Quote ="Juan Cornetto"Are you saying Singleton would have made the tackle on McCarthy-Scarsbrook that JP missed for their second try? '"
If McCarthy-Scarsbrook scored St Helens second try .... who scored their first ?
What I'm saying is 'who knows' whether Singleton would have done any better than Peacock in that situation. Anybody claiming to know the answer to that question is only offering an opinion on an unknown outcome.
Quote ="Juan Cornetto"As Sky's pundits pointed out in the PTB before their 2nd try Hardaker called Achurch to the other side leaving JP's side exposed. Roby spotted this and switched play back to where the gap had appeared. Hardaker made the same error in a recent game which pulled Bailey away leaving a gap for a try under the sticks.'"
That's debatable as in this instance it didn't appear to be Hardaker who was calling the late retreating defender (Achurch) across to the open side, so to couple that to a previous recollection could be a harsh call on the Leeds full-back.
Achurch staying on the shorter side may have equalled the numbers on that flank but only with the benefit of hindsight would that have been the correct action as St Helens were setting up for a play on the open side. It was a great call by Hohaia and quickly reacted to by Roby but the fact remains that it was Peacock who followed Bailey to their collective right at marker that opened up the chasm that the clever half-back sent McCarthy-Scarsbrook through. Even then the physically immense but perhaps mentally fatigued Peacock got an outstretched hand on to the try scorer's collar as the only man able to prevent a stroll in. Had Peacock done his job and stayed alert at marker than at least the try-scorer would have had someone to beat.
I'm tempted to give any professional player the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their primary function as marker but Peacock on that occasion got it wrong and McDermott had removed in from the fray before the following re-start, replacing him with Leuluai as Singleton continued his beat up and down in front of the North stand.
Quote ="Juan Cornetto"The game changers were not caused by fatigue IMO but by lost possession from players who would not have been substituted - Briscoe, Watkins, Sutcliffe, Hardaker and JJB (who had a rest) add in some bad decisions from the officials and better tactics from Saints. But the real reason was it was 12 against 13 for much of the match.'"
Points scored or conceded are the real game changers. Losing possession isn't helpful but unless points are conceded direct from the fumble these are situations you can and must still defend. Your analysis of the real reason for the loss doesn't acknowledge the fact that both tries Leeds conceded were up the guts - not as a result of being a man short somewhere out wide. I'd point to the opportunity Leeds created between the St Helens tries where setting and snapping over a drop-goal would have taken Leeds back out to a two score advantage but IIRC it ended with Leeds getting out of position on an edge and Sutcliffe picking and driving on the last. Great place to hand over possession and had Turner slotted the simple conversion narrowing the gap to four points then fine but the first conversion was missed handing Leeds an unexpected opportunity to perhaps crucially stretch the advantage again.
