Re: Remaining season : Sat Aug 05, 2023 7:47 pm  

Just been looking at the remaining fixtures for those around us and I honestly can’t see us finishing worse than 6th. Not took my medication yet but that’s what I think.

Re: Remaining season : Sat Aug 05, 2023 8:41 pm  

I don’t expect us to win anything, but I think we’ll fight hard and have a decent go in the play offs.

With a front row of Vaughan, Mikaele, Harrison, Bullock, Crowther, Philbin and Kasiano, if you can get them fired up and keep them on the field, you should have a 50:50 chance in most games. They should get you out of trouble and into good field position, if you kick and defend kicks well enough.

From there we just need to find a way over the line. Williams is obviously the starting point there. And with Currie and Ashton on that side that is our best chance. It’s criminal we don’t have a centre to play on that side.

This isn’t a great team, but this isn’t a great league really. Saints and Wigan can be beat, it’s Catalan who are looking a cut above at the moment.

Re: Remaining season : Sat Aug 05, 2023 11:00 pm  

Barbed Wire wrote:

.....With a front row of Vaughan, Mikaele, Harrison, Bullock, Crowther, Philbin and Kasiano......

Certainly a revolutionary tactic having SEVEN players in the front row. With the traditional "pyramid" behind, that's already 28 players in your team before factoring in a scrum half et al.

Unless it were Saints or Wigan doing it, the Match Review Panel would surely notice.

Re: Remaining season : Sat Aug 05, 2023 11:13 pm  

Barbed Wire wrote:

This isn’t a great team, but this isn’t a great league really. Saints and Wigan can be beat, it’s Catalan who are looking a cut above at the moment.

Catalans v Leigh final, unless one or both choke. Saints are out of it this year. Just too much disruption to ever get into anything like decent form. Wigan are terrible but at least have the x-factor of French.

Re: Remaining season : Sun Aug 06, 2023 8:49 am  

Saddened! wrote:

Catalans v Leigh final, unless one or both choke. Saints are out of it this year. Just too much disruption to ever get into anything like decent form. Wigan are terrible but at least have the x-factor of French.

I can’t see Leigh doing much after the challenge cup final which is the way it usually goes. Especially if they win it. My guess would be a Cats - Wigan GF or maybe Saints if Wigan choke it.

Re: Remaining season : Sun Aug 06, 2023 9:33 am  

CW8 wrote:

All of those games are winnable if we do all of the basics well, make the defence more aggressive with a line which cuts the space down quickly, have a kicking game that causes the oposition some problems, and cut the silly errors. That said we are quite a way off from doing any of that at the minute.

These are professional players, there should be no real reason why they can't do all of that and compete to win these matches. Maybe we need a really good sport psychologist? This team needs to learn to trust themselves and each other again or we are done for the season already. How depressing.

This, with addition of support the ball carrier in attack. It's so obvious which problems to remedy that will have the most impact*, that's causing the frustration with me and no doubt many others. I think this season is done, but would be delighted should that not be the case.

*Without needing to be Wayne Bennett, or have a full collection of coaching badges.

Re: Remaining season : Sun Aug 06, 2023 9:40 am  

sally cinnamon wrote:

Duck used to say that every year when Steve Price was here but I'm not sure he predicted it about Powell's teams.

I would always say Wire because I simply can’t bet against my own club, however even I gave up under Powell last season because of the shat show of recruitment, especially the lacking of a quality pack, in particular props.

I gave DP only the benefit of doubt this season, and had to assume that these very core club players ousted, were in fact the infectious disease they were made out to be. I’m shamed by that.
This season seems like a mash up of everything off the back of what happened last season.
I’d love a candid opinion from a current player about what has gone utter toxic.

Re: Remaining season : Sun Aug 06, 2023 11:38 am  

Bent&Bongser wrote:

Certainly a revolutionary tactic having SEVEN players in the front row. With the traditional "pyramid" behind, that's already 28 players in your team before factoring in a scrum half et al.

Unless it were Saints or Wigan doing it, the Match Review Panel would surely notice.

We still wouldn't win owt with that line up.

Re: Remaining season : Sun Aug 06, 2023 12:07 pm  

ninearches wrote:

We still wouldn't win owt with that line up.

You never know I mean Dudson is not in that line up.

Re: Remaining season : Sun Aug 06, 2023 12:28 pm  

Bent&Bongser wrote:

Certainly a revolutionary tactic having SEVEN players in the front row. With the traditional "pyramid" behind, that's already 28 players in your team before factoring in a scrum half et al.

Unless it were Saints or Wigan doing it, the Match Review Panel would surely notice.

I would have thought it obvious that I meant that those were the options, but a lesson learned. The prop options, as listed above, are in preference order and ideally deployed 3 at a time, 3 starters with 3 in rotation, with Clark and Walker alternating at 9 with Currie and Nicholson at 11/12. That is the pack that could get you in a decent contest.