Oh.ok do that then!

Sadly Agar has backed himself into a corner with the full back position. As poor as Mathers was yesterday he is the best option there short of giving young Jowitt a run out. Sammutt doesn't work, interchanhing Sykes and Sammutt depending on whether the team is attacking or defending doesn't work and I agree playing Siejka there would just enforce the notion that Agar is out of ideas and is relying on luck rather than judgement. I believe he had the opportunity to sign Greyston before he went to Dewsbury. Hindsight or not he should've taken it.

Agar also had the first pick of all the Leeds fringe players and got that wrong as well.

He's already proved that a million times over. As my mate said, does he pick the team whilst simultaneously sniffing glue??

We have two fb's at the club - Mathers and young Max Jowitt who's playing in the 19's today; if Mathers isn't cutting it, hand Jowitt the position and see how he goes.

Why the bleeding hell would you play your best SO at fb, and put one of those two actual fb's on the wing?! He's either dropped, or he's playing - if he's playing, play him at bloody fb!

As for Washbrook - I can't possibly see how he keeps getting a game - his value has always been in defence and he can't even do that any more; if we can all see it, why can't the coaching staff? Molloy played 1 game at LF early doors and was full of running; Anakin is a committed, no-nonsense player and tackles hard; there's two better options right under your nose.

It's baffling - I like RA and I don't like to call for people to be removed, but we have a team at present that is significantly under-performing against its potential; that suggests a problem with leadership.

I don't agree Washbrook can't tackle, but I would put Annakin and Tautai above him now, with possibly Molloy if he shows that form again.

All spot on.

Just looking at the stats on Washbrook he is one of eight of our players in the top 40 of missed tackles in the entire division. And Kirmond has made more tackles than him this season so he has lost his his top tackler tag as well at present.

His attack is non existant though. No tries, no assists, an average gain of just over 5 metres per carry (pitiful for a forward), just two tackle busts and one clean break all season, no attacking kicks and just the 3 offloads. He has also made 7 errors with the ball, more than most in the squad. Yet he gets picked every game. Why? The guy offers nothing.

defiantly the beer is better, with performances like that you need a good pint

I didn't say he can't tackle - I said he can't defend; Cas waltzed through him for 3 tries yesterday and Justin Carney threw him around like a rag doll with one arm on two occasions, with the ball safely pouched under the other. It's not an acceptable level of performance for a senior player - simple as that.

Think our main problem this season so far is the pack isn't functioning as a unit....

Individually..... and on paper I think it's potentially the best group of forwards we've had....unfortunately as a collective unit we are being busted up the middle far too often.....only two games our forwards have got well on top and that was our two wins......it's ok questioning the tinkering with who plays full back....who operates at 6 and 7 but the simple fact is that if our forwards are being comprehensively outplayed by the opposition pack it's pretty much irrelevant in my eyes......we could have had Billy Slater at full back the last 4 games and it wouldnt have made an ounce of difference.....likewise....we could have stuck with Godinet & Sammut but the outcomes would still have been the same....

McShane is as good a distributor we've had from 9 and going through every forward who has played for us this year you could give them all a positive mention in one game or another....I believe they all have the ability to perform well.....I've been pro Agar all along.....and still am to a certain extent....but with two former backs as the main coaches are we neglecting working on our pack? It's forwards that win matches for me......we have without doubt got a pretty average backline....but that is the best we could afford....for all the stick that the likes of Lyne.....Fox.....Sykes....etc.....get they have been far from our worst performers in my eyes....

I would have thought in games you could almost get away with a few average players across the backs if your pack is strong and can get on top of the oppostions.....

Anderson.....Smith......Scruton.....Moore.....Raleigh.....Lauititi....Tautai.....Kirmond....Ryan....Washbrook....Annakin....McShane.......

Look at what they are capable of individually on a going day.....they are all far better than they have been showing.....lets fix up the injured bodies....get players back to 100% fitness and we should have a pack on the field to offer more protection to the backs and get us on the front foot more....IMO....

It is very hard to say something positive when you have to experience a game like that. Cas were very ordinary but better disciplined and fitter than us but Wakey were dire. They looked like a pub team. I can see nothing but another kicking on Monday and frankly it is difficult to see when our next win will come.

Fair point. I agree with your point anyway.

So what, we had stats like that last season and the one before - doesn't make you a good side, you're decent like we should be.

With the players we both have we should be a match for each other, the fact that we were not points the finger clearly at us.

Read back what you said - tell me do you honestly believe that?

To correct HTTF, it's actually 4 defeats in last 15 games (SL and CC).

However, losing only 4 games in over half a season is a fantastic record. Doing that for a whole season would make you top four material (Wigan got 35 points last season in 4th).

In my book, that makes a very good side irrespective of whether it's Cas, Wigan, Wakey or Hull. Any side that wins games and does so consistently is a good side.

Cas have tremendous depth this season and a great positive work ethic. We also have a lot of Cas academy players who have a passion and willingness to fight for the club. Wakefield have some decent players but they also have a lot of distinctly average players too and depth evaporates after the first 17 players or so in to young kids with little experience. Not going to shy away from fact that Cas have some average players too but we have a lot of players pushing themselves to the next level.

For these reasons, plus we have had a much more settled side in that we've added and lost very few players, I think it's almost expected for Cas to be a better side. Providing you stay in Super League and can build on this squad it will be interesting to see how you are in say 12-14 months time and how the players are going then.

Oh give over, you're an ordinary side with no great strength in depth. Tremendous depth don't make me laugh you have no more "depth than we do. What you have is a Coach who knows his teams and gives them tactics to match and thus give their best. It's only a year ago with a similar team you were in our position.

I must admit I wondered when the Cas deluded gene would set in - please feel free to go into crowing mode at the end of the season but for now I'd suggest you keep your powder dry

We have six fresh faces in our squad this weekend, which shows our depth. We're also missing Dorn, Dixon and Gilmour too, who won't feature at all.

We also have 23 players who have all played more than 20 Super League games and experience across the squad. Only a couple of our squad are youngsters with Clare and Fleming having between 10 and 20 appearances too. And Finn, who was inexperienced before this season. That's around 20% of our squad.

Not delusional at all - it's a fact. People like Molloy, Crowther, Jowitt, Dan Smith, Shulver and Briscoe are all players with inexperience at this level. Add in Siejka (inexperienced and young), Walshaw, Annakin and Keinhorst (who are like Clare and Fleming), that makes up a large proportion of your squad to come in when injuries hit. That's 33% of your squad.

We have very good depth which is why many people have put forward the argument of quantity over quality in the media. Well the first is a good point and arguably we have shown that the players have quality too.

But returning back to the thread title, I thought you played very well on Friday and would have probably backed you to go on and win had you had Lauitiiti and Tautai to call upon off the bench. Experience in Huby and Lynch, plus talent like Clark turned the game again. If you can perform to the level of the first 20 mins of the second half, exposing the weaknesses in the three quarters, then I can't see why you can't pick up more points. People may be looking at your results and underestimating you.

Imo we did not play well on Friday, it was more a case of Cas not hitting the heights of previous weeks and that's the worry for me. You played probably as bad as you have done all season and still put 40+ past us.

Agar imo is incapable of picking the best 17 in their correct positions, motivating the team, giving the team any structure in attack or defence. In fact as a coach I am not sure what he is good at.

Talking a good game nothing else

As things stand I think Cas are a team of average players, with 2 or 3 class players, who are responding to superb coaching. We can only hope to attain their level before the season ends.

Absolute master stroke by Powell to have the team run in front of the Cas fans before kick off, and the Cas fans did their bit and got the team fired up.

You have better judgement having watched Wakey play for 80 minutes every week but the game only ran away in the final 15 minutes or so. Once the drop goal went over heads went down and you imploded. The scoreline, IMO, doesn't reflect the game. 33-20 would have been more representative.

At 10-0 I had visions of the game turning into a rout but you steadied the ship and got back into it and the game became an arm wrestle. It's not a discipline issue (only giving away 1 penalty) you're facing but for me morale and motivation. There doesn't seem to be anyone capable of breaking a tackle or busting their gut for the team. Nothing to rally the players to the cause.

In terms of ourselves, it's a mark of us when we can say we didn't play well but I thought our performance at Salford was worse if I'm being honest. But I still believe credit has to be given to you for taking us away from our gameplan and forcing us into making silly errors.

Exactly right

Pains me to say it but I disagree. Castlefod have some very impressive forwards who moved them up the pitch with great power and speed. Carney is frightening. Shenton is a very impressive centre. They are a gunuine top 6 side THANKS TO APPOINTING A COACH WHO KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING

Id agree with this in the main! We have a mixed squad with regards talent. I'd say we have two world class players in Clark and carney backed up with some good players in shenton,huby,hauraki and millington who IMO is one of the best overseas players in the comp.


One thing that keeps coming out of the club and from darryl is the culture within the club is now first class, players enjoy training and enjoy been together,you can't under value those qualities in a club it's infectious from top to the bottom of the club from the terraces to the board room everybody has bought into it and long may it continue.

Darryl Powell deserves great credit has does Danny Orr and Ryan Sheridan who were all good players in there own right but the biggest factor has been Steve gill whose enthusiasm and love for the club is there for all to see.

These are qualities that small clubs like ours must have to have any chance to succeed against the bigger clubs.

Wakefield had it under John harbin and can have it again but you need the right people steering the club!!!

Carney isn't World class by a country mile but he is a superb domestic player who terrorises other average to poor domestic players. Put him up against another very good defensive player/team and he doesn't look quite the same.

Clarke is international standard but you don't attain World Class until you can consistently stand out against the best in the world, he might do that in future years but he hasn't yet.

Huby is another international standard player but still hasn't had the chance to step up yet. Shenton looked second best to Collis until Collis picked up an injury but Shentons a very good player if slightly past his best maybe due to injuries.

Cas are a decent team who are very well coached and have three or four excellent game breakers who will capitalise on the half chances offered when opposition teams fatigue.

Totally agree but I would love him to play for us.

However if I had the pick of 2 SL wingers it would be Joe Burgess and Tommy Makinson