I have watched nearly every match home and away this season. Early doors we looked fit full of p*ss and vinegar and had players playing where they played best. LOD in the middle doof and gilly running out wide and this combination troubled every side we played when we turned up.

However even from the early days Cas away for instance we had the habit of not turning up. The habit has got more prevelent as the season has progressed.

We now play Doof down the middle, there is no LOD, Sean Lunt has been sorely missed and our props Eorl, Griffin and Mason have underperformed for weeks. Ferguson has been poor and poor Robbo has been bashed up week in week out. There are others with questions to ask about whether they really want it at this level and beyond.

In the second half of the season we have turned up one game in four not the other way around as in early season.

We look tired, fed up and have gone from three in a tackle to two on most occasions. Ok last night we had some crap reffing and backed up in 5 days Warrington had 7 days so maybe there are some underlying reasons and mitigation.

However unless we sign a big nasty evil prop, a strike centre and play the rest in their best roles this will continue to happen....

However more concerning is how much more hammer can we let Luke Robinson take? He is 'shot' he has had to play long minutes and had like last night forwards like Carvell and Morley and in recent weeks James Graham picking him out to run at and he has 'kept the line,' again Lunty missing meant we had to play him. We should have operated on Sean Lunt far earlier in the season !!!!

Lets hope we learn our lessons from this season and still have a couple of more recruits to come!!! But we need to peak at different times next year challenge cup and play offs and Nathan Browns legacy will be decided in the next week or weeks and next season as as yet we have not won anything or threatened to move to the next level as have Wigan, Warrington and Saints !!

PS... I will be there Friday night hoping and cheering for a win... but we do need to turn up !!!!!!

Don't think I can add too much to that, other than Robbo was injured at the start of the season and meant Lunt was overplayed which ultimately caught up with him, and that's what happening now with Robbo in he's being overplayed, coupled with the mid season injury to Brough meant we had him out of his starting position.

The key to success in my opinion is a settled core to your team ie: 1,6,7,9 and maybe 13........our main guys in all those positions have all been out injured at times during the season, how many times have we had the same 1,6,7 and 9 all season ? i bet its les than a third of the games.

Likewise with our forwards......just about everyone of our big guys have also seen the treatment table at sme point too...remeber we've just got Mason back, lost LOD again and also had to make do without Doof, Griff at regular times too.
The players are shot but the disruption to our line ups this season has hit us hard IMO.

is it me but the mid season blitz in training by mr watson seems to have left the squad looking knackered, plus upto that point we hadnt had many injuries at all, maybe the players have been flogged to much by the above trainer, where as when bumper was doing it for most of time we looked fresh, i for one think this has played a major reason in our under performance in recent months, no energy.

I suspect this personally, I can't remember a game where we have been physically dominant of a big pack since Warrington earlier in the season.

I have just put something silmilar on another thread- i also started a thread about it a while ago. The fact that the players have been quiet about this aspect of things - whearas we never stopped hearing about bumper and how great he was making them all feel last season, that speaks volumes for me.

jools i have spoke to one of our players about this issue and he thinks its a major reason without naming names.

i agree....the players look tired before a game gets going and in some game si've thought the pre-game routine has looked very tough .

The tough pre game routine stopped around the castleford cup match they have considerably lightened it since....