Last nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 9:23 am  

I could not get to the game and would be interested in your opinions. How did Hankinson go? We're we really as rudderless as some reports suggest?

Re: Least nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:41 am  

Hankinson was only on for about 20(?) minutes until a head clash with Leuluai forced them both off; Tommy returned by Hankinson did not. He plucked the ball out of the air well from a kick for a good try.

It was very rudderless and we hardly bothered to exploit the extra man. Most of the second half we played 5 drives, except the neat try at the start of the second half with good play from Escare and Marshall down the left. But we were a sub down (tbf so were they) and had to re-jig the back line - for some reason Isa went to centre and Bateman to second row - Isa and Tomkins (when he went to 6) were caught out a few times and it got them back in the game. Flower also had to do a lot more minutes than usual.

The 2 tries that got them back in the game were sloppy defending under the posts and a lucky kick that bounced back straight to their player plus a bemusing penalty against Clubb for (I think) a late tackle on a kicker which was a joke. The ref and linesmen played on until we made a break but then the linesman on the opposite side to the tackle decided to come on the pitch about 30 seconds later??

But a win's a win after 2 losses. We were good in parts - kicking game was fantastic I thought and defence was decent for the most part except for a couple of lapses. Catalan are a strong and dangerous team even with the players they had out, Bird is a great player and they have a sizeable forward pack. Hope they batter Saints next week

Re: Least nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:02 am  

Hankinson had started brightly and scored a cracking try. It was refreshing to see one of our outside back attack a high kick and try and catch the thing rather then the constant pat backs we see.

Sam Tomkins was superb as was Escare when he came on. I thought both wingers put a huge shift in and Sarginson looks so much more comfortable on the left hand side (more fool me thinking in pre season we were doing him a favour putting him on the right) and actually looked to pass. I thought the forwards went ok in the main so that leaves me with just the halfbacks and it’s a case of less said the better. After a bright start Woods looks a little short on confidence and his decision making has started to become slow meaning he’s getting caught (or his runners are) and Powell continues to look unbelievably out if his depth and in need of a rest before doing the best thing for him and the team and getting him back in to the hooking role (probably from the bench).

Re: Least nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:34 am  

It was pretty much the same sort of performance as previous weeks. We managed to score a few more points mainly because we had an extra man and that gave Escare some space to run at and he caused Catalans some real problems with ball in hand. He was one of the main differences between the sides.

Even with a man advantage we still failed to dominate the game in the middle of the field. The best forward was probably Sam Moa - playing exactly how you want a prop forward to play. Our middles were workmanlike but unspectacular as usual, with Flower probably being the best as he was outstanding in defence as usual. Although he seemed to be under instructions to keep running the ball wide and I'm not too sure why. Hamlin was decent. Clubb okay, Tautai average (which I suppose is a step up for him) but I thought Navarrete was poor. Got bashed around and couldn't make his tackles stick (which was a problem against Saints too). If Sutton or Lockers are fit for the next game I'd be dropping him.

As usual our halves were ineffective. Woods started off okay and put in some excellent kicks but as the game went on they spotted that he didn't have enough strength in the tackle and put him under pressure. Also because he doesn't play direct enough they were really putting pressure on the players outside him. He ended up being taken off in the second half and replaced with Powell, who offered a bit more movement but his passing accuracy was woeful.

Since Paul Deacon left our halves have looked worse each year. Matty Smith was playing quite well until Deacon left, and while Williams came into the side and looked brilliant he seems to have got poorer over time. Leuluai looked okay in the halves in the NRL but was awful for us. Powell seems pretty highly rated among coaches yet does little for us. Even Woods, while probably not being a SL quality player, has looked better in a Swinton side getting hammered by full time Championship sides than for our first team in games we've won.

Bateman was quieter than usual but he still had a good game. Tomkins and Davies also played well, but those 3 tend to be our top performers most games. Hankinson started well and did well for his try before going off from a head clash.

Re: Least nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:55 am  

It was a strange one last night. I thought we played better against 13 men than we did against 12 and did the classic thing of switching off thinking the game was won when we went 20-6 up early in the 2nd half. Not usually one for bagging the referee but he had a strange 20 mins that definitely helped alter the course of the game too culminating in the penalty against Club which was neither late nor high and only seemed to be given on the say so of the linesman who had exactly the same view of it as us in the East stand.

Hankinson went well again and, as NK says, took his try really well. Very promising.

Unfortunately, the assessment of the halves by everyone is spot on. Way too slow both physically and mentally. The number of times we're getting caught either in possession or as a result of a laboured pass is becoming ridiculous. I thought the Lockers style, long ball out wide from Woods that never looked like going anywhere but straight into the hands of a Catalans player just about summed it up.

Tomkins and Williams in the halves for me. Escare was good a full back, even pulling of a try saving one on one, and, if Wane isn't convinced, Sarginson looked lively last night and was great for us at full back last time he played there. Sam may be our best fullback but, unfortunately, we can't continue to take the field hampered so much in the halves.

Re: Last nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 2:43 pm  

Honestly thought Catalan should have won it,rudderless is a great term for that performance..as said Hankinson was good while he was on till a clash of heads with Tommy..let’s be fair if Tommy’s head hit a brick wall the wall would come off second best..

The rest Tomkins apart all a bit meh tbh,impressed with Catalan though it has to be said,nothing worse than a side rolling over as they’ve done the last couple of visits and i thought them unlucky in the end

Re: Last nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 5:21 pm  

Williams and Woods next year under Lam or O’Brien will be one of the best partnerships in the league

Re: Last nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 5:55 pm  

KingRoss11 wrote:

Williams and Woods next year under Lam or O’Brien will be one of the best partnerships in the league

Except Williams is going to Parramatta

Re: Last nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 6:56 pm  

It’s time to roll the dice.

The attack is not working, the only time we look anything approaching threatening in attack is when Sam and Morgan are both on the pitch attacking the line.

I think it’s time to start Morgan at FB and move Sam into the halves, it might not work but what we have now isn’t working.

Re: Last nights game. : Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:15 pm  

dany1979 wrote:

It’s time to roll the dice.

The attack is not working, the only time we look anything approaching threatening in attack is when Sam and Morgan are both on the pitch attacking the line.

I think it’s time to start Morgan at FB and move Sam into the halves, it might not work but what we have now isn’t working.

Yep, if we go out let's go out swinging rather than with a whimper.