Before I get slated for bringing this up, I know we've tightened up our defence immensly since Smith took over. I mean, to keep Huddersfield scoreless in the second half and to only conceed 10 to them in the first was a task in itself.......however..........

4 Games in we are second in the league, but from a points conceded aspect we are 4th behind Wigan, Hull and Huddersfield and we haven't played Saints or Leeds yet.

Reason for concern so early, or are we still gelling as a defensive unit and we'll only get better?

Thoughts?

My thoughts are that some people can find negatives in any situation

Did I, at any point, express a negative opinion? Or did I invite other people to express their own?

Hmm...

Neither have Wigan or Huddersfield.

We are conceding an average of twelve points per game, arguably averages are not a fair indicator at the moment, but it is all we have.

Twelve points is not a bad average.

To utilise your own staement, only Hull have played Saints, so that really doesn't hold water, does it.

I think that this season our defence has improved lots. Last season we conceded lots of tries when we shouldn't have and this season I think we can really battle for the full 80.

Yeah, my point of bringing this up was to highlight two things. We can still score points, there is no argument over that, but we still leak a few.

2 converted tries conceded per game, when you put it like that, isn't a bad average at all I suppose.

Would be worth checking to see what the average number of points, over the whole season, teams like Leeds and Saints have conceded when they finished top.

Gonns go check right now.

2009 Leed finish top conceeding 453 points over 27 games - 16.8 points per game
2008 Saints finish top conceeding 457 points over 27 games - 16.9 points per game
2007 Saints finish top conceeding 422 points over 27 game - 15.6 points per game

Kee this up I guess and we're looking good!!

Very intresting mr bond! i think were lookin good. Just i think some people arnt convinced yet. And to be honest i dont blame them. We have had years of false hope and i guess alot of people are just waiting for the bubble to burst and wham!! back to mid table same old wire... This isnt gonna happen this year!

Question for Warrington supporters; how would you describe this glass?

A nice blown piece of glass that would go well in the 60's style home, could be used to house many liquids including this luke warm water.

FAR to small.

Try a two pint pot

Hull and Wakey both won their first five matches last year. Catalans came from nowhere to the verge of a Grand Final. Four weeks gone and we're looking good. Add a 1 before that 4 and we'll have a better idea whether the bubble is going to burst. Add a 2 and we'll know. Enjoy the ride - it's what being a sports fan is all about.

It's looking good but it's only over 4 games and let's be honest I doubt we will have another result this year like we did against Halequins (I hope I'm wrong).

If you take the Quins result away we are scoring 20.6 points per game and conceding 16.

Too big.

what would be our average had we not put so many on quins?

It's points conceded not points difference.

Surely as the glass is narrower at the bottom than it is at the top then there is more empty space than water, so it's not even half full.

Warrington fans however would probably accept that as "well its nearly half way, and that's good enough for Warrington, a club brought up on mediocrity".

Saints fans would not accept it being anything less than full which is why they will be in outrage if they finish 3rd in the year this year, something which many Wire fans would actually accept as "progress"!

talking of glasses, is there ant wonder we get a bad name with idiots throwing bottles onto the pitch kids and beer

It isn't holding a more interesting fluid. Water's rather dull these days.

i reckon our defence is strong as without the halequins result it might look bad but three games against tough opponents- castleford away,wigan and huddersfield

Our defence has improved but the Wigan game showed that we can still have 10 or 15 minute spells where we switch off. That will still happen but perhaps less often. Saints will be a massive test as there will be spells where they get on a roll but if we can show that we can stem those sort of tides and dig in then it will show real character.

Bet you all thought this thread was dead and buried.

Taking into account this weekends games I was interested in averages again so got my calculator out (boring i know);

Wigan Avg Scored 34.8 - Conceed 10.8
Warr Avg Scored 33.2 - Conceed 12
Hull Avg Scored 26.4 - Conceed 12.4
Hudd Avg Scored 24.4 - Conceed 8
Leeds Avg Scored 29.2 - Conceed 14.4
Saints Avg Scored 27.6 - Conceed 18.8

When you compare the winners from the last few years;

2009 Leeds Avg Scored 29.81 - Conceed 16.78
2008 Saints Avg Scored 34.81 - Conceed 15.3
2007 Saints Avg Scored 29 - Conceed 15.63
2006 Saints Avg Scored 32.52 - Conceed 14.8

So, given the averages of winners from previous seasons, the only teams currently in the top 6 showing similar form are Wigan, Leeds and us. We are all scoring over the previous winner averages and conceeding less.

I know we are only 5 games in but this is surely a very very good sign!!

A bit glassy. And from IKEA.

As for the defence, well the important thing surely is the fact that we've won 4 out of 5 & only lost the one by 2 points to the team that are top.