Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 9:10 am  

The Speculator wrote:

Perhaps last night we were missing some of the 'nothing' that many people accuse Jack Hughes of bringing to the team.

I think tackling is an essential criteria for a second row forward. Not sure Hughes had a unique ability in that regard. The problem, for me, was that each of those positions have been changed over the past 4 weeks. Charnley, unnecessarily shifted to the left, which brought in Mamo, ultimately Thewlis. The centre spot has been King, Ratchford and Mamo. Austin is back in vogue at 6, but was Ratchford recently. The only mainstay comes out, only to be replaced by a left centre... bizarrely. No continuity, no forward planning.

[Uncle Rico]

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 9:44 am  

Was Price simply guilty of trying too hard with our back line? He's got to play GI, and then reward Mamo, encourage Thewlis and keep Lineham waiting on the naughty step. I get that King to SR wasn't universally popular, then there is the Ratchford/Austin conundrum......I didn't think that Austin played that bad TBH, not exactly Steve but definitely not Tracy.

Interesting picks next week

[Fantastic Mr Catpiss]

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 10:01 am  

As well as the right side has been doing since we settled on mamo and thewlis, them, plus king going up against Edwards, who's a big aggressive back rower, is a mismatch.

Him against king is a mismatch, and shows the downside of king in the 2nd row.

If westwood had been playing last night, Edwards would have got a couple of cracks early on, letting him know its not gonna be easy, and put him in the red mist.

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 10:16 am  

For me, it’s time to go back to the original plan. We’re at just over 50% win rate which, given the level of opposition we’ve faced, is a bit behind par, but we have time to recover it.

It’s not throwing the baby out with the bath water, but King is the best left centre we have, Ratchford the best fullback, Austin and Widdop the best pivots. Get them in those fixed in those positions. That would naturally default to some sort of shape, albeit lopsided to the more dangerous left.

[Fantastic Mr Catpiss]

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 10:45 am  

i'd dispute the austin bit, we were looking a bit better without him in the team

[Uncle Rico]

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 10:56 am  

Fantastic Mr Catpiss wrote:

i'd dispute the austin bit, we were looking a bit better without him in the team

I think that's why I called it a conundrum, we might be better balanced without him and it's coincided with an upturn in Widdop's form BUT on an individual basis last night Austin was Ok IMO.

Apart from starting a game on -20, Huddersfield had the 'rub of the green' and probably deservedly as they were expansive but every offload that went to ground was always back or flat never forward,

They deserved the win but there was a kick from Sezer that summed up our night, flew off the side of his boot bounced a foot in he didn't have a clue could have easily ended up 5 rows back in the South Stand. Then there was Edwards doing his Beth Tweddle which took all the momentum away from us. GRRR!!!

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 11:13 am  

Watching the game last night was like watching the best years under Smith with flowing length of the field attack, but sadly it was Huddersfield who showed us what we can't seem to do these days.
Our attack is generally woeful close to the line without the usual set ending of a kick to the in-goal & our main option last night was a spate of long range up & unders off Austin.
Watson surely does have our number.

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 11:35 am  

Fantastic Mr Catpiss wrote:

i'd dispute the austin bit, we were looking a bit better without him in the team

True he hasn’t been on top form, I have been as critical as any of him, but he is a genuine running threat. Which would be handy if there were any other attacking threats around him to take defenders away from him. Realistically, he needs an inside and outside option on every play, and that “sweep� play from Ratchford out the back. That amount of bodies in motion, if they all ran with purpose, would create enough space for him to get over the line, or like last night, give the outside men room. Inglis is the perfect foil for that, big body who attracts defenders, Austin can then run as much as he can.

The better attacking side is the left, Widdop is sharp, Currie is a genuine threat with a pass/kick/offload and King is big and quick with a decent fend. That is where the points should come. I just wish Price would stop messing around with it. We just need the right to a) not concede b) make meters coming away from our line c) chip in with a few points when the left isn’t successful.

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 5:50 pm  

If we had read that team days ago most of the people on here would he if the opinion it's a winning side and price is playing people based on performances.

It was doomed from the selection too many changes with too little time to adjust. If there was a change to be made to accommodate ratchford it should hs e been memo to miss out and inglis to centre. We don't need to be moving a centre to the back row when we have more than enough cover there.

Our first half was one to forget poor defence attack communication and effort !!!! Seconf half we played better but still blew our chances. This bunch of players cannot change the momentum of a game and really struggle when it swings away from us, I don't put this on price as it was the same towards the end if Smith's time with us.

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Tue May 18, 2021 6:53 pm  

We're guilty of trying to shoehorn Inglis into the starting 13 bit plenty of people on here have been saying that King and Currie is our best second row combination and was a major factor in our mid-term successes last year.

I thought Austin did ok last night but I'd have stuck with the team as was and maybe put Austin on the bench.