Re: Team Selection : Thu Apr 17, 2014 11:07 pm  

Robbo4 wrote:

As I said on the squad thread dropping Azza is his worst decision by far. Just made absolutely no sense at the time and looks even worse now.

According to the sky team, Azza was out because of injury.

Re: Team Selection : Thu Apr 17, 2014 11:57 pm  

Isaiah wrote:

According to the sky team, Azza was out because of injury.

That's not what Radford said.

Re: Team Selection : Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:00 am  

Shaul
Colbon, Arundel, Crooks, Talanoa
Rankin, Miller
Paea, Houghton, Carvell
Ellis, Whiting
Westerman

Watts, Bowden or Feka, Thompson, Heremaia

Radford, pick that team and ffs let them play together for more than a week.

Re: Team Selection : Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:14 am  

Thing is the vast majority on here were calling for last night's half back partnership to be given lots of time. Apparently this is good for the long term future of the club. I think this was their third outing together. I thought both were poor. Our attacking structure with Westerman taking it up and then instigating a couple of second man plays was effectively snuffed out by a combination of a very skinny 10 and an enthusiastic kr defence. What it needed was one or preferably both halves to alter the game on the run by being more direct and varying play more. Admittedly at times we lost the battle up front which didn't help however we weren't dominated for the full game. The less said about the kicking game the better and other halves have been crucified in the past four producing better kicking than we saw last night.

As to whether azza and feka would have helped we'll never know now but certainly the pack was excellent against hudds last week and didn't need changing to bring feka in but Paea Carvell Ellis and Westerman never reached the heights they did last week and it's inconsistency on their part. Azza is a good player but i doubt he'd have made a difference in his own last night.

Whiting looks like a guy who probably isn't enjoying his rugby at the minute. I doubt very much he wants to play Centre and I'm positive he doesn't want to kick goals but I understand and agree with the decision to drop Crooks as frankly he was having a mare. If we can hurry up and get Sa in I'd pay him Centre with Crooks on the wing and let Whiting battle for a second row/bench spot where he should be.

For London I'd bring Horne in for Miller to add some experience and direction and find a place for feka and azza on the bench.

Re: Team Selection : Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:21 am  

For Monday I'd with,

Shaul
Colborn (We have nobody else)
Horne
Yeaman
Talonoa
Rankin
Miller
Paea
Houghton
Carvell
Ellis
Whiting
Westerman

Bowden
Watts
Thompson
Heremia

Give Tuson another week, Crooks another game at Donny and look to bring him back for the Wakefield game.

Need a win against an improving London side, can't afford to rest anyone, who doesn't have a knock.

If we don't win the next two games we might as well give up.

Re: Team Selection : Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:24 am  

Staffs FC wrote:

Thing is the vast majority on here were calling for last night's half back partnership to be given lots of time. Apparently this is good for the long term future of the club. I think this was their third outing together. I thought both were poor. Our attacking structure with Westerman taking it up and then instigating a couple of second man plays was effectively snuffed out by a combination of a very skinny 10 and an enthusiastic kr defence. What it needed was one or preferably both halves to alter the game on the run by being more direct and varying play more. Admittedly at times we lost the battle up front which didn't help however we weren't dominated for the full game. The less said about the kicking game the better and other halves have been crucified in the past four producing better kicking than we saw last night.

As to whether azza and feka would have helped we'll never know now but certainly the pack was excellent against hudds last week and didn't need changing to bring feka in but Paea Carvell Ellis and Westerman never reached the heights they did last week and it's inconsistency on their part. Azza is a good player but i doubt he'd have made a difference in his own last night.

Whiting looks like a guy who probably isn't enjoying his rugby at the minute. I doubt very much he wants to play Centre and I'm positive he doesn't want to kick goals but I understand and agree with the decision to drop Crooks as frankly he was having a mare. If we can hurry up and get Sa in I'd pay him Centre with Crooks on the wing and let Whiting battle for a second row/bench spot where he should be.

For London I'd bring Horne in for Miller to add some experience and direction and find a place for feka and azza on the bench.

I wouldn't drop Miller he has had 3 decent games and one poor one (Pack didn't help him and Rovers got their tactics spot on) , if we don't give them time then we will never know if he is going to be good enough and again we will have to look for another halfback (which is near impossible), we have to think long term.

Re: Team Selection : Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:24 am  

Dave K. wrote:

For Monday I'd with,

Shaul
Colborn (We have nobody else)
Horne
Yeaman
Talonoa
Rankin
Miller
Paea
Houghton
Carvell
Ellis
Whiting
Westerman

Bowden
Watts
Thompson
Heremia

Give Tuson another week, Crooks another game at Donny and look to bring him back for the Wakefield game.

Need a win against an improving London side, can't afford to rest anyone, who doesn't have a knock.

If we don't win the next two games we might as well give up.

If we're sticking with the young halves I would go with that but replace Bowden with feka. Bowden has a crucial mistake and/or penalty in him most games and would benefit from a rest IMO.

Re: Team Selection : Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:29 am  

Staffs FC wrote:

If we're sticking with the young halves I would go with that but replace Bowden with feka. Bowden has a crucial mistake and/or penalty in him most games and would benefit from a rest IMO.

Forgot about Feka, think you are been harsh on Bowden though, thought he played well and was better than Carvell and Paea.

But maybe a rest wouldn't hurt Bowden, as the other two haven't played much the last few weeks.

Re: Team Selection : Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:31 am  

Dave K. wrote:

If we don't win the next two games we might as well give up.

We absolutely have to win the next 4 if we are going to figure at all this year. I'm sick of us just lurching from one embarrassing performance to another before finishing 6th to 8th and going out of the playoffs with a whimper. The league is wide open this year, Saints and Leeds are the only stand out teams. If we had anything about us we would already have our names pencilled in for a top 4 spot. Warrington away, bang average team, wasted two points, Cas away, leading with 5 to go, wasted two points, Widnes, wasted two points, last night the same. Not to mention the cup exit.

Re: Team Selection : Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:31 am  

Dave K. wrote:

Give Tuson another week, Crooks another game at Donny and look to bring him back for the Wakefield game.

Need a win against an improving London side, can't afford to rest anyone, who doesn't have a knock.

If we don't win the next two games we might as well give up.

Tuson is out for three weeks.