Mark, I take what you say regarding it being our first season, (but) for some players they are playing at a lower level and for some, the same. My point is it appears to be some of the 'new boys' who are 'putting in an effort' for the club and some of the older established players seem to be struggling to manage to play half a game! At this stage in the season everyone's fitness levels, less any injuries, should be great, but it appears the team play for forty minutes then 'disappear'. I believe, I am told, one player missed so many tackles against Crusaders it was almost embarrassing. Another two senior players, probably due to lack of fitness in the second half, played really poorly each also 'giving' away a try. Crusaders scored three tries in the first half BUT six in the second half. Surely the Coach must see some of them can't cope with playing a full game and he must question the training (or lack of it) for each individual??

TBH I cannot see us getting a result against Skolars. May the answer to that be that some players don't want to be part of the 'play offs'? Cynical I know but you have to ask the question.

That all said I hope I am proved totally wrong and we 'thump' Skolars on Sunday 1st. Let us Inspire!

yes mate RL is played over 80min and not 40min, and yes some of the player have been playing at this level for some year and should take the new player in hand and help them. As for the training it must be a problem with half the team up north (senior player !!!) and the other half down south so can not see much training as a team, The training is like amateur RL training were you got 8/9 player at training so can you work on your game plan and then on match day 18/20 player turn up.

I think for next season the club need to look at less two times a mouth all the player training as a team, the club can come down on a saturday before we play are home match on a sunday, I do think this will help ORL in the club bid to move forward. ((what you think about that))

As for London match i so want ORL to win as it will help the club and RL in Oxford.

I do agree that the North/South divide causes problems, but, at the moment, we definitely need the experience, BUT we need them to be fit. I understand (but don't approve) at the start of the season some may not be fully fit. The Directors are paying them 'good money' to play so they should do everything to ensure they can repay them.

You rightly say the game is over 80 minutes but we still think it's over 40 minutes, but the coach seems to still play the same players. If they cant play for the full 80 don't put them in the squad. Give a younger, more enthusiastic, player a chance. If he happens to be from the South sobeit! Just because he is an experienced player from a team 'up North', to me, doesn't entitle anyone to play. The coach needs to be brutal. I realise he has probably sweet talked a lot of them to follow him to ORL but they have got to 'cut the mustard'. Possibly next season he will 'crack the whip' and demand more, including fitness, from his 'experienced' players.

After all that would like to see us 'thump' Skolars (even it's by one point)!!

we do have some very good young player like Jack Briggs who training with ORL but have been playing with the Oxford Cavaliers and is the cavaliers top try Scorers and in one match he got 5 trys, you also good play like John Connaught and Ruailri Lynch and Sean Morris, be good to see then get some time out on the field, I coach an i aways try to play the player that will give me 100% if they was in the first team or not and it makes all the player work hard and the regunlear first team player train harder and there fitness goes up as the know they need to fight for there places.

But i am not one to tell the head coach his job. Tony is a good coach with lots of work to do, he got half the up north and the other half down south. (like he run two teams)

Mark, you may have hit the nail on the head! Are they actually two different teams playing together??

I am so encouraged when watching them play the first half but normally depressed in the second! Do they have two different half-time team talks? One side told to 'take it easy, pass the ball like a little girlie and not to tackle, and the other side to play their little socks off?? It really doesn't make sense. I don't wish to paint everyone with the same brush as some do give it their all but some players, in the second half, stand out like sore thumbs but the coach seems to be happy with them and leaves them on to play (or not as the case may be).

PLEASE prove me wrong on the 1st September!

Well, I dont mind admitting I was wrong! It was an excellent game and we deserved the win. There were some cracking tackles and good play all round. I will hopefully be able to stay with my cousin and make the playoff game on Sunday. If they play like they did against Skolars then I pity poor old Hemel.