I admire your optimism

I'm not really that optimistic, but it's highly unlikely that a centre the quality of Moon would have been dragged away from his position the same way Walters was. Our defence was pretty good at that point and I'm 90% that we'd have defended Wakey's last attack.

He's right. What makes Walters look so promising is his enthusiasm and determination to get in the face. In the forwards closer to the middle you can do this. As a centre you move up with your winger. Walters enthusiasm was his downfall there, shame for the lad. And Smith having a rugby brain probably spotted the fact it was him at centre and how he dad been defending.

Highly unlikely but not completely certain that Moon would not have been dragged away, and your only 90% and not 100% sure you'd have defended Wakey's last attack if Moon had not been injured your not very decisive, and had Moon not been injured you would have won the game I'd have been more inclined to agree with you if you had said you would have won the game if Sinfield had been playing due to the missed conversions'.

if our attack and go forward hadn't been so toothless and weak the last try wouldn't have mattered. an appallingly bad display against a poor team

Bang on the money. Walters youthful enthusiasm did for us there but I can live with that because he'll get smarter but hopefully not lose that enthusiasm.

The thing is, I knew Wakey would score. Early season, I knew we would hold teams out.

We probably got what we deserved though with a kicker we win that game despite playing poorly. Also, the Hall "knock on" is a second, recent, tight decision that has denied us a win. Hopefully when the "evening out" starts it's in the playoffs.

I'm impressed, no I really am seriously, where did you learn to actually talk through the rear end of your avatar

you thought it was good then? well done. glad you enjoyed watching

We have had 6 performances on the trot where we have been well below par (Wildcats, Catalan, Widnes, Giants, Leigh and Wire) the 3 wins hide the truth. We have been really poor for 6 weeks. I love that this slump coincides with the 2015 season ticket push. 5 invitations through the post and 3 emails to get me to spend now ready for next year. The best sales pitch is on the field, perform like you did in the early week's of the season and I'll cough up. Will we recover and peak in August, September and October? I hope so but this slump has gone on long enough now. With Cas on the horizon, followed by Wire (CC), Saints and Wigan we have got to start building the magical momentum formula - starting this Friday against HKR. Another scratchy performance will not satisfy anyone and that includes the mythical loyal supporters.

Wonder why it took until 75th minute to use Mulhern?

not the first time BM has done this though is it?
lad showed up ok in the little time he had

In James Websters post match speech to the Wakefield sponsors he talked about the work they had done on reviewing the Leeds defensive structures and how they had planned to attack the inside shoulder of defenders all game,
as they were never going to run around Leeds. The 2 tries they scored down the short side were from 2 set moves they had designed that week purely to exploit Leeds defensive structure.

He came across really well in that speech, talked honestly and openly about their preparation, going as far as saying they know Leeds are a better rugby team, but they knew if they got in Leeds faces and stuck to their structures, they knew they'd have more will to win than Leeds and that it might be enough to get them home.

His honesty and openness was refreshing.

Quite.

Pointless using him for 5. He should have been used properly and given a proper stint. Its not as though the Leeds pack were firing. what would Leeds have lost? Nothing. But may have gained some freshness and willingness.

In a game that could have gone either way for most of the game it was understandable that the coach put faith in the experience of Bailey and to a lesser extend Singelton. In hindsight these two were so very disappointing that yes Mulhern could not have done worse. However it is ironic that it was his introduction and Moon's departure that led to Walters being in the wromg place at the wrong time.

His introduction and Moon's departure were two different times wasn't they? or have I misread what you put?

But Elliot Minchella was thrown in the fray and played a full stint. I would have done the same with Mulhern and used him properly.

Yeah I think Moon went off slightly earlier than Mulhern's introduction and fairly certain it read at the bottom of the screen Delaney came on for Moon.

Mulhern came on for last 5, Moon had well left the field by then.

IIRC (due to alcohol consumption)

Moon had to go off in the closing stages and Mulhern came on in the closing stages

To replace Bailey I presume?

I think Minchella has been slightly ahead of Mulhern in the taxi rank and perhaps was more mentally prepared.

Mulhern came on for Bails didn't he?

Well Minchella was named in the original
19 so was possibly always planned to play. Mulhern only came in when Sinfield was withdrawn late on, so whilst frustrating to not see a sub get a bit longer it wasn't quite as ill conceived and poorly thought out as the Achurch non selection at Hudds earlier in the year.

Did Mulhern play for under 19's before hand? Is that why less game time?

i remember in 2011 we won only 4 of our first 10 games, we saw how all these players were terrible that we had no plan, no structure, our players just werent good enough, our experienced players were all spent and our younger players werent as good as we thought they were.

There are times every season where we struggle. Where injuries and poor form mean we dont perform to our potential. Where injuries and fitness mean we are a step slower and a bit weaker and that means we struggle. Once you start to struggle you play the game differently. You have push it a little more, take a few more risks, confidence fades, timing breaks down, Thats where we are now. we look worse than we are because we can't play our game. We dont impose ourselves on the game so we dont control it. We dont make it be played how we want it to be.

However our players have undoubted quality, they have proven it time and time again and have proven this year that they can still do it. We have shown and continue to show we can beat anyone. We will rise again and when we do we are still easily capable of winning everything this year. If we are to suffer the stutter every team suffers, now is ok to do it.

despite our poor form, and stinking the place up for 6 weeks, we are 2nd in the league by a point, and in the cup semi-final. We win the next 13 games on the trot and we win the treble.

The fact that including going all the way in the CC and playoffs, theres only potentially 13 games left should really highlight to people how little game time left there is to really build up the form required.

Ever since leeds beat castleford and then played wigan at Magic their form in all departments has gone west.

This isn't 2011 and just because leeds have overturned sticky situations in the past doesn't mean it will happen again. It may sound ridiculous but to my mind leeds are already likely to lose the CC semi because of the relative form of warrington in comparison to leeds. They are on fire, and they have a great CC record recently. Leeds are still in contention for the hub cap (does anyone really care about that?). But there is only 1 point seperating warrington and leeds in the table. So people dining out on the fact leeds are still second should be wary of how precarious leeds position in the table really is. Warrington are now well in contention to finish top, are in the CC semi, and are really chuntering along now on good form. Not a bad situation.

1 or 2 more duff results (almost likely considering recent form) could see leeds slip down to 5th. 5th and out of the CC would put a massively different perspective on things.

I'm not saying that will happen. The point is, the margins for the season now are f*cking fine and leeds need to start playing better and churning out wins NOW, otherwise the season is in danger of completley petering out, which, given the age of some of the main players, would that even be all that suprising?