Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 2:07 am  

Itchy Arsenal wrote:

I’m a Smith fan but got to agree I thought both half’s were poor.
TL far too slow and Smith non existent in the the first 30

Just glad of a win tonight after a pretty awful first 30 minutes

Hastings is a must selection next week.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 2:12 am  

DaveO wrote:

Yes, there you go. I don’t think commenting we need a a big experienced prop is out of order and unless I missed it we haven’t signed a replacement for GB.

We desperately need a prop to both gain the hard yards and lead our young forwards however, there does not appear to be the funds available to recruit what is needed. We also need to get some pace in our backline, French, Gildart and Marshall can't get back quick enough for me.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 2:15 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

Best opening game we could’ve hoped for. We have had a shambles of a pre season considering how long it’s been and we’ve won Leigh’s cup final. The club need to wake up on how a big club needs to act but ultimately they’ve dodged a bullet because the players are conditioned to dig as deep as you can go.

The only way is up.

On the plus side, we seem a very fit team. Given that most of our guys have only played half a friendly match we were still capable of wearing Leigh down.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:16 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

Best half on the field by miles IMO. He ran the show for us second half and totally over shadowed his partner. I thought it was the best I’ve seen Harry Smith play in the first team.

Funny how people see things.

I think we watched different games Smith had a shocker.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:21 am  

hatty wrote:

I think we watched different games Smith had a shocker.

Agreed I thought he has very poor.

Anonymous for most of the match.

Our last tackle options and guidance round the pitch were shocking.

He stepped up in the last 15 with his kicking game which maybe caught the eye but for the first 65 mins thought he was very poor.

I guess in his defence though he wasn’t given any kind of platform by his forwards to build on so that would have made it a tough night for anyone playing in the halves.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:22 am  

Kennedy wrote:

Nice of you to be gracious in victory. I thought we played really well for most of the game and should have been leading by more than 10 points at half time. But 2nd half even though you only won it 12-0, defence wise it was quite comfortable for you guys. But having said that, I reckon we will get stuffed next week.

As much as you should have been walloped you also should have won but you ran out of steam and ideas. And with halves such as Mellor and Wallace you’re not going to win many, if any, SL games this year. I make absolutely no apologies for that cold hard truth either. You have a team that is nowhere near SL quality but still better than Championship quality. I think you’re in for a real tough season and I don’t take any pleasure in saying that either.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:25 am  

hatty wrote:

I think we watched different games Smith had a shocker.

Must’ve done, I watched the one where he got man of the match

Thought he was brilliant second half, especially in the last twenty minutes managing the game and closing it out.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:32 am  

[*]

jonh wrote:

Agreed I thought he has very poor.

Anonymous for most of the match.

Our last tackle options and guidance round the pitch were shocking.

He stepped up in the last 15 with his kicking game which maybe caught the eye but for the first 65 mins thought he was very poor.

I guess in his defence though he wasn’t given any kind of platform by his forwards to build on so that would have made it a tough night for anyone playing in the halves.

I didn’t think he was poor but he wasn’t good. He was better than most of our other playing staff who were nothing shy of p155 poor.

I’m glad we got the win but this needs improvement, and quickly. It’s all very reminiscent of 2020 and 2019 - won but need to be better.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:37 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

Must’ve done, I watched the one where he got man of the match

Thought he was brilliant second half, especially in the last twenty minutes managing the game and closing it out.

I wouldn’t say brilliant but he was much improved in the last 20.

For the first 60 though he was totally anonymous.

Offered no guidance round the park and gave us nothing on our last tackle plays.

He looked like a novice half at times low on confidence.

The short side play where he threw the miss pass to Hanley summed up his first 60 for me. They had 5 defenders on the short side to 3 attackers. He made the wrong decision not only trying it but then giving a pass that was never on.

Several times we got caught on the last tackle doing a “power play” when we should have been sliding a kick in behind the defence because he, nor Tommy to be fair, too control.

As I said earlier it was always going to be difficult for a half because of the lack of platform laid by the pack, but in my opinion he needed to inject himself more in the proceedings.

It was a similar performance from him to what he laid on against Salford in the friendly I just hope next time he gets a shot our forwards are improved and he carries on where he left off in the last quarter.

Re: Team For Friday : Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:46 am  

The whole team were pathetic for the first half hour or so. After that I thought Smith played very well. Night and day to his Salford performance IMO and he clearly did something right if he’s walking away with a man of the match award (and I know Sky love a youngster). To read people saying he had a shocker is plain wrong for me. I thought he showed a glimpse of the game manager we can expect in the future.