The players are still putting effort in, defensively we were sound for the majority of the evening, despite the ball Leigh had they struggled to break our defensive structure. The Hock try was a barge over and the Crooks try was a freak. The ball retention was awful with unforced errors all over the pitch. The main issue I see is the halfback position, we don't seem to have any real direction from Brown or Gidley, both similar type of players in being organizers, I think having that elusive runner/linebreaker would make a difference as currently when Gidley or Brown have the ball there is little or no chance of them attacking the line. I accept that Ratchford being fit changes the dynamic slightly when he joins the attack but I do think Gidley & Brown are too similar.

Did we watch the same match?

glad I am not the only one thinking that. Can't see many agreeing with this assessment.

Who's responsible for assembling the slowest and least creative backline in 20 years. Tony Smith

Yeah Tony Smith is responsible, the same backline that finished top of the league and only just lost in the CC final and Grand final. Did you blame him for that?

So another backline that failed then? We have had plenty of that in the last 60 years...

If you call last season a failure

I do. We failed to win anything (meaningful) again despite all the money spent by Smith. It will be 5 trophyless seasons come October. Do you define that as success?

And also despite the fact that last season the quality across the board was abysmal - never will there be a season ripe for the taking like that again!

This is what amazes me. The super fan Smith fan club brigade seem totally blind to this fact.

Oh I think there will. Last year the numbers of people regularly playing rl fell by 10%. Over the past 10 years its fallen by 40%. I see in League Express that some teams are now playing with 11 men because they can't field the numbers, with no loose and the SO doubling as the FB. We stopped the Academy U15's and U16's because the local clubs could no longer field a full team of juniors. I watched England v Scotland RU last weekend and even with the innumerable penalty kicks and scrums / line outs you could see they have a much better quality player available to them ( Union by the way increased participation rates) One of their centres called Joseph scored a hat trick and looked a class apart from anything we have at international level.

With falling numbers of quality juniors coming through and not enough money to buy decent Aussies, I think we are going to have to get used to quite a few seasons like last year.

I think that this mark is on here to antagonise us as he seems to think that were not a million miles off winning everything although were sat at the bottom of the league with zero points have played some absolute dire rugby and just been beaten by Leigh!!!!!!!!!!!!!


smith and agar are to blame for this irrespective of last seasons perceived success or failure you are only as good as your last game