In fairness he came with a 'short term' clever ploy, but it had runs its course against Saint Helens. It is fooling nobody now and is easy to counter. Not having a hooker is now being badly exposed.....I'd even be happy to see Burrow back there at the moment.

Put a hooker, in at hooker. R Ward should have been given a spot right away, even on the bench. Instead he's stuck to his flog my fave players plan

I said Post Wembley.

We failed to win after Wembley last year and I fear the same May happen again

Aiton playing yesterday wouldn't have stopped all the knock ons and missed tackles. The team as a whole have hit a wall at the moment it seems, and Aiton would've been no different I believe.

Aiton will be a massive loss IF we get back into form, but if the rest of team can't get over this post Wembley wall they've hit in time for the playoffs then it wouldn't matter if we had a fully fit Aiton or not.

Yeah i agree with this.That was a pretty much an awful performance from everyone, even the usually reliable Peacock,Cuthbertson,Ablett etc.. were way off their game, so i don't see how a fit Aiton would have tipped the balance.It would have been a similar outcome.

With the hooking situation as it is though, It looks like Burrow has a big part play in the next few weeks.

I fear Wigan but most of all I fear the Giants.
They are playing the best rugby of all the top 4.
If we don't beat Cas then we will probably lose at the Giants & could then finish out of the top 2.

And here we go again. Leeds lose and it's back to slating the coach...

that game against catalan doesnt give our lads the biggest kick up the nothing will and think castleford will come hard but that's just the type of game we need. they did same to wigan in catalan and the came back . two games to have a go at league leaders but already in the semis bring it on

Losing away to Catalans is very different to scraping a home win against a 3rd string Hull side. We've had two very tough fixtures since Wembley. The rot will stop against Cas

Thst is not slating the coach at all. Do you think he has come up with the right alternative? No he hasn't. He doesn't know what is the right alternative from Losing Aiton.

And of course you do. Pray tell?

I don't have the answer, I am not paid to do that. But I certainly wouldn't go into games with an half at hooker, and only one half back. That is a nonsensical approach, In My Opinion, and voiced before the selection.

Yes I am concerned with Wigan, whilst I don't think they are the best team in the competition, they are past masters at spoiling and slowing the game down.
So could quite easily turn us over.
I always remember one of rugby playing pals, someone asked him if he was a good player.
Not especially he replied, but I could stop the players who were good.

Well you are not paid to be critical either so if you are going to rubbish the professional coaches choices as "[inonsensical[/i" you should at least offer a sensible solution yourself albeit as an amateur. If you [i"certainly wouldn't go into games with an half at hooker"[/i then the only alternative would be to start with an untested academy hooker who the coaches think is not ready yet. Unless of course your sensible solution is to play a back row forward there.

Given that we lost both our first choice hookers and our 2 reserve half backs (Burrow doubles in both positions) the coach had to decide either to move Sinfield from 6 to 9 (as he is experienced up to England level as a 9) or play an untested academy 9 who he obviously does not believe is ready for these important fixtures. A typical hooker these days is a really a half back that can tackle anyway.

I can see some logic in such circumstances for playing an extra forward in certain games or for the first 30 minutes say but to play only one halfback can only be regarded as an emergency measure and so IMO if we are to blood a youngster it is less critical to be one of two halves than a solo novice hooker. But the coach has been dealt a series of injury blows to key personnel with 3 first teamers out for the season with a 4th about to be added plus the recent loss of a further 2 key players (Burrow and Watkins) in key games has had a bad effect of the balance of the side.

What's the prognosis for Watkins? Anyone know?

You seem to be making up a lot of assumptions there to form an opinion, yet don't seem to be allowing me one.

I may not get paid to be critical, but I pay enough money into the club to be allowed to voice a criticism, that is not debatable.

Your view is that the back up hooker is untested, and my view is that is the fault of the coach. But regardless of that I don't accept he is any more untested than Lilley, who he played against Catalans and Saints, or Golding who he played against Saints. What is really the case, is he doesn't think Ward is up to it fullstop, not untested.

He may well be right on Ward of course, but is it better to go with a specialist hooker playing it tough for this level, or disrupting your whole team plan by sticking a finger in the air and hoping something works? My solution, of which I am not paid to make is that you go with the specialist hooker.

That doesn't mean to say that Sinfield is not up to the role, but whilst you can't replace Sinfield in an even more important role in the team, to me it is the only option. And besides this, Sinfield does not give us the speed form dummy half that we have relied on all year to get the best out of the forwards, so in effect you are actually effecting two important elements of your team play.

I don't think any team bar possibly us will go through the next 4 games unbeaten.

So insinuating we lost because the coach doesn't know what to do isn't slating him? Classic Southstander.

He does know what to do though and yes he's come up with the right alternative, he usually does. It's why we win so many trophies, are top of the league and on course for a possible treble.
Unfortunately the first choice after the injured Aiton, Rob Burrow, is also injured so he was forced to put Sinfield there, a player who's won MOM awards whilst playing hooker for England.

A few on here were, not sure if you were one of them, were saying that Ward isn't up to it only a few weeks ago.. Our coach, after giving him a shot, obviously agrees.

Not sure what else he can do short of gambling with someone like Keinhorst. Except he's injured too...

No, I have not insinuated that at all. I have said he doesn't know what is the solution, not he doesn't know what to do. You said that.




So now he does know what to do? what relevance does the top of the league have to do with the point made? the point made was about losing Aiton and the replacement, you know the player who was instrumental in getting to the top of the league.




That's not true though is it? Burrow was available for Wigan at home, Hull away, and the Cup Final, and yet wasn't the answer. So no, this is only about Aiton, and the solution to his loss.




I can't make a judgment on Ward as he hasn't been afforded enough opportunity for me to do that. I know he looked good in the under 19's, and I know he has played in the championship numerous times, and held his own. And more importantly, I know he is a speciality hooker. And that is all I am making my opinion on. But I do agree you last point, that the coach obviously feels he is not up to it.



Your not sure what he can do? yet you have a go at me for stating the coach has not come up with a solution yet. This based on the point that Sinfield isn't working, and it effects the teams structure in the halfs by doing it. Whether Ward is up to it or not, until Burrow is back, he is a better option than disrupting the team the way we are going, in my opinion.

Oh give it a rest





Well yes, I never said he doesn't... that was you.



The relevance is that the coach clearly knows what he's doing but as usual, after a loss, the usual suspects are on here 24/7 writing him and the team off.



Sorry but you're just not making any sense. Of course the overall solution is to bring in a new player but, as you well know, that's not possible this late in the season so we have to go with experience. Our 2 most experienced big game players are those previously mentioned. The coach might have wanted to try Keinhorst there last weekend at some point but it wasn't possible, so Lilley got a run out.

Sometimes you have to just go with what you've got. I'm sure we'd all like to have a Daryl Clark on standby but the salary cap doesn't allow.



Good, it's not your job to. Have some faith that our most successful coach ever might just know what he's doing and will have seen enough of Ward to be making the right decision.

'"

So really Loiner81 you were just jumping in and not thinking about what was put, but just felt you needed to defend McDermott for no reason?

I think the above says it all, especially about Burrow. One minute you say the coach can not help Aiton's replacement being out injured, then the next minute when proven that this would have no bearing, you then change it to bringing in a new player.

Of course we can not bring in a new player, but we can select what we have available. Burrow would have been an option if fit, but as we saw in the three games he was fit, the coach deemed him not the answer. The coach has not changed his view since the first game he put Sinfield there and went with one half, hence why I said the coach does not seem to know the solution.

Harping on about being top of the league is irrelevant, considering Aiton was instrumental in that, and what we are talking about here is the loss of Aiton and the solution needed. Not in future seasons, but right now for our next game.

I can not see how saying the coach knows what he is doing is a reason to stop opinions on a message board.

Whilst stating the blindly obvious, we desperately need him back.

Stop making things up.

Aiton's injured.
Burrow's been our back up hooker pretty much all season, but he's injured.
Sinfield has played hooker many times including for England and won man of the match playing hooker, for England against NZ.
Robbie Ward isn't good enough.
We don't have anyone else.

The coach went with Sinfield last weekend but we lost, so in your deluded opinion that means the coach doesn't know what he's doing.
Sorry I should rephrase that to avoid confusion... he doesn't know what to do about the loss of Aiton AND Burrow and the fact that Robbie Ward isn't the answer.

Feel free to post your opinions on a message board, that's why it's here. But also be aware that people will respond to them, often pointing out the fact that you're very wrong, like i'm doing now.

What is made up? a comment was said that the coach doesn't know the solution for the loss of Aiton, and you jumped in with accusations about slating the coach. That is correct, yes?



Aiton is Injured

Burrow has not being our back up hooker, infact the club also had three games on the trot before his injury to use Burrow to replace Aiton, and decided it was not the answer.

Sinfield has played hooker, but is he effective to how the team has being structured to play this year? is he not better where we need him the most, in the halfs?

Robbie Ward isn't good enough in your opinion. An opinion you feel only you are correct on, and not allowing others to have that opinion. For a guy who it appears from your postings times, rarely goes to a match, doesn't attend academy matches, and would bet my house has not attended an Hunslet match, that is quite a big call for you to make.

We do have someone else, we have a specialist hooker, or we utilise someone else in the halves and go with Sinfield. So yes there is another solution.



Because someone doesn't agree with you it is deluded? even though you can't even get your first point correct. The coach went with Sinfield against Saints also, and we lost. The coach did against Wigan and Hull KR, and the attack (despite 50 at Wembley) was seriously stumped in comparison to what it was before Aitons injury, and on each occasion (Including Wembley) I have raised this same point. So no, it isn't based on one match.





But it isn't wrong is it? No more wrong than you. At the moment it is not working, and I bet the coach will change it. But if he doesn't and he goes with what we have, and we end up winning the GF, I will very welcome you telling me I am wrong then. But until that point, it is not wrong.

Brian McDermott has seen a lot of Ward, though, and seems to share l81's opinion on him. From what I've seen he's not as good as either of the 2 previous academy products we released were at the same age, and I don't think he'll play again for the club.