Wilkin always gives 110% but clearly he is not world class so cannot influence a game with out those around him also putting in 110%.

Failing is okay as long as there's effort and there has been. I don't think Leeds being crap has helped us because it's given us an over-inflated sense of self-worth in relation to our performances.

In patches.

That's a bit harsh don't you think? It's not like the players haven't been trying.

The King sh*ts. The Hand wipes. No wonder Rush appears to be ed off in some interviews.

So conceding over 30 points four times this season is trying is it? Not putting the kicker under pressure? Not scrambling on our own line? Not gang tackling players into touch or over the goal line? etc, etc. Just think how many times this season you have seen us that energetic in defence and then come back and tell me they have been trying.

A major indicator as to whether a team is trying is whether a team is bending the back in defence. We don't. Except in patches. Another indicator is how enthusiastic a team is, both in defence and in attack. We aren't. Except in patches.

I don't think I'm being harsh at all. I'm just writing as I find.

Up until last week, you couldn't fault the players effort. Magic weekend however, there was no effort whatsoever bar LMS and Clough. It was shambolic and I hope that's the last time we see those of effort levels.

Did clough play at the magic weekend?

In all honesty clough will never be anything more than a ok squad player...he goes through the motions and has very little impact on any game.

That's all coaching.

He is one of our best players, an absolute rock of a player that you should look to build a pack around.

Clough averages so far 106 metres a game.That is a total bettered only by Meli and Scarsbrook at Saints.
His tackle busts exceed that of any of the other front rowers at Saints with the exception of LMS
His missed tackles stats are 6 all season. Compared to 11 for Lafranchi or 16 for Scarsbrook. Soliola is leading this hall of shame with 23 by the way.
Excluding Roby he is the 3rd top metre making forward. Only 4 metres separates 1st from 3rd in this category. The top two being Scarsbrook and Lafranchi.
So far he hasnt conceeded a single penalty all season. This compares with 11 for Wilkin and 10 for Soliola.Who lead this hall of shame.

One thing to note from the penalties conceeded is that back rowers at saints top this unwanted stat. For me it indicates teams targeting Saints out wide. The second rowers know the backs are slow and will get exposed, so try to slow it down on the flanks. Looking at other teams the people conceeding penalties arent quite as concentrated on a single position, though front rowers figure heavily.

Clough should stay. Does all the hard work so others can (if they try) shine. Wouldn't be happy seeing him leave.

He's right.

Looking forward to listening to this one on the wireless tomorrow. Here's hoping Matty Russel has a cracker.

No he isn't.

We have been inconsistent in defence all season. Sometimes we defend really, really well. Other times we just don't bother and both can happen in the same game. If the problem was coaching then we would be poor defensively, consistently. But we are not. The problem is and has been a combination of the players we have and their attitude towards bending their backs.

WIRELESS!!!!!

Good god man how old are you.

Right. If it's the players attitudes, which is what you appear to be suggesting, that's wrong then who is responsible for correcting that? If the coaches are telling the players to do this and that and they're not then why is that so? Are you suggesting that the players themselves are listening to what's being coached and then deliberately deciding that they don't want to do it because that's not trying. Call me naive, but these are professional players who do this for a living and I seriously doubt that if they're coached to go and pressure the kicker they change their mind and decide "I can't be d."

As for the reasons why sometimes we defend well and other times we don't is valid, however I would suggest that those times when we have defended well have been in the opening exchanges of those first two games of the new reign. Outside of that we've defended fairly averagely. Even today when I understand we defended brilliantly it's against a side which shows little in the way of imagination when they have the ball. I know you can only beat what's in front of you but it's a waste of time using our defence as an example of inconsistency without referencing the inconsistency of our opponents attacks.

He's from wigan, they only got wireless last year