HULL KR away

Singleton 7 carries 35m 22 tackles

Ellis 9 caries 54m 29 tackles

Mago 8 for 67m 14 tackles

Byrne 3 for 31m 15 tackles


Smithies 9 for 68m 24 tackles
Isa 11 for 64m 19 tackles

Faz 17 for 126m 33 tackles
Bateman 8 for 42m 42 tackles

Poor numbers for everyone bar Farrell, for context Tommy gain 70m. I think HKR pack is pretty weak but they matched us IMO.

Big test against Leeds big pack who’ve handled us the last few years.

Full stats on SL website for anyone wanting them

Those pretty much back up what I thought whilst watching the game.

Mago looker hard to put down.

Singleton looked ineffective and, apart from one hot spell when he signed, has been another dud prop signing. I'll put my hard hat on for the usual replies.

Smithies deserves a shout-out for his stats off the bench. He's been decent in the trial games and did well again last night.

Early days really for everyone in the side. Against bigger packs and certainly when Havard is back, I wonder if we'll see Ellis at 13. He seems mobile and has a decent engine, so could probably do more mins.

Smithies with extra bulk is much more prepared for the middle. Ellis was solid, Mago will be an on the edge player where sometimes it will be game breaking and sometimes it’ll us but we’ve needed that for a while. Singleton has served his purpose and shouldn’t be near the team when Havard is back. Byrne took some decent drives too. On another note, I didn’t miss seeing a few Partington penalties given away.

Not much you can read into stats after just one game. I noticed Hull KR didn't have any forwards close to troubling the 100 metre mark, and sometimes there are games where for whatever reason neither team has any forward posting big numbers. I know Farrell made more than 100 but that's Farrell, he carries for 100m while sleeping. I doubt anyone is really up to full speed yet so we'll learn more after 4 or 5 games.

Classic Singleton

It was a tight game with both defences on top. I wouldn’t get too eat up about the numbers from last night. To add context to the numbers, Morgan Knowles was absolutely superb on Thursday for my money. It was a supreme performance from him but statistically it doesn’t look all that. He made 20 tackles and ran for 69 metres. It looks poor but it clearly wasn’t.

Not basing this on last night but Brad Singleton really has to step it up over the next few weeks/months. We can't be having front rowers in our team that don't help us get up the field.

It won't. He hasn't improved since he was 21.

I know I called him a dud signing earlier and I stand by that, but if he could discover his 2020 form he'd be a great 4th choice prop.

I checked earlier and he's with us until the end of 23, so it's pretty much up to Peet to get the best out of him. Tbf, there's a couple more in the same bracket and if Peet can get them firing we'll be heading in the right direction.

I don't think the numbers necessarily tell the story either NK. One example I would give would be Mago's run and offload. He ran straight into the teeth of the defence so only made small yardage himself but his offload allowed the support player to make many more. His stats will show maybe 5 metres or so for that but the benefit to the team was far greater than his metres in isolation would show.

I’m the worlds worst for looking at stats but the main stat from Friday was the scoreboard. We kept giving penalties away and that gave them repeat sets and limited how many times we then had the ball. I look at Byrne and 3 carries for 31 metres looks like he’s been taking it easy but I felt he carried the ball with real vigour when he did get the chance and the lad can’t do a great deal if we don’t have much of the ball when he’s on.

I’d have to watch it again because I was at the game and it’s not the best viewing ground but i wasn’t really worried about any of the middle forwards. There will be games where we dominate the ball more and the numbers will be better. We’ll probably lose some of those games as well.

I've just watched the recording
The stats don't really tell the true story though. Byrne played for 30 minutes (21 - 51 mins) and didn't come back for a 2nd spell. We scored three tries in that spell but played in the main without the ball due to conceding three penalties and making seven errors which meant we spent most of the time defending, hence the limited number of carries (it was actually four).

Just been looking at the team stats and the tackles, carries and overall metres made stood out.

Tackles

Wigan-327
HKR-281

Carries

Wigan-159
HKR-186

Metres

Wigan-1256
HKR-1171

It’s little wonder the forwards attacking stats aren’t jumping out when you’re having to make 46 more tackles and are 27 carries behind and that is all based around us giving away 10 penalties to their 5 and making 14 errors. It’s a credit to the lads when we did have the ball that we made more ground than them from far less possession (a couple of big breaks helped obviously).

I’ve seen a couple of comments around various boards saying Byrne’s stats were a disgrace but they really weren’t and the reasons are pointed out by Rogues above. I’m really excited about what he’ll bring this season.

Agree with this (and Rogues). It really wasn't a day where stats told the story and in all probability actually paint a false picture. Byrne's stats are a real case in point, not only for the reasons Rogues points out, but in that the metres made per carry showed how he was running the ball in. He really made good ground on every carry and they were not 'easy yards' either. I'd be willing to bet his post contact metres were excellent.

I think the thing to take our of Friday is that with good discipline, that victory (and therefore the stats we're commenting on) would have been far more comprehensive. That's where we need to focus our attention before next week. Judging by their game yesterday, Leeds will be a far tougher proposition and we can't afford to give them the easy possession that we gave Hull KR. If we do, you can guarantee they'll use it.

Our discipline has been poor in the Wire friendly and on Friday. Some of that I’m putting down to eager refs, who only seem capable of reffing one side but we also need to improve what we can control.

It’s a shame in some ways that Bentley will likely miss Friday with a ban, as he’d be good for a penalty or three. It’ll be a tough game. Leeds look strong and should’ve got home in that game yesterday, even with 12 men (and 11 for a spell). If we talk about our front rowers and what they did or didn’t Friday, we know one thing is for sure and that is that they’ll face a bigger test this week. There aren’t many better sets of middle forwards that Prior, Tetevano, Oledzki and Smith, so it’s a step up.

Stats tell part of a story but for example if you compare Bachelor to Batty they are more or less the same one gets MOM other he didn't do much. It was same last year regarding Knowels and Batty's stats wise.
Take Walmsley who has been easily the best prop maybe the most influential player out of the stats and most weeks it becomes more level.
I imagine Micky Mac's stats don't measure up well but the sum of what he brings are bigger than the parts, similar with Knowels.
Happy enough with the first outing from the pack lack of ball scoring twice on first tackle, and a lob sided penalty count ... The worse offence on Thornley wasn't penalized for example and so on.
Plenty to work on but I think we will.

When you look at the stats and I remember thinking at half time when the stats were shown, our stats looked like that of a team that should be losing, lower possesions rate, making more tackles and less carries would usually convert to a losing score yet we were comfartably in front and never really looked like going behind.
I never really like looking at the figures for forwards and how many use them to diss a forwards work rate, I have always said in the past, without further information like how many times we actually had possesion when a forward was on the field and from what field position we had possesion, you can't compare a forwards carries/meters made. If every set we had was off a long kick chase down field and therefore the outside backs were there to take the frist 2/3 carries then a foward may only take one drive in the set

Every prop should watch JWH play for Roosters as a benchmark to playing prop. He takes it in twice a set, makes well over 100m a game, boat load of tackles and brings the intimatory presence with him without punching folk.

Really? He's one of the dirtiest b******* in the game. He might not punch folk but he does everything else.

I'd take him in a heartbeat

I think he is a player that will be available after this season to SL.

The way the game is being tightened up over there he is a penalty machine. I seem to remember he as dropped because of the issues around penalties last year.

I love to watch him play though but I think the game is moving on beyond these type of guys, which isn't a good thing in my opinion. His work rate is fantastic too.

The way Tetavano struggled to fit in last year is an example of it.

The other thing to consider is in the NRL they measure meters very differently so us in SL. I think we only count from crossing the gain line in SL however in the NRL they count from when the player receives the ball.

Exactly, hence why JT at NQ makes 300m a game. Post contact metres are a better indicator of how effective they are.

Those stars don’t spark confidence no but equally it was a tough, aggressive, tight game with defences for both uncompromising. I don’t think it was a game particularly for high meters so I’m not paying any attention to them whatsoever. I think you can get far too caught up on how many meters a forward makes when there’s so much more to a forwards game than that. Sometimes the tac might be to take it up and hit the floor, quick PTB and get a roll on. Get the opposition on the back foot to create space and chaos in their defensive line. Metres made is a huge red herring stat.

We got the win, we looked improved and I don’t think any one player had a poor game. Singleton isn’t inspiring but he’s solid, will take the goon balls in and is decent in defence. He’s exactly the type of prop any successful side needs IMO. Whilst he won’t tear it up or knock the opposing teams pack into next week; he won’t let the side down. That being said when Havard is back I don’t expect to see him starting or even in the 17 every week.

Mago was impressive. Reminded me a lot of Adam Cuthbertson when he first signed for Leeds. He just needs to reign in looking for the offload or at least make better decisions to retain the ball. It’s probably a case of trying too hard as opposed to stupidity.

Ellis was solid, pretty much like Singleton. Didn’t do anything wrong, didn’t set the world alight either. No criticism from me.

The rest gave performances I’d expect them to. Like I said on another thread, the real marker - especially for our pack - will come against Leeds. Are we capable of dominating against a strong pack? Jury is still out for me and I think it will be for a while yet.

Leeds at home

Singleton 5 carries for 30m 35 tackles

Ellis 9 for 90m 26 tackles

Isa 7 for 60 25 tackles

Mago 9 for 72m 18 tackles (a try assist!!!)

Byrne 12 for 87m 14 tackles

Smithies 5 for 34m 27 tackles

Partington 2 for 13m 13 tackles (limited game time)

Faz outstanding again 18 for 152m 33 tackles

Bateman much improved 15 for 108m 37 tackles.

Singleton second straight week under 35m but getting through work in defence, he could be in trouble when Havard is back.

Fair point on Singleton re his contribution to attack.

I’d rather it was Partington dropped when Havard returns though…