A good defence demoralises apposing teams. There have been some great defensive teams that have graced the Odsal Turf in the years gone by.

I hardly know much about the "New Team" I am interested to know from all what part of Jimmys thinking with the players he has brought in, will harden the bulls defence and shut out the opposition.

Our defence looked pretty good versus Cas and again not too bad versus Leeds. Walker and Purtell looked a bit vulnerable last Sunday but they won’t be marking Watkins and Moon every week.

Our extra power in the front row should mean energy levels will be higher which has got to help our defence. IIRC Clough has a good defence with relatively few missed tackles. If Ferguson can get on the field he’s the same. Pitts looks very hungry from what I can see.

On the fringes Lowes has plenty of options but some look safer than others. Good job we have a big squad.

Indeed!

Agree about the defence, we've looked keen, which is half the battle and given decent displays against two SL clubs, one of them likely to be in the top four and it's very fair to say we're unlikely to face that level of opponent too often in the championship.

Given we've only played the two games though, it seems we've picked up a few injuries. Don't know what Jimmy has been doing to them but I hope they're all safely wrapped up for the army exercises..

Well we know Mullaney got a knock versus Leeds and Baille got one at Cas

Blythe, Petersen and Fleming have been carrying knocks and Ferguson hasn’t been risked for some reason.

Not sure why Addy missed out on Sunday or why Bates has missed both games.

Lauaki hasn’t turned up yet. I hope he hasn’t been on the pies since Manly’s season finished.

That’s 8 affected off the top of my head.

How has Walshaw gone in the friendly matches?

People who saw mullaney after match say it was just a knock. Think we can add uiasele to ones potentially carrying a knock given his non selection. Did o'brien come back on later in Leeds game? He seemed to come off for conroy fairly early.

O'Brien did come back on, yes.

I Heard Blythe is laid up with serious back issues, may be touch and go if he plays this year.

Blythe's important for us so I hope he does make it back this year.

Walshaw's done ok. He's a big unit but is quite quick. Could do a job in the centres I reckon, he's quicker than Chev.

Have you looked at the table showing by player missed tackles: made tackles ratios on page 1 of Bulls Squad 2015, where the stats are available. The front row is a big improvement not simply in numbers but few missed tackles, likewise Baille Pitts and Walshaw look good defensively and Williams for a wing is decent. Bullseyes point about the props is a good one, the rest of the team will benefit. when you are tired concentration goes tackles get missed etc etc

The main thing is that the front row is going forward and Davies and Tahroui look made of the right stuff. The halves have shown promise (Gaskell is a SL player).

Everything else is fixable. I thought that Chev has been at his most effective in recent years coming off the bench to play as an extra prop/loose - a bit like Langley did, only quicker but not as big or strong in defence.

The injuries are a concern, particularly Ferguson and Blythe, but that's what a squad is for.

The pre-season sounds very tough in preparation for a very difficult opener at Leigh. some on their board are saying they'll put 40 on us.

I think some Leythers might be getting a bit ahead of themselves if they’re tipping a win by 40. They’ve had it relatively easy last year and may have got used to running away with games. Signing Moi Moi and beating Wigan in pre season has put them on a high.

I expect a closer game than a 40 point stuffing. Leigh are well drilled and have had the benefit of a settled squad so they’re favourites but a win for us is definitely possible. I hope their players take us as lightly as some of their fans!

They're also used to winning, and that breeds a trust in your mates to give everything.

A look at their squad immediately tells you that they are a lot more than the sum of their parts and that Rowley is a serious coach. I haven't seen them play but I've heard they are a big, physical side who keep coming.

At Headingley the defensive structure looked much improved. To me I thought there were fewer missed tackles and when Leeds broke through there was usually a player or players available to recover.Of the 6 Leeds tries, 2 were directly attributable to our attacking errors - the interception early doors and Purtells attempt to intercept. Only Lelulais try under the post displayed a basic lack of defensive structure.
As noted by many the set of props is a promising mix of solid and impact players. I think Lauaki is a gamble but if that gamble doesn't come off there's enough in numbers and quality to cover.Conroy and Halafihi looked sharp
I was particularly impressed by the improvement in Olbison's technique. Paired with Ferguson ,our second row could be formidable.