Just got back and in my opinion today was a game of 2 halfs. We were good at times in the first half as well as Bradford being poor and the 2nd half we didn't quite going like how we can and Bradford stepped up their game a bit. I agree with the earlier post of the player ratings everyone gets a 7 from me too. I thought Ward was excellent he's sure got a lot of potential to be a star for us. Golding had a decent game as too did Cuthbertson, his offloading was decent IMO. We've got to improve as a whole of course for the start of the season and I am sure we will get there.

11,608 was a very good turnout today absolutely well played to ourselves and Bradford fans who came in good number today.

Just looking back at the tries concedes. The 1st and 3rd were down to slack individual errors but the 2nd Bradford try we need to work on. It was a poor attempt by Hall coming out of the line but just moments before we switched McGuire over the right defending next to Briscoe after he'd spebt the previous 25 or so minutes next to Burrow on the left. Add in that we just subbed Ablett off in the left 2nd row position for the less experienced Walters and in a blink of an eye we went from having a left side defence of Ablett/Moon/McGuire/Burrow/Hall to one of Moon/Walters/Burrow/Hall.

McGuire switching which side he defends on is something I noticed last year (when Burrow was playing too) and I'm not that keen on it tbh as I think it can cause confusion with guys around him, particularly the left side as he mostly defended there but would like yesterday suddenly be out on the right edge.

There were periods in the game where McGuire and Burrow were defending on the left next to each other, which I think is what they were trying to avoid as it's a soft target for opposition back rowers IMO.

IIRC last season when all three played it was Sinfield and McGuire outside Watkins, and Burrow on the left outside Moon?

Well someone's a ray of sunshine!!

It's pre season so very hard to make proper decisions on how the season unfolds. I actually think we looked a lot different to last season and appear to be moving the ball more in contact and have seen some better lines run by our forwards.
Feel fairly optamistic at the moment. We ain't the strongest team but I can't see it being as doom and gloom as some think. Cuthbertson seems to be a good addition and also we seem to have some
Good youngsters coming through and hopefully they will get some game time

I agree, if we are to change our game style it unlikely to come to fruition in a dis- jointed friendly game.

I am willing to at least give us half a dozen games in before making a decision of where the coming season maybe heading.

You not entering the 'finishing positions' prediction contest then?



I suppose like any league-based competition where you might finish in a given season is dependent on how much you have improved / weakened since the last one, but also dependent on how much other teams have improved or weakened too.

I don't know much about the players others have brought it, so I have no real idea what we are looking at either!