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.