Zig:Big Steve:
I thought we started well with far more movement and intent to run the ball out from our half, we made it harder to defend instead of using the dull 1 out carries we've had recently. We were far more aggressive in defence. It's usually a good indicator when we start like this that our attitude is good and we're likely to win........
But, I thought both Liam and Abbas looked like they were at 80% and still nowhere near fitness. It would have been interesting to see what Wade could have made of those chances out wide in the first half - but i think he would have struggled with the carries off our line - on balance probably the wrong game to make his debut.
As others mentioned, we seemed to lack some support play when we did make breaks - it' was almost as though it wasn't in the game plan to make breaks from our half so the other edge were still expecting a defensive play.
Which leads me onto the 2nd half........ we went back into our shells and reverted back to playing non attacking rugby with the same predictable last play from Smith the the high kick into the corner. I don't understand why we continue to use the same tactics Huddersfield used against us in the CC final at Spurs. I know Peet's strategy is to work hard, tire the opposition and put on points later - but I'm pretty sure the only attacking move we put on in the 2nd half was in the final 5 minutes when Field made a half break on the LHS.
We have the players in Field, Junior, Wardle, Marshall, Farrimond, Mago and Smith to open teams up on the outside or inside yet this season we have very rarely shown the desire to even try - apart from the Vegas game when we clearly went there with the intention to entertain and attack. Why are we continually leaving it so late to start even thinking about attacking - doesn't really make sense when we have so many strike players and we are making it easy for fit teams to defend against us. We can no longer rely on being the fittest team to stay in the grind and bank on scoring tries in the last 10 mins.
Still confident in Peet but I do feel we need to tweak our game plan.
The problem is that our forwards are getting bullied, they need to stand up and be counted.
Watched a few games this weekend and last with interest and one thing is becoming very clear that we lack a personality/alpha in the middle.
Havard just doesn’t seem right to me at the moment but even when he was he wasn’t vocal.
Byrne puts on the big shots and big carries every now and again but he doesn’t back it up with any mongrel.
Thompson is another normally effective prop but he isn’t vocal or a pack leader.
Dupree is the closest we have to a personality up front but he at the moment again isn’t dominant.
Mago big runs and contact but again quiet as a mouse.
Walters quality but rarely mixes it up with the verbals.
Nsemba very quiet.
Faz, quietest captain on record.
Ellis used to be vocal and a bit grubby but that seems to have dropped off this year.
Watching Wakefield tonight McMeeken made a carry and there was no push for the offload and he went off on his team, he’s constantly at the opposition with verbals throughout the game, same with Uele. We don’t have anyone with that big intimidating personality who does the grubby stuff. I’d say the last we had was Isa who was more than happy to get involved in the dark arts and let players know he was about.
Eseh coming back again isn’t a natural intimidator and I think our next signing in the pack needs to have that personality as part of their package.
Our props and middles are quite robotic and I don’t think despite their quality they bring much in terms of that grubby nasty alpha side of the game.
