Couldn’t be more evident than tonight.

Total lack of go forward from the lads who are meant to lay a platform.

Leigh had one player who took our pack apart in his first spell, Adam Sidlow.

That’s a major issue.

There were plenty of other issues too but without doubt the biggest issue is the lack of a top quality, or maybe even 2 props.

If you're the opposition and win the toss you kick off against us, nailed on we'll be kicking from inside the 40 and on the back foot from the start, tonight a prime example.

Adam Sidlow, a big prop from Whelley and without a club only three months ago, was never on the radar and wouldn't have cost the earth. Yet we let him slip through our fingers. Barmy.

I’m a bit torn, yes we need a big metre making prop but when you start a game at 5mph and the other side start at 100mph, it doesn’t matter if you have Morley, Peacock or Singleton starting. I thought Partington started ok but Bullock and Singleton got bullied and that is a worry. Ultimately though you need to go full tilt as a team and only one side looked like it could be bothered in that first half hour.

We’ve been beaten many times in Leigh’s cup final though. I think we’ll class that as one of our best wins come the end of this season.

Havard is a big concern for me.

He looks like a potential Ian Lucas.

All the physical gifts of a great prop but lacks the edge required to be a dominant prop.

Partington and Byrne were the only middles that took the fight back to Leigh.

Long gone are the days of Platt and Skerrett

We’ve been like this for years and managed to win trophies.

Harvard made meters and has some stamina, the team were on top with Harvard, Byrne and Smithies in the middle. Partington was the most aggressive Bullock better second stint. We seem to get little from whichever pair of props start but have the fitness to wear teams down.

We won last night because of our fitness. I said to the misses that we’ll nail them from 65mins as they’ve blown themselves in the first 30. I don’t think we played any better, just Leigh were done. Against any other SL team we would’ve lost.

Well, yeah ... seeing as both are now nearly 60.

Last season showed we have a real prop problem, to the point we made an emergency signing who solidified the pack. We've now spent an entire off season offloading two dead weight (who both should never have been signed) and replaced them with nought. Recruitment has been the biggest issue at this club for the last decade and will continue to be with Rads in charge.

Is he?

Thought we started to get back on top of the game when he came on. His work rate is unbelievable.

Huge potential and already a very good player now imo.

Him re-signing and not going the NRL was huge for us.

Pack is crying out for a elite metre eating prop, in the Watts, Thompson, Cooper mold. I thought the club realised this last year the GBurgess signing who pre injury was just the type of player we need.

There’s not many around I guess and they don’t come cheap.

Probably not a good choice of words by me to be fair.

He clearly has the quality and the athletic ability/physical gifts to be a top prop.

I just think at the moment he lacks that aggressive side that both Partington and Byrne displayed last night to fight back against the Leigh pack.

My worry is that, that’s either in you or it isn’t and from what I’ve seen of him so far it isn’t in him.

Coley was a similar player physically and he lacked that bit of aggression until Madge came in, I’m hoping Havard can do the same.

Pack is also crying out to play anything apart from one-up rugby. We played into Leigh’s hands massively last night by sending play after play back into the ruck area, which they were stacking out with the big lads. The whole idea of a mobile pack is that we play it in that way...run in pairs, play off halves. Havard would have had an absolute field day if we did this last night, and Bullick would given he’s quick for a prop.

Hopefully once we give it a couple of months the NRL market will open up and we can pick a prop up on the fringes/out of favour. I think we’ll need one as the season goes on but in fairness the young props did a good job last night. We needed more from Singleton and Bullock in that first spell.

Can anyone explain us opening up the game by kicking on 3rd? Put Leigh in the front foot straight away IMO, didn't really seem to catch them out of position or give us a chance to challenge for possession.

it was baffling, makes sense when powell did it late and no one was there but he kicked it straight to the winger. like they'd agreed to do it before the game and didn't change when leigh had it covered.

I think all our backs missing will have hindered go forward too. hanley is probably to young and small, i dont think field touched the ball until he got injured. wingers are important to get sets started and manfredi and marshall should help if they ever get fit,

Not taking too much from that game. disappointing we didn't open with much intensity but good to earn the win, hopefully we'll be better for it.

[urlhttps://www.rugby-league.com/match_report/133703[/url
Stats. Harvard the only non embarrassing metres, think he got more than partington, bullock and singleton combined.

My concern is that we need a genuine quality Prop and I can’t remember the last time a quality player became available mid season.

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen but I’m struggling to think of when it has. Maybe going back to Ali Lautiti.

We don’t need a project or a fringe player we need quality.

My guess is we will be relying on a player to have an off field issue for someone of the standard we need to become available.

I’m hoping Lams knowledge of the NRL will help us pick up a good one, even if it’s not a big name. We are hoping though and that’s not a great place to be in. A couple of names I noticed were playing Queensland Cup were Andrew Fafita and Herman Ese’ese. I know Fafita is out of favour at Cronulla but I’m not sure why Ese’ese is playing in the reserves (maybe coming back from injury). Now I’m not saying they’re players we could get or should even be trying to but there’s some good players sat outside their clubs 17’s already.

Fingers crossed something drops later in the season.

As well as props who can make meters we used to have backs that could make plenty ground as well.
There used to be Gelling, Charnley & Sarginson who all made over 100 mtrs and sometimes 200.
We are now missing Manfredi, Marshall & Gildart.
Those backs make a massive difference to the teams meters gained and the problem needs sorting.
We watched the first game of the season in appalling conditions.
The performance needs to improve but I'm pleased the lads got the two points.

I don't think there's any need to panic after that one game. Yes, Leigh dominated down the middle but our pack have only had about 20-30 minutes prior to get match fitness (and there was a 2 week break before this). Leigh had 2 pre-season friendlies. Sidlow had a good game but it was Leigh's outside backs causing us real problems down the middle. When we're pinned in our own 20 you don't really want props to be making every carry. That's where you want the outside backs who are quicker and more mobile to make ground. That's where we missed Manfredi, Gildart and Marshall as that's their bread and butter.

Once we're a few games in we'll be able to see which props are performing.

Havard 129m from the bench

Bullock Singleton and Partington combined for 126m

If there is that aggressive spark inside of Havard it could be the difference between him being very good and him going on to be a top level international. His numbers are staggering for such a young lad and he does it with no fuss whatsoever. He just seems such a quiet lad that he leaves you questioning if that edge could develop or not. He’s undoubtedly very young and not many come through snarling like Partington and Smithies did. It’s not a case of wanting him to go around hunting for trouble and he’s brilliant as he is but as and when the rough stuff crops up, I’ll certainly watch with interest to see if he’s got that in him.

He’s some player to be fair to the lad. He could be anything if he’s got that but of mongrel inside him.

Diabolical meters from Singleton, Partington and Bullock.

Partington's metres per carry was better than Isa, Byrne, Shorrocks & Smithies. And was only slightly less than Bateman's.