Quote: Sal Paradise "I an all this analysis you overlook one important element - the opposition and their ability to up their game should they have needed to?
The game has two teams it isn't a case of every opposing team is playing to the max. and the only team that can improve is Leeds?'"
No I didn't overlook the opposition Sal and I did not say Leeds needed to play to the max either.
It is clear from the stats and the performances that I have seen that we have lost tight games by poor decision making and bad handling. An example was Sutcliffe's woeful decision not to pass to the unmarked Watkins with an unmarked Briscoe outside him. No amount of opposition upping their game would have stopped 6 points to us. This is just one example out of many and again how many tries have gone begging with poor handling with defenses beaten. Watkins, Hardaker and others have fumbled the ball and cost us dearly.
As I pointed out we are bottom of the table with the lowest points for in the league yet we are the leading team for carries and offloads and 3rd best for tackle busts, clean breaks and metres made. So even you must acknowledge this clearly shows we have failed to take advantage of field position and opportunities and we all know why - poor decision making and bad handling plus missing 3 out of 4 of our back line and our main halfback playmaker.
I accept that we have given away too many soft tries so work has to be done all round but what you continue to overlook is that without our main playmaker in the halves and without our most effective centre and both international wingers our attack has been largely decimated and when you include a badly out of form MOS fullback and star centre you can see why.