Its not just size, although that's important. We have a rotation of props who don't bend the line with the ball and are not exactly aggressive in defence. Only Lisone shows any ability to barrel through the defence, and he is a bit of a flat track bully - looks awesome against a tiring defence going backwards but otherwise easily stopped. Compare our yardage to Wigan, Sts etc and its really poor, even when we had pretty much all of our props fit, and we don't even get quick PTBs to make up for it. A lot of our problems stem from our lack of threat right up the middle.

You can’t just solve things with the players and recruitment. The head coach is a hugely important role and hugely influential. We have some talented players and some talented young players but Smith cannot get them playing well nor have we seen any young player improve under Smith. You have to get the head coach right as they will set the club on the right path

There's no way we can afford to leave Smith in place and wait years for juniors to come through. You can't attract the best players, even juniors, if the first team is a joke.

I actually think celebrating Rob is the part of the reason Rohan should be gone before Leigh. Another dire performance and the subsequent unrest and atmosphere it would cause when we should be celebrating the great man….no thank you. He deserves better imo.

He’s suffered with being the defacto pack leader of a club whose history is blighted with having a weak pack. Way before GH took over, this was the case. Turned around, in spectacular fashion by the ‘statement’ signing of Barrie McDermott, then the mo monsterous side under Graham Murray.


Even Tony Smith, after the 2004 pack’s dominance, accepted his fate, and tried to implement the team full of middles, ahead of the game.


Tom holroyd and Oledski shouid have a few experienced old props around them.it’s gross negligence. I’ll spell check this in the morning, possibly delete the whole thing if it’s too incoherent.

I think people are too defensive of Oledzki. He's not terrible, but he is not and never will be a pack leader. He just doesn't have that mongrel in him. Holroyd could be a big plus but he seems all over the place this season, not helped by injuries.

The other props are worse - Sangare plays like a big pudding, Lisone is the flattest of flat track bullies, and Goudemand isn't big enough. Hudson was a hit and hope signing, and so far a complete dud as backup - not his fault we signed someone who was already injured. After that we've played Donaldson, who is only a prop nowadays because he's too slow for the back row, and he started the first game of the season. Our prop rotation must be close to the worst in the league on paper, let alone when they actually play.