Interesting stats (if you like that sort of thing)

It's uprise teams are targeting our right hand side, Watkins made 28 tackles (with no misses), Hurrell made 3 (with 1 miss), Hurrell attacking stats are off the scale, 13 tackle busts, 235 metres, 15.7 average gain

Christopher; I get what you write BUT the statistic that matters is FORTY FIVE points. This, by HKR. A decent enough team, but hardly a Saints or Warrington. I honestly think that the players need to spend the next fortnight 'busting their balls' in training and doing nothing but goal line defence. Mind you, sadly Lowes will probably be involved and....?

I didn't post them up as some kind of proof we played well, more to show the stark difference between the two centres and to show where teams are targeting us.

Agreed. I haven't seen any evidence so far this season that JJB was worth keeping on another year. When we've got a few more forwards back from injury he shouldn't be near the first team. Perhaps he will decide to retire early? He's not going to enhance his legacy with the kind of performances he's putting in at the moment.

Otherwise... Psychologically, Leeds were clearly in the wrong place from the kick-off. Maybe Powell was right with his comments about the cup final last week?

Walker did not have a good game IMO - I agree he needs to improve his goal-line defence. He did get bashed around in the second half though. The kicks were frustrating.

Hurrell excellent as usual. Watkins is having to do a lot of defence. Unfortunately he looks like a shadow of the player he was at the start of last season.

I don't think the halves lost it for us (we lost because of soft defending), but at the same time, McGuire and Drinkwater were clearly the better pairing. I don't think Lolohea was so bad - he had a hand in a try and another came from one of his cross-field kicks. He took some wrong options otherwise with the kicking game but tbh I thought his kicks were more positive than Myler kicking for touch on every set. He doesn't look like a confident middle defender though.

Dwyer good again apart from the panic pass to Cuthbertson at a critical moment in the game, and a late miss (with JJB) on Drinkwater for one of the late tries. Merrin didn't look as dominant as last week. Few of the forwards seemed capable of really breaking through, whereas the HKR forwards (and Vai Vai) were busting our line with ease. Albert looked fine apart from the forced offloads.

One of our worst performances of the year, if not the worst. On the plus side the squad have a week to re-group with the CC tie. IMO time to rest those who have earned it (no point risking Hurrell and Merrin, both of whom seemed injured towards the end of our last two games). Not sure if the poorer effort players need to be made to play against Workington or replaced by kids. We should surely try out McLelland IMO.

But a lot of the tries were scored up the middle by players just shoving past defenders. Utter garbage.

My point re Walker is that right now, this season we can't afford 1 good game out of 3 or 4. When you're under the cosh its the most important position on the field. And 3 completely awful kicks is 3 more than any player should make.

the first half is easily the worst we've played this season and worse than a lot of last season IMO, especially considering how much we needed a win.

This playing group needs to have a good long hard word with themselves, the desire to defend last night was none existent and in such a crucial part of the season it's unacceptable IMO, I haven't been too downbeat about most of the losses this year because they have been close and at least it looked like we were trying, not last night in that first half though.

Lets move on guys from this thread, we are rewriting the understanding of the word Shite. It gives Shite a bad name.

I think one of our biggest problems this season is how poor we are in contact, which is for me why Singleton is the most frustrating player on the team at the moment.

There are so many examples (last night especially) where we had two/three in the tackle and can't get the man to the ground. 3 of our forwards - 2 props and back rower - we're able to bring down Ben Crooks at one point!!!!

I'm not for the full on arm wrestle grinding game of Wigan under McGuire/Wane, but if you have nearly every opposition player landing on their knees or getting up quickly to ptb, goal line D is going to be under constant pressure.

I know people struggle with JJB, but I think for his lack of mobility he's ok in contact. Merrin and Oledski are the only others who really get into the grapple.

How long will it be before someone whispers in Walker's ear and turns his head ?
Lots of more attractive opportunities out there for a young man with his skill, they'll say.......
He could have the world at his feet, but he may think that if he continues in such a non-team these opportunities might become rarer and rarer.

They already have.

And frankly speaking at 19 years old with a. Pretty much guaranteed first team jersey, if he listens then we are better without him.

Personally I think (and hope) he’ll tell them where to go because he’s not going to get chances and an education like this anywhere else right now.

Apart from possibly the Roosters.

walker needs to look at hardaker circa 2015 on how a full back should defend, before his off field issues affected him he was easily the best defensive full back in the league

And the very same people moaning about Walker, did the same about Hardaker. You can’t make it up.

Ten carrys combined for our starting props, absolutely pathetic.

Re Walker.
Yes he has a little bit of talent but that is all.He has too high opinion of himself and can't back it up consistently.

he is all talent and , yes he made mistakes but what kind doesn't? if a lot of the senior players had shown his guts we might have got closer to rovers.
plenty of players to have a go at before him

Absolutely. He's 19. Bursting with talent and still has so much to learn and improve. Kids going to be a superstar.

Defensive stats don't make good reading. Here are the worst offenders:

Tackles/Misses

[uThe worst[/u
Lolohea: 13/4 - yikes
Cuthbertson: 11/2
Dwyer: 44/5 (probably needed substituting!)
JJB: 31/5 - time to call it quits?
Smith: 30/4
Donaldson: 29/4
Briscoe: 2/1
Hurrell: 3/1
Handley: 11/3

[uMixed bag[/u
Walker: 7/1
Oledski: 31/3

[uBetter defenders[/u
Peteru: 28/1
Sutcliffe: 17/1
Merrin: 18/1
Singleton: 29/0 - nice improvement!
Watkins: 28/0 - good stint
Albert: 16/1

Be fair Walker has an abundance of of talent, unfortunately he is on a steep learning curve in terms of experience. While the young lad is as good as anyone under the high ball, running the ball out of defence and joining the line going forward, at his age you cannot buy experience, his one on one tackle is just as good. The rest he is still learning, and learning in a poor team. His defence organisation is poor and he was never in the last frame when HKR scored their tries, this will come as he gets more experience. Regards his kicking be honest it was terrible, this resulted in putting pressure on the defence, but where was the experienced players just telling him to get the ball in play. I saw no one speaking to him, and he needs this help. Please don't compare the young Hardaker with Walker, Hardaker learned by watching Brent Webb, no doubt he was mentored by him, and it's always easy to play in a great team as opposed to young walker who is playing in a poor team

Walker was outstanding last week, but he's 19, it's unrealistic to expect him to be consistent at this level at the moment. He's an easy target for some people as they still feel aggrieved over how he handled his contract negotiations, although it was the club who went public with what happened - not him.

He won't get a game at the Roosters or any other NRL team at the moment, and time will tell if he ever will. He's not as good as Hardaker or Tomkins when they went over, and he would get absolutely smashed to pieces given his current condition.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... -1-9695689 James Donaldson not holding back and he’s spot on

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... -1-9695689 James Donaldson not holding back and he’s spot on

I'm sure there's an element of truth in this. That said, if he's getting picked every week then folk will give increasingly candid opinions on how he's performed, same as with any other player. Were he being broken in more gradually then I reckon he'd be cut a bit more slack.

Easy to forget what players like Danny, Rob, Sir Kev, Watkins etc was like at 19. Certainly inconsistent, inexperienced and learning. Why do people expect Walker to be any different?

JP was just breaking into the Bulls team at the same age.

Walker is a kid and a highly talented one. Pick on some of the senior players who are letting the club down at the moment.

Hope the squad read this getting slaughtered by an average HKR reject & he's right aswell even if he is crap himself.