Round 4 was a definite improvement on round 1 so there is no question we are heading in the right direction. So long as those steady improvements continue (and there will be some bumps along the way) then I'm very confident that we will be ready for the bottom Super League teams when we meet them.
The Moss/Quinlan/Abdull debates will continue all year I reckon and their best positions but for the time being I would leave them where they are, allow the team to gel and try to get the best out of them. Its pretty clear that we need to get the ball in Moss' hands as often as possible in space and I think that Tim Sheens is smart enough to realise that and make it happen whatever position he is playing.

radio Humberside reporting that Cockayne, Kavanagh and Horne to play on Sunday

Game day.ready for a pint and another improved performance. On paper the weakest team we have played so far? Score could be anything

There we are, tempting fate with a smoky come-hither glance, fluttered lashes, lip pout, curled finger and dress slit to the thigh.



Superstitious, I know.

Tbf, 'score could be anything' gives us an out when Sheffield, now inevitably, run in their sixteenth try.

Another win and just keep building, I hope.

Well that was a fairly horrible game, particularly the first forty.

Every game is endless spoiling tactics and referee's allowing it. I could have made a cup of tea in the time some of the Sheffield players took to clear the ruck.

We were extremely complacent in the first half, poor energy, passive at contact and very little creativity. Fair enough it was a very cold day, it was raining and the pitch looked pretty heavy but Sheffield managed about five line breaks to our one.

I don't know what's wrong with Bobby Blair but he looks completely uninterested, Greenwood is also very very casual. What should be the best second row partnership in the competition is way off at the moment.

Early days and it's all about getting to the cacky eights but there's a lot of work for Sheens to do with this team.

Well it seems Sheens shares my view about Moss with him being dropped. Or it could be that the conditions better suited Charlie than Moss.

First 30 mins were very lazy today although forward passes and a ref not keeping up with the game didn't help. Still waiting for a full 80 minutes of concentration. That stated, another big win.

I like the challenges the Championship brings – spoiling tactics, pedestrian PTBs etc – and the big physical packs of the opposition who seem intent on knocking Rovers blocks off! Reminds me of bygone days of your Casey’s, Burtons and Skerrets.

I’ve seen a lot of the championship over the past 2-3 seasons, so know Rovers will get this every week so the sooner they wise up to it the better. I believe today we actually saw a major stride forward in Rovers coming to terms with this league - for the first time they dominated the middle of the park - Scruton, Donno and Lunt had cracking games.

Sheens says it was a toss of a coin between Moss or Shaw, nothing to do with performance, more about rotation. Shaw will not play against Dewsbury, Moss will return.

Tough conditions. Our enthusiasm in the first half hour was zero. We could have been 20 plus points in arrears to a better team.

Admired the way Chisholm singlehandedly almost played Sheffield into the ascendancy in that first half as if he had a point to prove to Sheens and others at Hull KR. He faded like his team as the game went on.

Thought our forwards laid a good platform through the middle with Donno and Scruton outstanding followed by Lunt, Clarkson and Mulhern. Blair and Greenwood anonymous again. Kavanagh ain't no Mitch Clark on that showing, but he looks rusty. Will get better.

Odd flashes of brilliance from all the backs but guilty of overplaying again and the final ball was rubbish, meaning we bombed another 4 tries at least. The kicking game was bang average.

Happy with another half century of points and the second half nilling. Referee is only 21 and useless on that performance. Was it me or did the Sheffield right winger with the sunshine roof look about 50?

We are now 5 games in and it's about time we started to see level of game management.
Sheffield out enthused us and had a greater energy level in that first half.
We were crying out for someone to start turning them around with a controlled kicking game. Instead we tried to beat them down the middle with one man rugby.
No one on the field seems capable of orchestrating changes to combat what teams are producing against us.
If we don't start to gel soon, Easter will be our first disappointment of the season.

I thought Blair went ok today got to give him some slack as he carried the team last year I really don't rate Mulhearn we definitely need another big prop we haven't really got a kicking game and I can't understand why Moss was dropped

Went ok for me. They tried to intimidate us a bit (how many high tackles). Kicking game remains poor.
The back rowers just seem to be used as foils but Greenwood was poor. Blair turned his ankle late on. Why isn't Blair's kicking game used out of our half. Abdul is good with the ball in hand but his kicking game is poor.
Scruton is turning out to be a good signing. Lunt, Donaldson, Mulhern, Hefernan, and Quinlan went well.
Kavanagh needs to speed his play the ball.

I thought the game turned when mulhearn came on for his first stint. He added much needed enthusiasm and go forward the was lacking up to that point.
Horne looked well off the pace for me.

Being in the North Stand, I kept mixing up Mulhern and Abdull in the second half when they were running towards us. Those bloody dyed blond haircuts are confusing. Goose needs to complain to the tonsorial standards police.

On the evidence of today and this season, I think you are being harsh on Mulhern, Frankie. He's improving all the time. True, he's no line breaker or offloader but he's enthusiastic with good defence and leg drive. Definitely worth a bench spot.

Sheens said post match that he as good as drew a straw today to rest either Moss or Shaw and Moss lost out. Part of his rotation strategy to get minutes into some players in the absence of a reserve comp allegedly. He won't send them out on loan either. Perhaps the aim was also to get starting minutes and game time into Cockayne to assess his suitability to start in future. Next week, he says Shaw will make way for Moss apparently. Reckon Quinlan could be rested to make way for Moss at FB in the CC game in a fortnight.

Chishom was best half on field by a mile.abdull was poor try aside.ellis was ok Donaldson I like but is another iain morrison in that he is big heart but 2 stone and 6 inch short. His level is now . concerned by pack huffing and puffin first 20 min lazy or lack of respect for eagles? I think both..identikit forwards with little punch.2nd rowers playing prop and centres playing 2nd row.we will waltz this league but in honesty and I am as barmy as they come we will not trouble any superleague teams in playoffs.moss should play in front of cockayne as has real speed and presence. Horne is spent...need proper half .Clark back plus a junior moors type impact player.great crowd great history but I fear more pain on way at end of season..very hard to get out of this hellhole we are in

Think you're in the minority about Mulhern though.

You obviously see things very differently to TS. Reading your post I could easily become rather depressed.

Hangover bad. ...Maybe was looking on the gloomy side but will have to wait to see who else comes in nearer playoffs.

The reality is we have 23 games to get things right so it's not really a worry how we're playing we seem to be improving every week it will be hard to put in an 80 minute performance when the games won after 15 mins like the Oldham game

Well said Frankie you hit it on the nail has long has we keep winning and we get some good players for the eights and they are good enough to get us out of the championship then everyone will be happy, we are also getting good gates has well wish other teams brought more fans

I truly can't understand the pessimism on this thread. We are averaging 50 points a game at home, conceding on average less then 16 points a game and playing in some terrible conditions.

We don't actually need to get out of 2nd gear, and when the team needs to i.e in a reaction to a team getting at us we are blowing teams away.

The game is allowed to be slower at this level and we are most effective with quick play the balls, super league refs will allow for quicker play the balls and give us a chance to get a roll on.

No point in going 100% every single game and burning out come business end. We are clearly going to walk this league to may as well experiment and try different things while we can until things heat up and get exciting.

I agree to a point. My one worry is that we won't be tested until it really matters. At the moment when we are poor we are still more or less on top and when we look ok we're blowing teams away. I'm hoping that doesn't breed either complacency, instill bad habits or not show us were we really are. Not sure how we solve that issue as the next game could potentially be the biggest blow out yet.

I'm expecting Fev and Toulouse away to be bigger challenges but I think a decent cup run and a draw at a middle to low end SL team could be our best bet

Sheens obviously rates Charlie as the best winger then, if he wasn't part of the coin toss?

Moss for Shaw makes sense, that right edge in the first half was breached twice.

Can you add further why you really don't rate him? he is for me a very good runner of the ball, makes bags of yards, is very good in defence and makes a good impact off the bench, like someone previously said, he changed the tone of the game when coming off the bench against Sheffield.

if you can quote statistics to prove me wrong then I will stand corrected (said the man in the orthopedic shoes!)

Every time I watch him he seems to me to make no impact at all I seem to be in the minority on this so I'll take a good look at the next game