Our kicking game close to the line was quite good. But our [ikicking for distance[/i was flat out atrocious. How many times did Gaskell split the full back and wingers? How many times did he turn either around? It was like a return to the days of limp-legged Long with the ball spiralling neatly into the hands of wingers who didn't need to move so much as an inch from their assigned positions.

I'm all for going easy on the kids. But we have to remember the other team has no intentions of doing the same. If Gaskell lacks the experience and/or ability on the 5th tackle to move the team forward 40m the opposition isn't going to take pity on him and toss the ball backwards.

Spot on. I lost count of the kicks that went straight to the defence, and yet people say we need him for his kicking game.

But Gaskell did not kick all the balls. This is what gets me, when you look at the kicks going direct into peoples paws, how many came from Gaskell????

I'm yet to see the full game and maybe the 2nd half is a different kettle of fish, but in the first half the kicks that went to hand, tended to come from Lomax, Roby et al.

Exactly. We had Wilkin (I think he did most of the long kicking didn't he?), Roby, Lomax and Gaskell all kicking at various times. I do know that one of Gaskell's kicks was a splitter but I've yet to watch the game back to see who was responsible for the other kicks.

Gaskell kicked an absolute pearler of a grubber to grab a try. He is really coming on in his short kicking game. Makes me drool - in a rugby league context only! - to think what he is going to be like if he continues to develop all these facets of his game.

Bang on,Gaskell hardly kicked early on,so much so that I commented he must have been playing with a leg injury.

Which indeed he did have and was why he didn't play at Hull KR.

He can't have had a leg injury as according to you, Royce won't pick anyone who's injured, even if it's a bruise to small finger.

The more I read and hear about this fella the more and more makes me think that the Royce Simmons on twitter is really him.

#totalmess

He had an injury. He got over the injury. By the time he was over the injury he hadnt got much time to practice before the game so he was rusty.