Two games in : Sat Mar 04, 2023 3:25 pm  

Well we have at least got our first points but to be honest we look anything but convincing, Its early days to be sure but we look like we are going to be persevering with the same style as last year which saw us ultimately fall short.
We have changed a few players ( not necessarily for worse ) but we don't seem to be attempting to change our style. Last season we dominated many teams but continually failed to convert pressure into points, a couple of individual efforts last week made our score look decent but that's exactly what they were , individual efforts , we had them last year from some players but the team in general in front of the sticks looks quite clueless on how to convert pressure to points.

Every other team with the exception of us and Wakey seem to know how to score, as i commented its early days yet but i was not happy with the reputation we gained last year for our style of play , I'm hoping Watson has a bit more up his sleeve than we have shown so far.
We have a big squad with some fine players if we can not produce a decent style of play now we never will. Fans want to see some football of the sort we have seen from the likes of Salford Leigh and H K R all who have almost certainly spent far less money than the Giants. For me Ian Watson has nowhere to hide this year it's time to deliver He has been here long enough to have all the men he wants.
We had a good season last year in terms of where we finished and we were desperately unlucky in the CC this year it's time to move forward with a decent style, We have the squad, do we have the coach?







in the CC but this year it's time to move forward

Re: Two games in : Sat Mar 04, 2023 3:35 pm  

I agree 100% with your analysis, Watson looks like he has signed conner to be the golden bullet that makes our style work rather than trying to change the style. I anticipate , like you do, that we will be playing the same 'pressure' rugby, which is great at getting us into the oppositions 20 but last year wasn't great at getting us over the line. Towards the end of last season other sides really worked us out and we spent vast amounts of time in the oppositions 20 with no success as once our set moves were accounted for we were easy to defend against. Personally i don't think we have signed the right players, we need pace in the spine and we have signed a player who is one of the slowest around along with the jorneyman Peats. If you look at our 1, 6, 7 and 9 there really isn't any pace there at all other than Pryce, who really is not a halfback at all, just an outside back who can kick.

it's frustrating that although we have a good squad we always seem to lose the best players from the previous year, Two years ago you could argue that was Aiden Sezer and Kenny Edwards, last year it would be hard to argue with the fact that Danny Levi and Ricky Leutele were the best (with the exception possibly of Tui). For me, we have an awesome pack, but we have an ageing backline and a really slow spine, and although i think we will have a lot of success with that in week to week rugby i don't see us winning anything with the spine we have, we are very very one dimensional. We often scored more tries in the forwards last year than the backs and that has continued so far this year, and no champion team ever has those stats.

Re: Two games in : Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:01 pm  

Hangerman2 wrote:

continued so far this year, and no champion team ever has those stats.

Hangerman2 wrote:

I agree 100% with your analysis, Watson looks like he has signed conner to be the golden bullet that makes our style work rather than trying to change the style. I anticipate , like you do, that we will be playing the same 'pressure' rugby, which is great at getting us into the oppositions 20 but last year wasn't great at getting us over the line. Towards the end of last season other sides really worked us out and we spent vast amounts of time in the oppositions 20 with no success as once our set moves were accounted for we were easy to defend against. Personally i don't think we have signed the right players, we need pace in the spine and we have signed a player who is one of the slowest around along with the jorneyman Peats. If you look at our 1, 6, 7 and 9 there really isn't any pace there at all other than Pryce, who really is not a halfback at all, just an outside back who can kick.

it's frustrating that although we have a good squad we always seem to lose the best players from the previous year, Two years ago you could argue that was Aiden Sezer and Kenny Edwards, last year it would be hard to argue with the fact that Danny Levi and Ricky Leutele were the best (with the exception possibly of Tui). For me, we have an awesome pack, but we have an ageing backline and a really slow spine, and although i think we will have a lot of success with that in week to week rugby i don't see us winning anything with the spine we have, we are very very one dimensional. We often scored more tries in the forwards last year than the backs and that has continued so far this year, and no champion team ever has those stats.

Yes Tui and Conner are very much alike, both have all the skills but absolutely no pace at all of the mark, Levi is a big loss to us and i have seen nothing as yet to suggest anything is going to change from last year. I have just been watching the HKR Leigh game, different sort of football to what we have become accustomed to. I well remember Salford just destroying us last year, surely Watson learned something from last season. We have to hope so.

Re: Two games in : Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:09 pm  

100% he wont change the style from last year, he is just hoping that conner can work some magic in the opposition 20, but as you said he is basically the same as Tui, will they get in each others way or complement each other, hard to say until they are both on the pitch. One thing is for certain we wont be scorching down the wings and playing flair Rugby like Salford, Warrington, Wigan etc, get used to more of the plod

Re: Two games in : Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:47 pm  

Let's see when Connor comes in and plays at 6. Pryce is not a half back. He's a full back, and just needs to run, use that great pace of his. Missed yesterday's match but didn't seem like many highlights.

Re: Two games in : Sat Mar 04, 2023 6:45 pm  

Murphy wrote:

Let's see when Connor comes in and plays at 6. Pryce is not a half back. He's a full back, and just needs to run, use that great pace of his. Missed yesterday's match but didn't seem like many highlights.

you missed very little, Wakey contained our attack without much difficulty for most of the match and offered almost nothing themselves, in truth it just looked like two very poor sides. Fair enough we have only played twice yet but it doesn't look encouraging( hope i'm wrong )

Re: Two games in : Sat Mar 04, 2023 6:49 pm  

I too am in full agreement with 'Joe Jumbuck' & 'Hangerman2'.
I left the Warrington game feeling unsure of what had changed for the better, but put it down to poor pre- season preparation.
I know both ourselves and Salford were beaten by The Wire. But if you contrast how Salford took the game to Warrington in the first half (which was a joy to watch) to our 'Watson Process' style, there are worrying signs that we're learning very little.
Unless Connor can match the creativity - week in week out - that Levi brought to us last season we will struggle to improve in my opinion.
As for Pryce? I'd be tempted to do a 'Jason Robinson' with him & play him on the wing while he learns to tackle correctly.
Big games on the horizon, we'll know a lot more after the next three!

Re: Two games in : Sun Mar 05, 2023 1:48 pm  

I agree that the best place for Pryce atm is the wing. Watching the highlights of the wakey game was awful, kicking into opposition players legs, giving hospital passes or clinging on to the ball on the 6th. He has no halfback skills at all, just his step and his pace. To be honest i'm not sure why we are developing him for Newcastle Knights to prosper, he is nowhere near the finished article, a real one trick pony and the wing is the only place he should be playing with his current skillset.

Re: Two games in : Sun Mar 05, 2023 6:02 pm  

I went to the reserves game on Saturday morning. Ollie Russell was looking pretty sharp, I think he should be in on Friday at stand off , as Pryce hasn't really set the world on fire in the last two games. I know it was against a very weaker Wakefield side but Ashworth look really good as did Harry Rushton