohaia seemed to spend the game chastising the likes of Wilkin, Roby and Lomax for what they did on the previous play. Roby in particular was awful in his decision making.
A point I'd given up making recently out of sheer boredom, Paul Wellens. Paul Wellens starting at fullback is one thing. It's a stupid thing and a should-have-ended-4-years-ago thing, but it's nothing compared to the ridiculousness of starting with Paul Wellens on the bench. He didn't seem to get on until the hour mark. Why bring him on at all? Is that Brown protesting at McManus forcing him to be in the 17? Or is there meant to be some kind of point to having the slowest back in the history of the world on the bench?
Last night kind of sums our season up to be honest. Solid in defense, like headless chickens with the ball. It's incredibly naive of us to think Luke Walsh, a player proven to collapse under pressure, will solve all our problems. We NEED another halfback.
