im willing to bag any individual player ifb i think hes not doing his job and unfotunatley for mathers fans hes been at the head of my criticisum but todays was aterrible team performance and anyone who thinks smith alone can turn things round is living in dream land

Disappointed with the game. Yes its a long season and we can only improve. Away at Bradford isn't a game I would be expecting us to win to be fair more the reverse you'd expect Bradford to win, having said that though I would expect the team to perform better than they did. Every team in the league have the same prep time for fitness and training etc so that's no excuse.

Definitely lacked some attacking leadership (Tim Smith would of made a difference but we still wouldn't of won).
IMO too may basic errors eg knock on's near the line, missed tackles and generally poor defence. Defending back to back sets early on would of taken it off of the team but its no excuse they are athletes and should be trained and prepared for that situation.

Not into blaming individual players. Think we have a right to be annoyed and disappointing at the performance though, we do pay to see the team and that money pays their wages.

Just hope we do better against Hull, a poor start to the season will have an impact on attendances whereas the reverse is true.

Work to do in training, but it can only get better!

Poore was a liability once again, was it 4 penalties alone he conceded? Didn't seem like he was on for many minutes either but that might have been for tactical reasons.

From a Bulls fan's perspective, of course, that is the most encouraging thing. Don't think any of us are under any illusions about how hard this season will be and no, I doubt any sensible Bulls fan will be "wetting himself with excitement" as Wildycat so eloquently put it. But I think our lot caught you by surprise with just how determined they intended to be. Won't catch anyone else by surprise now, though.

Quote from RA



Link

[urlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/21239714[/url

Our forwards were poor, Ollie Wilkes was by far our best forward today and considering who else played that was a shock, wood was dire, Mathers had a solid game in a poor match and made some good tackles, shame that we didn't put in the effort across the field, saying all that and we were never in the game, some decissions by mr thaler were bewildering, I dont think thay would of changed the result, but they could have changed the margin of the defeat .
Roll on next week, hopefully TS & AR back, anyone now if Reece Lynne is OK, seemed to be struggling with hamstring late on

Think this is bob on. Now just needs sorting out.

Poore is making Brent Todd look like a great player. I look forward to seeing something from him to suggest that he played NRL he would not get in the Stanley Rangers ladies third team on present form. The biggest problem we have is that Aiton is just not a hooker, Diskin and LeStrange once again showed what we are lacking, he does not understand the game, his passing is poor, his game management is poor, he never takes us forward, we are so easy to defend against when he is at 9, he has the heart of a lion and his work rate is great but he is not a hooker. What is it that our coaching team cannot see. Last year it took an injury to get him away from the hooking role and guess what we started to play when Ellis got his chance. Priority one is to go out and find a hooker. Why did Singleton get a game today, Anakin has out performed him in the pre season, Anakin is a Wakefield player who gives 100%, Singleton showed today that his defence is weak, play Anakin or Trout. Think our players started to beleive some of the hype about them been good and just turned up expecting to win. Only players who gave their all were Mathers and Ali. Why is Kermond the captain he simply does not look like he can get the troops going when the chips are down. Very very bad day at the office, most lack luster effort I have seen from a Trinity team in 40 years.

Out enthused and out played accross the park.
Bradford looked like a team ready to play and we looked nervy and uncertain from minute 1.
The Bulls played well but, we certainly allowed them to boss the game and our ball controll, especially in the first half was shocking.
On the plus side, nothing is won or lost in round one so lets hope we are ready next week.

Come on Trin !

We had zero creativity out there today and I think only made one break all game.

Not many positives to be taken but I thought Charlie and foxy were our only stand outs and both grafted and put their bodies on the line (as usual) and mathers got stuck in.



As for our forwards ,they were awful in defence and attack.

I thought Bradford out played us everywhere. We were poor the ref was poor Bradford got the rub today on just about every decision, i thought we were caned at the penalty count, lots to work on and if there were any positives I thought Mathers and Aiton showed up today. The pack was beaten so I wont judge the halves suffice to say I did agree with the early interchange at half back.

well...from where I was stood....

we made too many unforced errors
our ball retention was very poor
our decisions out of half back were worse than our ball retention
our contact in the tackle was championship esq
we didnt smother the ball in the tackle
our last tackle play decisions were awful
the pack looked fatigued
we did too much chelping to the referee

subsequently we did too much defending and played the whole game on the back foot.


on the positive....i thought fox, cockayne and mathers were solid and tidied up well and Paul Aiton was the only one who showed genuine fight and commitment. It was great to see aiton, the 5' 8" 11 stone hooker dispatch manuokafoa the 6' 5" 18 stone prop forward with a thundering tackle.....he didn't come back for any more did he?

Agar's going to have a hard week ahead of him and its paramount that we respond well next week.

The aiton thing is bang on, he is devastating in broken play and good from dummy half when it's a quick ptb, (which we never got today) but he does not do the simple things well, like the short pass bringing the next drive on quickly to create some go forwards.

I think we are very weak in this area since Ellis went.

Thank heaven the rugby has started, and we can have proper mature threads rather than "my cathedral is bigger than yours..."

Very impresed with the objective and mature analysis on this thread so for.

Why would Agar go looking for a hooker? He had a perfectly good one in Ellis that he punted out of the club because he believes that Aiton, Wood & Wildie are better dummy halves. None of those three are natural hooker imho, but thats the way we have gone and we are stuck with it. We have no funds to bring anyone else in without someone leaving and if that happens Agar has already said he would go for another forward.

It's as Agar says - we can't really judge the creative side of the team, we had no territory all game and so were forced to keep plying it up the middle.

When the backs did get involved they played ok, but the forwards need to carry the piano, so that they can play it.

Oh dear poor sweet dim Mystic. You must be one lonely sad individual if this is how you get your validation. One can almost hear it in your voice "I'm a big man again, well for this week anyways".

For the record I never suggested we'd win today, never stated we are better than Bradford - not the least bit surprised by this result in that it was my worst case scenario.

Now lets see when the fuss dies down and the season proper starts as to how it all goes shall we big man.

I'd buy the pot noodles and special brew in if I were you to help you trough the long summer nights or finally get a girlfriend whichever helps the most

Awful discipline from Wakefield today. Constant chatting back gave Bradford the easy yards and they took full advantage. I'd suggest everyone keeps their gobs shut next week.

Give up with this Aiton isn't a hooker stuff - is James Roby not a hooker either judging by the Saints score.

Didn't take you long to recant

Terrible performance from 1 to 17, made Sammut look like a world beater, instead of the mediocre play he actually is. The try he scored just before half time was absolutely shocking tackling on our part.



Got to say we missed Ellis, the amount of forward passes and knock ons from Aiton was bordering on the ridiculous. The lad isn't a starting hooker for me, he's the guy you bring on to change the game. Also do not think Lynne has the build for a centre, get him on the wing and get Mellars, Walshaw or Cowling in the team, all are capable of doing a much better job, didn't think Lynne did anything too wrong, just don't think he's a centre.

Wildie......had enough time around the first team now, either has to perform or move to the championship.

I take two positives from today's game:

1. We were without heart, fight or spirit. With those three, we should do better.

2. I don't have to go back to the Odsal for another year.

was poor today no doubt and yes ranks with worst disappointmenting performances from wt over my 28 years, but some of the garbage talked from the loyal ones in the ground was beyond belief.

anyway it was rubbish but it didnt rain and i got a lift in a very nice car and everything in the whole world, including poverty, the world economic crisis, syria, and acne in teenagers is richie mathers fault cos the duffer in the flat cap said so.

??

Was todays game a friendly then? Or, as I thought, the start of the season proper?

You bring it on yourself Vasty. You seem to be a self appointed leader of the trumpets and it is always good to see you with serious egg on your face. I realise it is the "green eyed monster" suffered by many supporters of wee team who envy their more illustrious neighbours but it seems that it really really hurts you when you lose to Bradford.

Still, there is always the Samaritans.

Too true. Why they let Sykes go last season after signing Sammut I'll never know

Have links to one of your players so went today. As a neutral I'd say Bradford were good but nothing amazing. Big and powerful, take away Samutt and they'd not have been anything like as devastating. Wakefields forwards did little, can't really pick any of the backs for real criticism. Mathers was doing his best. Ben c grafted n tried his heart out, Lyne was solid, defence is outta sight from his hull days. Fox some good runs n Collis is a good player who took try well. Think the biggest problem was your kicking game, especially early on. Dire, truly dire. Agar right to complain about forwards although when 18nil down with some time left til ht poore amour n Ali were all bench warming at the same time. Thought that was a mistake to be honest. Think you'll be better for the run out n if smith n Raleigh back for weekend that'll be a big +. Like to be more positive for you but they didn't show much of what even a neutral like me knows your capable of. Good luck for next week against the dobins. I'll be there again and not just an honorary wakey fan that day but a full on one!