I agree we have to try and get as many points as we can and stop other team s getting points .

I thought we looked "off" Sunday but we still had the class to win against a good team that had players missing too.

To think the class of players we have sitting out as they haven't been selected too means that have anyone shows signs of loss of form there's players to slot in.........

This competition is going to be a great contest this year and the team that wins it will deserve it that there is no doubt. .........

The centres need refreshing, hopefully with players who can pass to their wingers, tackling ability wouldn't go amiss either.

Well if you drop Littler and Armstrong which I wouldn't incidentally who would you replace them with ?

Hankinson and Kaye perhaps ?

I remember hearing a interview from someone at the club (PR , I think) in which he said we'll be going for all 3 points but just as important is to ensure no clubs come away with a bonus point as the league could be tight this year.

Brown has earned his return to the team with Kaye as his centre, on the right Higson with Maden/Pownall. I would also remind the half backs and second row forwards about moving wide to assist in defence.

Half backs do stand 'wide' in defence, don't they? (e.g. Ryan on the 'wing') One thing for sure - it isn't Gardner's fault this season!

According to the Reporter we were a flu hit squad on Sunday, which may or may not explain the 'shambolic' defence. Still looking forward to watching my first game on LCTV on wednesday. Just need an hdmi cable and I'm sorted.

I agree totally with this. If I am a little critical (and I have no right to be as we sit pretty at the top) is that we have gone one or two forwards top heavy at the expense of a good centre. Gardner's injury did not help matters but saying that I never thought he was the answer to it anyway.

Also we are constantly and successfully targeted on our right side by opposition coach's ever since Wigan scored a quick fire 3 tries down it in just shy of 10 minutes back in January.

Wasn't the idea that a large squad would provide cover for eventualities like that, though?

Depends when they went down with the virus, I would imagine calling someone in at noon on a sunday would be difficult

I know that Alan, but Paul must have had his reasons for picking the team he did.

People need to forget the scores of the first three games and get back to reality. The other teams are doing there homework on us and it's only going to get harder. A win is a win it may not have been pretty but that's rugby.

Agreed.

The past two (close) games, the excuses have come out. The Keighley close-shave, was blamed on a touch judge disallowing a 'try' for a forward pass, (the same t-j who came on to get us the last minute penalty, from which we won the game) and now an epidemic, last weekend.

I'd be happier if the 'official' line was as you state it, above.

The 'official line' for Sunday was put out by Paul Rowley in The Reporter today wasn't it?

Hang on. It's a bit worrying that people don't see that there was very little creativity from the half backs on Sunday. They weren't at their best! Service out wide was poor. Higgy's tries were good, but generally, creativity wasn't great. Credit to the spoiling tactics and play of the Crusaders aswell. Their number 30 had an absolute laugh on our right hand side. He was very tall and tacklers just didn't wrap the ball up, so he could offload at will. Back up play to him was very good, so we got ripped over that side many times. In attack, we persisted in going to the same right side, over and over and over again. It paid off with some tries, but mixing it up would have brought many more points. The left hand side has pace to burn, yet we're only used a couple of times. Kay's combination try with Armstrong was fabulous, but it was far too little used. Defence on the left was also great. If we are going to go to some of the stronger teams away, this one dimensional play is going to have to be dropped. Unpredictability is the key, for which this team has tricks in abundance. Such an approach is what will trouble other teams....not what we saw on Sunday!

It was Derek. He gave two reasons - the bug affecting a number of players, and the fact that Crusaders played well. Personally, I'd rather he had just gone with the second one.

Surely the answer is to make sure that the whole of the squad is ready, barring work commitments, to turn up and play with a few hours notice and not just rely on the selected 18. That's not rocket science is it? It's not as if we don't know the fixtures in advance

Don't talk daft where you at the game ? The halfbacks had a hand in most of the try's it was Brieleys movement across the defense line along with his great passing that had a hand in the first three try's plus the lad scored a 95 mtr try just has the Crusaders where going to score Riddy put some great passes together one that put Goulden thro a great pass that was ,he also had a hand in several other try's blimey get real Crusaders are a dam good team with great line speed and coached very well the lads did ok 5 outa 5 blimey not bad by anyone's standard and the points diff over 150 excellent

Yes mate. Go to every game home and away. Agree about Goulden, and indeed Emmitt deserves special credit. I have already also said that further credit should go to the Crusaders. They made life difficult. The decision making from the half backs to continually play to the right, out wide, had rewards in the first half, but it was just predictable in the second half.

As were their attacks on our right hand side, but we didn't seem to put a stop to them!

Wait till we finally lose a game.....Doomongers !

Our form seems Have dipped a bit but I'll judge us when we're still unbeaten after playing the three contenders !

I must agree with DETROITSOUL if I had come on this site for the first time I would think you where talking about a team who had lost. Come everybody we've won 5 out of 5 top of the table we don't need to make our lads feel like they haven't done something to be proud of. It's the best we've done for a long time. Proud to be a Leyther.

I'm sure Rowls has had the BetaMax machine out and once that Debbie Does Dallas has ended, will sort out any further 'holes' in our defence

I prefer the 'holes' in Debbie does Dallas