Houghton wasn’t that good when he was good. Tackling machine whose distribution and running wasn’t anywhere what you would expect from an elite player. The guy is a myth based on one tackle and playing with a monster pack who steamrolled teams.

See Houghtons needless offside when we pinned cass on their line, Pearson was furious in the stands, down to 12 and sustained pressure and one of your senior players gives away a ridiculous offside like that.

Funny as before the game, it showed the Leeds highlights and he did the exact same against them, that led to a try. See the Cam Scott error, why isn't Houghton there playing the ball and getting the team set?

As the commentators said it was setup for him and sneyd to take control when Mcshane went off, yet they didn't.

Sorry but too many senior players have got in a comfort zone and are too sloppy. Sat on big contracts and not really performing. Happens across all sports.

I'd heard whispers about Taylor being nowhere near fit, showed last night he was out of puff after his second carry, again Where's the professionalism?

Sneyd was awol again, been way too inconsistent this season.

Probably the most unpopular opinion on here, but the truth hurts as they say, time for a new leadership group, but and it's a big but, but too many sat on nice cosy contracts and the academy products aren't good enough........

I'd be shaking it up next year, offering players to other clubs hoping we can shift some on, the captains group would definitely be getting disbanded and new players who put effort in week in week out and show some fight appointed.

McNamara reminds me of Milky.
Lots of promise, but on the night we needed much more.

Got to agree about McNamara - he looks to be too light framed. I know HKR Rowan Milnes is 21 but he’s miles ahead of Ben. If the club see something in Ben then they must give him time to develop at the moment he’s getting slaughtered.

AP must have been fuming. We undo the good work we did on Saturday. He’s previously said we needed to finish the season strongly to set us up for next year.

Wasn’t the fact we got beat, it was the lacklustre performance at home yet again.
Cas weren’t anything that special, but we were clueless at times.

Wondering how long theyve all got left on their contracts and how much they earn

Taylor
Sneyd
Houghton
Bowden
Johnstone
Fonua

Think a few of those are 2023

Think our only hopes shipping some out on loan and hoping we can get a big percentage of wage covered.

Johnstone/Bowden maybe?

Seriously need some room to manoeuvre with regards to new signings.

Who was the guy sat in the stands next Pearson, honest thought it was ehab allam at first hahaha

Was it Ralph Zoing, one of the Directors?

It was always going to be difficult to back up against Cas following on from the derby and having lost both Cator & Reynolds for the season. However what was concerning is manner of the performance which was poor. Cas had played the same night as us so no extra recovery time and they then lost McShane early in the game yet not only did we not take advantage of that we didn't even look capable of doing so we had a chance to run at him when he could hardly move but each time Houghton went the other way, any top team would have picked him out whilst he was still in the line.

Our ball retention and completion rate was terrible, our line speed in both attack and defence for 80 mins was none existent. Too many times when we played the ball we passed it backwards about 20M which is ok of you are running on to the ball with real intent but they are all just stood still so we invariably end up with about a 5M gain or a loss. I saw no leaders out there last night (we missed Reynolds with his fight and enthusiasm) and its clear as day we need more from 9 than just tackling. Sadly McNamara offered little attacking threat but to be fair he didn't have many options as no one seemed prepared to run on to a ball or be a dummy of angled runner (other than Mau & Lane), I thought defensively he stood up well. Mau, Swift, Faraimo with possibly Lane the only ones for me that showed up, Sao did ok but was below his usual performance which is to be expected considering the minutes he's played and missing Satae the last two games.
Its another home game where they have put in a rather forgettable effort/performance which want help to bring new fans in or keep some of the ones struggling to stick with things.
Cas isolated Connor pretty well which nullified him from having much impact but we didn't seem to make any changes to address that.
Also hearing BH after saying he took McNamara off and put Houghton in at 6 to try to inject a spark was baffling as he doesn't provide any spark at 9 and hasn't for a few years now.

Think it just shows how much Reynolds gives us our attacking shape. Sneyd will get stick, but he was trying too hard on his own.
We don’t really have anyone that breaks the line. Everything is lateral and ponderous.
We’ve struggled to break teams down in their own 25 for a long time now. Is it just that the players that are there are incapable of changing how they play?

We are in the grip of mediocrity, with it seems no imagination, and worse no spirit. Did I imagine Andre trying to run at Thaler, and being held back by Cas and Hull players, wtf is going on!

We are seriously lacking in the brains trust department, Sinfield/Ratchford/Cooke of that ilk required.

While we are dissecting players, Connor frailties in defence, or should I say an appalling lack of pace, or positional sense was also again on show, are all our boots dipped in lead,

I honestly believe at close to seventy I could beat Sneyd over fifty metres, who else, err Hodgson fek off and take that gobby orrible Reynolds with you, the club needs a welfare officer, it’s seriously going in the wrong direction. Morning all

We couldn't believe what we were watching. You could clearly see he came across to the edge to hide as he as struggling so what do we do, pass the other bloody way...how stupid can you get?? We have no game management, and certainly no off the cuff foresight and brains. 5 years ago today, Sneyd had one of the best game management performances of his career, but there was none of that last night, we just ran around like headless chucks, which inevitably ended up in us either losing metres or giving the ball away with stupid errors!

Last night's 17 could have played in the opening game last season. (Even the 21 man squad.)

No official news on contract extensions for Josh Griffin, Masimbaashe Matongo, Connor Wynne , Jack Brown, Andre Savelio, Ligi Sao, Manu Ma’u and Mitieli Vulikijapani.

Everyone else is still under contract until the end of next season at the earliest.

Guess you're running out of games now unless the postponed one's get added on in an extended season.

There's no extension to the season. Not sure if we'd ask Leigh to fulfil our home game with them but it'd have to be midweek and they have no motivation to play it.

We can still make the play-offs but it's a battle between five clubs for three spots and we realitically need to win our four remaining games.

Yep we have no margin for error at all now. The only plus is that all clubs fighting for the final places are playing each other too however not sure we have enough left judging by the manner of the performance served up against Cas.

Probably an Afghan who got out recently with a few million in his baggage

I think Hodgson made another error in bench selection last night which he has done now on several occasions
In a team lacking pace like we do and Shaul not available then surely Wynne would have been a better bench option than Johnstone.
Johnstone will never make a S/L player and needs to be moved on next season even if its a loan to pay his wages.
Wynne like Shaul could have taken the midfield role, or when we needed more at halfback we could have moved Connor and Wynne into the full back role
Once again last night Connors lack of pace was shown at full back but given the problem we have now in the halfs he will have to be moved to 6.
If Shaul is fit i would still have him playing in the middle with Wynne at full back to add some pace to the team.
Finally a word on Taylor.He has been out of action for a long period but surely you can keep your upper body in shape.
He is flabby,slow and still way of the mark for fitness.
For a professional athlete and the same with Fonua the shape they are in you have to ask questions not only to then but also the fitness coaches why they are in such bad shape.

which we wont

Cant say I can argue with much of what you say. In regards to both Taylor and Fonua I'm not sure that ether of them looked particularly fit even at the start of the season. I know BH style seems to be quite laid back but think sometimes that maybe can be a bit of a negative.

We certainly lack within the squad which BH is trying to address but fro me the lack of speed and the way we laboured last night just highlighted how slow we are particulary our ruck speed and at 9 which is so pedestrian.

Leigh have nothing left to play for, both Gelling and Hood would do a job for us until the end of the season. Swapsies for Johnstone and whoever?

That's what I'd be trying to do, but I think we'll just sit on our backsides and do nothing.

Anthony Gelling went back home to NZ early in June. By far the best 'back' we have had in our squad this season.

Contrary to the majority on here I don't think Tag was any crapper than most.
Bureta was about our best mind, the only one we've decided to ship out.


And considering our attacking options on the last, to put it kindly, are fairly limited, are we the most ineffective team for getting anywhere near challenging when we decide to put it in the air?

You wanna swap Hood for Johnstone?