Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 4:14 am  

Our first job needs to be to start completing some sets. We just aren't going to be in games when we are making so many basic errors. Respect possession, get to the kick, stay in the arm wrestle. I know its not exciting, but we need to get that right first. We also need to stop leaving hands in the ruck so much. Our wrestle was great early season, but slowly we have started to resort to illegal play to try to win the rucks and we need to tidy that up.

Defensively it was a bad night and I'm prepared to just write it off as such. When you've got usually reliable players like Tuimavave making poor defensive reads you know it's one of those nights.

We can point to our lack of creativity, but we aren't giving ourselves a chance. Keep the ball, play in better field position, then we give ourselves the opportunity to create. We can't do it from inside our own half which is where we've spent the last game and a half.

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 4:57 am  

As I was saying in January..

Mrs Barista wrote:

Oh I agree there are grounds for hope and as fans we will anchor in the potential of Reynolds, more cohesion, better defence, fewer injuries and a miraculous first season as head coach. Why not? Just saying the reality is that some bookies have us 7th favourite for the LLS because it's unlikely all those things would come true at once and other teams already have better squads, established coaches etc. I like our spine, centres and back row a lot. We showed some character in the closing stages of 2020 and a new coach will bring a different energy. I just don't think we have the front row options to dominate teams nor the pace to beat them out wide. The squad is weaker than last year. Just look at the ins and outs and add Shaul to the outs for all intents and purposes Hopefully BH will bring the plan to leverage our strengths but he's only had 5 days with the squad. We'll need some patience.

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 5:22 am  

Mrs Barista wrote:

As I was saying in January..

I think you were condemned for being negative, weren't you?

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 5:38 am  

ComeOnYouUll wrote:

I think you were condemned for being negative, weren't you?

Certainly people said the squad isn't weaker and the prop situation was fine. I think my assessment was reasonably accurate. Defence is better against the teams below us which is helping but against the top sides our pack is not dominant. I'm fine with that actually - we don't have the personnel and as a mid table side/club we are entitled to nothing, but can hope BH will bring in what's needed. He doesn't seem daft.

The key thing for me right now is errors and discipline. Impossible to compete with the top sides when you're constantly giving away territory and ball.

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 6:21 am  

mwindass wrote:

It's painfully obvious we need another prop too. We've been bullied a few too many times this season especially tonight.

Thought Brown showed why he probably hasn't been selected as much as we would like. Silly pens and errors, bit I'm sure he will come good (he wasn't the only one tonight).

Never got going and Saints didn't have to do anything special to topple us. If we are struggling for yardage on our exit sets, we should maybe look to be a bit more expensive but our ball control can be shocking at times.

The few times we ended up in Saints 20 we posted points, we just needed to get up there more often.

The two quick six agains at the end of the first half made me chuckle, keep the numbers even...

We go again next week. It's never easy supporting Hull, that's all part of the 'fun'

I think you are being unfair on Brown, he wasnt great, but only came on in the 2nd half when the game was on, doing about 20 minutes, I'd bet that when the stats come out they are better than Bowdens despite Bowden playing longer minutes

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 6:33 am  

Dave K. wrote:

I think you are being unfair on Brown, he wasnt great, but only came on in the 2nd half when the game was on, doing about 20 minutes, I'd bet that when the stats come out they are better than Bowdens despite Bowden playing longer minutes

Brown had 6 carries for 32 metres. Bowden had 5 for 19. Brown had 2 tackle busts to nil. Bowden misses a tackle which Brown didn't. Both had an error and a penalty. None of our forwards were great, but I agree that Brown didn't stand out as being particularly poor.

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 7:12 am  

Dave K. wrote:

I think you are being unfair on Brown, he wasnt great, but only came on in the 2nd half when the game was on, doing about 20 minutes, I'd bet that when the stats come out they are better than Bowdens despite Bowden playing longer minutes

Bowden made 19 yards Brown got just over 30 from a similar number of carries. So maybe you're right!

When Brown is on though, Ive noticed him give away a few daft pens.

I'm sure he'll come good in the long run though. If we can get another prop in this year, I'd be sending him out on loan to a champ team. Regular rugby and longer minutes will do him the world of good.

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 7:21 am  

Tarquin Fuego wrote:

I recently watched the CC final and Kelly was amazing
Almost unplayable
Reynolds isn’t that

On his day he was, then you would get 3 weeks of knock ons and laziness. Kelly at that point though had played in SL for 3 seasons, watch him in the CC final for Rovers.

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 7:24 am  

Thought Fash and Ma'u were our better forwards last night.

Re: St's up next (Rnd 8) : Sat May 29, 2021 7:43 am  

Just wondering about individual performances.

Bowdens metres made simply wasn't good enough 5 carries for 19 metres is terrible. Average of under 4 metres a carry, is he even running onto the ball?

Does anyone have Fash's metres made? Yes the lad tackles all day but we need metres made from our props, I'm not clapping my hands for him just because he can tackle.

Coupled with some weak metres made performances , the errors savaged us, who in the teams making all our errors or penaltys against?

Interesting Hodgson said we didn't muscle up or want to compete physically, I saw Satae and Sao ripping in as well as Mau at times, so who isn't competing physically?

If we want to reach the top, it's this accountability that needs to happen and improve upon, be that players leaving the club , with better replacements coming in so be it.