Seems they aggravated the injury trying to get him reasdy for Leeds. Best be patient

Is that a Bull's week or a real week though?

I will gladly be patient if they just told us the truth instead of saying well he almost made the leeds game but is a week away......then we expect to see him against Wigan and once again he is still a week away and then this week he is still a week away! Same for Briggs he was 50/50 midweek last week for Wigan game then suddenly day after is 4 - 6 weeks out! I don't mind being patient its the false information they have given that annoys me.

Is it just me, or does Patrick look a bit of a dodgy kicker? He doesn't really seem to get any power in, and the ball takes an unusually flat trajectory. Some of the easier ones that have gone over haven't gone convincingly over the dot. His kicking isn't so far what I'd expected.

Not fussed HOW he kicks them tbh, provided they go over. They can do a double-piked inverted back flip barrel roll in mid-flight for all I care, provided they go over and between the uprights. If and when they stop so doing, then it'll be time to give one of the others a shot.

TBH I would rather they just made it over than some of Sykes ballooned efforts last year that nearly ended up on Rooley Lane

1 Royston
2. Ainscough
3. Platt
4. Ah Van
5. Raynor
6. Kearney
7. Southernwood
8. Lynch
9. L'Estrange
10. Hargreaves
11. Elima
12. Walker
13. Whitehead

Subs


14. Diskin
15. Scruton
16. Addy
17. Kopczak

Water Carrier

18. Sibbit

Corner flag

19. Sykes

I'm glad you didn't put Sykes as the water carrier. I highly suspect if he was, he'd try and throw the bottle to someone, only for it to miss and hit the linesman.

Hopefully my water carrier will do the same and hit my corner flag.

First we have to get the other kickers fit and on the pitch

Until then Ah Van is going to be guaranteed a starting spot and to be the kicker

definitely has a very laidback/lazy style to his kicking. But as adey says as long as he's getting them it doesnt really care. And until herbert/briggs is back do we have a more reliable option who also contributes to the team apart from just kicking?.

From the Bulls Site

The squad in full is: Addy, Ainscough, Ah Van, Diskin, Elima, Hargreaves, Kearney, Kopczak, L'Estrange, Lynch, Olbison, Platt, Raynor, Royston, Scruton, Sibbit, Sykes, Walker, Whitehead.

Is it the fact that the "Wilkinson" technique is seen as the Gold Standard?

He doesn't put his foot through the ball and put it out of the ground or to the back of the stand but he only has to get it between the sticks and over the post in the middle.

He was "tutored" by Daryl Halligan who wasn't too shabby so hopefully he's been taught some good things. Alot of what they do in terms of kicking is just to get into a routine and try to eliminate pressure by being comfortable.

If you look at football and penalty kicks Matt Le Tissier only ever missed one and generally just passed the ball into the corner. Stuart Pearce missed more than a few (one very important one in 1990 springs to mind) and he used to try break the net, yet both were excellent at that responsibility.

I think we've all been clouded by Union and how they kick the ball as to what should be expected.

Could be the same 17 then.........even though Connor has alluded to a couple of positional changes.

That's his style and technique. Not every player kicks the same way. Every kick could shave the crossbar for me as long as it went over.

I'm 100% happier with kicking this year than last thats for sure. Briggs is obviouslyy a good kicker looking at last years stats and I have only seen Herbert kick a couple of times in pre season so couldnt really comment.

I think Sykes could drop to the bench or maybe drop out of the 17 all together. Addy at least onto the bench for me an Ainscough on one of the wings

Yeah, but given the lion share of points scored in union come from penalty kicks, it's clearly something that will have more emphases in their training than in league.

And Mick Potter seemed to make it clear that Ah Van is first choice kicker for Bradford, so I'd imagine that even having both Briggs and Herbert in the side would make no difference to that unless the number of his completed kicks drops

Union do place a lot of emphasis on kicking as we all know and agree they're bound to look into this in greater detail. Ah Van's technique works for him and seems failry effective so I've no problems on how he does it.

Agree re Potters comments - he made it clear as to who was the first choice kicker at the forum didn't he.

No Half Backs yet again, a 3rd defeat in a row is seriously going to damage our prospects of any success this season, not to mention reaching the top 8.

We need another Half and quick, even a loan signing.

After last weeks performance its a strong possibility. We already have Walker (whos been outstanding for me) and Platt how haven't done anything wrong and won't oust them!

Addy for Sykes seems like the obvious switch.

But, then, it seemed an obvious selection last week and Addy didn't even make the bench.

I'd also consider Ainscough for Rayner, but wouldn't be too bothered if he stuck with Rayner for a bit longer.

The squad in full is: Addy, Ainscough, Ah Van, Diskin, Elima, Hargreaves, Kearney, Kopczak, L'Estrange, Lynch, Olbison, Platt, Raynor, Royston, Scruton, Sibbit, Sykes, Walker, Whitehead.

When are Crusaders announcing their 19-man squad ? Isn't there a deadline ?

They have announced it:

Schifcofske, Thomas, Martin, Reardon, Witt, Sammut, O'Hara, Withers, Bryant, Chan, James, Dudson, Peek, Lupton, Moore, Murphy, Flower, R. Williams, L. Williams.