So you're questioning what someone saw of the game when they say Currie had a good game, yet you say Atkins had a decent game.

So, were you in the bog for the full 80 minutes then?

No problem. I would like to think things will improve over the course of the season.

I'd be careful about saying Saints are back to the top, 3 weeks into the season. Bit giddy. Could be a mid table side in a fortnight.

I made a comment on Saints being possible title contenders, I know it is early days and a lot can happen over the season but they seem to have recruited well, have a blend of experienced older players and youngsters that have been playing SL for 2 or 3 seasons. They also have a big mobile back and subs to back them up as evident in the opening game against us.

Of course they could be mid table in 3 weeks and we could be top

Just break down the three fixtures so far this year:
Saints at home lost - same as last year
Leeds away lost - same as last year
Hull at home won - lost this last year

Out of the three corresponding fixtures to last we are actually 2 points better off regardless of performance, doom and gloom is about because it is so early in the season. There isn't that much wrong with Warrington.

O'Brien once again moving the team round. The only player out there today who looked dangerous. When he gets the ball expect something to happen. Ormsby had an okay game. He will get better and better the more he's in the squad. Myler again didn't seem interested. Atkins was a lot better than the games against Saints & Leeds. Overall a better a slighty better performance. Tbh I did expect us to get another hiding again. We will be up there come the play offs. People seem to forget that Briers, Hodgson, Morley, Carvell arnt here which is a massive loss. If we had them on the field today I would expect an easier score line. Roll on London next week!

Last season we lost quite a few games. Widnes beat us twice, Hull and Hull KR beat us.

When we lost the debate on here was always about how playoffs were ruining the game because the league season didn't matter.....27 friendlies before a cup knock out.

Funny how this time nobody has been suggesting that the problem is us not taking it seriously because of the format! The kind of line ups we have been using so far, with youngsters on the bench, would be definitely explained away last season as down to us taking it easy because the league doesn't matter.



You won't be able to read anything in to what we do or don't do to London next week (please lets not be sitting here listening to Tony Rea drone on about "our win was a testament to the character within this club"icon_wink.gif.

If you want a crystal ball to show you how our season will end up watch one of the videos of the first two games of the season, you will watch something very similar in September in the last game we play.

Not sure I get your drift on the final paragraph.
Care to spell it out to me?

Our season will finish in the same way it started. Second best against a side like Leeds or Saints.

Probably in week 2 of the playoffs.

The unexpected injury to Briers has hurt a probable planned natural transition, I fear not bedding in Dwyer could do the same for us next season with Monas stating it will be his last season.

I do wonder if Wire had planned on going big in the 2015 season and this one just caught us out.

Those who say Atkins had a sold game obviously didn't watch properly. Inside the first minute hull made a break down the left hand side, though stupidly on their part didn't seem to do it much more in the first half, they also had the overlap on that side numerous times in the second half.

Our left side defence has been a problem for years, we got away with it when we were winning most games as we were strong in all other areas however now it's becoming more noticeable and more of an issue.

Riley has been dropped so it's only fair that Atkins goes as well. They are both as bad as each other and I think Riley was put in hopeless situations by Atkins going missing. You can't drop one and not the other. Both need to be dropped.

This isn't a dig at Atkins because he was quality in 2010/2011 and I tried to defend him all last season but he simply isn't up to it currently.

Evans should come in for Atkins. And when Russell is back if ratchford goes back into the halves it should be to replace myler not o'brien.

Waterhouse was also at fault for one try as well, Atkins was calling him across when Hull had a four on two short side mismatch of numbers and he was defending on the wrong side of the posts. Compare to the right edge which was very solid as usual, Joel even covering across brilliantly at one point when Atkins missed a tackle and Ormsby was chasing back with lead boots when Hull looked certain to score.

Ormsby took a knock I think in the set before. Hull saw that and immediately attacked that edge. He only ran it off a few minutes later.

I personally think Atkins improved in both attack and defence. Don't get me wrong, he still has a long way to go from a defensive perspective but I think the whole left edge struggles at times. A couple of times the ball was passed left to right in attack and you just knew that we'd run out of men at some point. With Myler, then Waterhouse, then Atkins, then Ormsby all having too much to do due to cover the runners i.e. not enough sliding and too much grouping in the right / middle channels. In these instances, it means we are ALWAYS short on defenders if the attacking side effects good quick passes with dummy runners. That just furthermore exposes Atkins defensive frailties. Put him in the middle of the field and he wouldn't have these problems.

In attack, although he didn't create any moments of magic, he was 100% better. He ran it in hard and fast and got some quick play the balls, avoided daft offloads and miracle passes.

So on that performance alone I think he's moving forwards and, with more of the same in the next few weeks, I can see him becoming a more solid all-round player and taking some steps back to his best.

It will be Higham and Daryl Clark next season

Defensively we aren't doing that badly to be honest, Atkins keeps getting rinsed but apart from that we've been solid. In attack we have zero creativity, the problem is that there isn't anybody around to bring in, I think O'Brien has done quite well but Myler seems uninterested.

Yeah I agree with this, I hope Myler misses out when Russell is fit but I fear this will not be the case and O'Brien will be left to wonder what he has to do to keep his place.

There was a great bit of play from O'Brien yesterday, put up a bomb then he was the first to tackle to the player who caught it, always puts himself in there defensively always seems to get snotted though. Lol.

What did people think of Westermans tantrums, funny as.

I keep seeing comments like "Riley is better than Ormsby", which is funny as most of the time all I hear on the terraces is "bloody hell Riley!" even when he's nowhere near the ball. Ormsby has played 2 games and looked very solid, big and not afraid of taking the line on or going in for a big hit. Riley on the other hand has played how many seasons and people are still bemoaning him not being good enough. If people here are talking about how the odd match here and there is not enough to fairly judge a player and they need a decent run (re: G'OB) then surely the same goes for Ormsby. I don't think he's done anything to derserve losing his place yet and needs a few more games at least before we can start talking about whether or not he's "good enough". If we were judging the longevity of players after two games then we'd have never kept Matt King. Give Ormsby a chance, a bit of bulk on him and he's going to be formidable

A transition season for Wire I think. Be lucky to get into the last 4 of either cup or playoffs.

Riley hadn't done a lot wrong either, his try scoring record was excellent and he makes more ground on returning kicks than Ormsby does. He was made to be a fall-guy for all the problems defending outside Atkins, Myler and Waterhouse but they seem to escape a lot of the blame.

Nail hit firmly on the head!

I would be happy for a transitional season if it is genuinely transitional, in the sense of developing new players who look like they will make it, rather than "transitional" being used as shorthand for "don't expect to win anything". If, for example, Higham and Monaghan were to play hooker every game, or at the end of the season no-one apart from Atkins, Bridge or Ratchford had played at centre I dont see why that would be transitional.

I use the word 'transition' as another word for 'trial and error'

Glad of the two points that might just help improve the teams' confidence in the coming weeks? I hope so as a season of one man rugby for 5 followed by a kick isn't great to watch nor getting nilled for a half at home.

I'm not going to slag off individuals but thought that Trent had a decent game and O'Brien is definately worth sticking with. Nothing really wrong with Ratchford's place kicking but why was he doing it in favour of GOB the writing on the wall perhaps about who will be losing their place when Russell is fit?