Quinlan?
It appears that Leeds know how tro beat Saints. Conversly, we don't know how to counter their play.

In all the games leeds have dominated the tempo of the play and we've been fairly helpless because of it.

Our playing Roster kept us in touching distance perhaps, but there was a clear winner throughout imo.

We just need to figure out Leeds like they've figured out us.

The notion that we're suddenly facing novel and magical tactics for which there is no answer is completely and utterly misplaced. Saints used a very similar strategy under Millward whenever we faced Bradford's big pack.

Fortunately for Millward his tactics paid off. But there were many times when we were absolutely hammered by the Bulls.

You have to remember that any team, no matter how good, that enters the field with the aim of offloading as often as possible early in the game is taking a risk. All it needs is for one or two players to briefly switch off and fumble the ball and you can be eight, maybe twelve points down in ten minutes.

What Saints need to do is INCREASE that risk - on every tackle. You do this by putting people in their faces and playing ... for want of a better expression ... nasty. At Warrington I counted TWO genuinely hurtful tackles which we inflicted upon the opposition (one by Burns on JJB, the other by Mose on Peacock). That's just nowhere near good enough given the forward resources we have available. If you know the opposition is putting all its energy into getting ahead in the first twenty then you have to be prepared to not just match that energy but exceed it. Once Leeds hit the 20th minute in front they've stolen the initiative and sans some catastrophic collapse - the game, too. But it's an entirely different question if you ride out the early onslaught because then you use the weight of your opponent's expectations against him.

Far too often we just seemed to REACT to one of their forwards turning and then offloading instead of PROACTIVELY employing the double strategy of attacking the ball carrying arm and pressurizing the likely receiver. By doing so you ratchet up the risk of a dropped ball or some other mistake on every play. Building pressure and controlling the initiative are the keys to winning big games. In three games we've barely said hello to either. As stated - they are the team taking risks. I can't say whether Cunningham and company feel that provided we just stay in line and watch the distances between each other sooner or later Leeds will have an off day - but if they do they are nuts. We have a massive pack. It's about time we started using it to tee-off on the ball carrier. If he wants to dump off a pass - make him pay for it. No player likes getting hit in the act of releasing the ball because they are leaving themselves wide open. In the event of him making the pass - we should already be tracking the likely receiver (this is where the guys doing video analysis earn their corn) and putting pressure on him, too.

As for kicking - you put it down the tram lines. Even if it's only 20m that's far, far better than kicking it down the throat of the back three which keeps the ball in play - further tiring us out. If our kickers aren't confident enough going long then tap it out short. Each time our lads get a nice rest, we take the steam out of the game and time ticks away.

Closer to the line I'd only be thinking of one thing - another set. Indeed, early in the game I'd be quite happy to sacrifice the opportunity for penalties or even four points just to keep them dropping out from behind the sticks. Indeed, the number of times I would keep going for repeat sets there'd be people angrily telephoning SL over [i"conduct not within the spirit of the game"[/i

There'll be a few old men blowing bubbles in their side defending our pack on their goal line for eight or nine sets in a half.

We seem to play pretty dumb against Leeds this season and let them play to there strengths, we should have been in their faces slowing the PTB and offloads, with a long kick and chase game. Instead we gave them loads of time and space by giving easy ball to Hardaker and letting there pivotal players run across our defensive line looking for a weak defender or waiting for an angled runner. Leeds attacking options were good because they had a low error count in those first 20 mins and were allowed to operate their game plan.
Lots of games this season we have given teams plenty of momentum early in a game and we end up playing catch up, a lot of teams know how to play us, we are not very smart or too late in adjusting the game.

BBC team of the year that year...we won everything. Incredible team spirit. Top defence and fantastic to watch. Think Hull tonked us by a point at our ground that year with a Cooke drop goal. Leeds thrashed us by a point too.

I cannot stand the kicking early tactic being used week in, week out. Boring and dull.

I can't fathom most of KC's tactics. I've never seen Saints play such boring rugby as they are doing now. Perhaps if we have a run of defeats he might realise how negative we are.

He's trying to play hard working "percentage rugby", but its not working. From what I can remember, Longy is in charge of defence whilst KC has the attacking game plans, when it should be the other way round.

KC is on a steep learning curve though and we should remember that, we are approaching the final phase now, so lets hope he's learnt from some of his failing tactics.

It's not working?????

Jelly babies for you. But can you also remember the list of players Anderson lost for the entire season or long-term? Care to compare his starting halves throughout the season with this season's?



So what you are saying is it's either one or two trophies - or you'll spit your dummy?

Wow!

Just WOW!

Daniel Anderson had to juggle things around plenty of times that season. I remember Paul Sculthorpe being constantly injured. Yet whatever side he put out (including a second string against Catalans in France) they had a fantastic work ethic, team spirit, defensive attitude and played exciting rugby on top of all that. There certainly was no silly kicking on the 3rd tackle. That side had belief.

As alluded to in the post after mine Anderson had his fair share of selection issues, however that's not the point. You have stated they were hammered in order to assist your argument which simply isn't true.

Now where have I said I expect One or two Trophies? Go on, enlighten me? What I expect is a team of professionals to contest every game. When I played myself I wouldn't have been happy with only being blown away two or three times a season!

Oh ... I think it's certainly A point. Care to list those injuries? Care to compare with this season's injuries. Take your time now.



Given that we are lying second in the table (by a SINGLE POINT) - with not just serious, long term-injuries - but injuries to key personnel - I really don't know what else you expect - aside from us being one position higher and on our way to the CCF.

If you're prepared to spit the dummy with the club in this position (whilst seriously handicapped by injury) I'd love to see your reaction if we were lying fifth or eighth.



Yes - well what you EXPECT and what happens in REALITY are two different things. Consider Saints in 2002 under Ian Millward. A championship year in which we lost five times.

At London we were absolutely mullered by 40 points to 4. At Bradford we lost 54 - 22. At Wigan we lost 8 - 22. We also lost at Murrayfield.

By YOUR STANDARDS, then, there's nothing to be happy about because "professionals [should] contest every game".

Let's look at Saints' in 2005. We we're blown away in our first game of the season at home to Bradford 10 - 32. We were blown away at home again, this time against Leeds 20 - 42. We were then smashed by no less than WAKEFIELD 34 - 16. We then lost to Wigan - 4 - 42.

Despite the above - we finished the season going "Wide to West" and beating Wigan in the final.

Let's now look at last season. We lost 14 - 33 at Wigan. We lost 41- 24 against Warrington. We lost 42 - NIL against Catalans. We lost 40 - 10 against Hull KR. We lost 12 - 39 against Warrington again.

[iAnd on and on and on ...[/i



I guess you'd better tell Paul Sculthorpe, Tommy Martyn, Sean Long, Paul Newlove and a host of other Saints' greats that their achievements aren't up to your high standards, then.

Wide to West 2005?