As I can't find a 'like' button, just liking this way. Agree our kicking game was bad in the first half. Fax seemed to have 20 yards on us

A poor first half by Bradford, we should be expecting improvement every week, but i am struggling to see where it is. At the start of the season we were told that all the clubs would want to beat Bradford but we are up to the challenge, clearly, we weren't in the first half. If the team thought this league would be a bit hard at times but we can easily go top 4 then they have had a rude awakening first at Batley now yesterday.
We won't have an exhaustible supply of "get out of jail cards" we need to start improving now, looking forward to the CC with Hull....no chance unless a marked improvement is takes place.
Leigh have a killer instinct and are putting some big scores against some of the opposition we should be doing the same.

Fax will be more than up for it at Blackpool and will believe they can win, We had better be ready for a tough match.

COYB

We haven't put together an 80 minute performance this season, and last night was a particularly poor instance as we really only played for 30-35 minutes.

Somehow Jimmy has got to get it into the players heads that we can't really just expect teams to roll over. Its disrespectful to them, and simply won't prepare us for the Middle 8's later in the season.

Fair play to Halifax, they played very well last night and are clearly going to be right in the mix for the Top 4. Hope they can give Wakefield a bloody nose in the Cup as well!

Remember this is just the qualifying league for the main event. Business end is a bit away yet and poor form or not, we're currently on course.

I know what you mean, but I see it a different way.

First, Leigh may be the best team the Championship or indeed the world has ever seen, or they may have peaked too soon. It is rare for a team to be on top of its game for a full season plus playoffs is all I'll say.

Second, the big improvement on recent seasons, above any others, is that we end up winning games. We have sort of reversed our standard throw-away-a-winning-position late-collapse mentality.

Third, all we need to do at this point is chalk up wins. They don't have to be pretty. It is fair to say if we play like we played in the first half etc however the point is, games never last just one half and it doesn't really matter in the great scheme of things if you had a gash first half - as long as you grind out the win.

Fourth, we have a fledglig suqad and even Jimmy can't know his best combinations yet, as for the players, you have to take into account that a few weeks ago many of them were strangers. Only months and months of playing and training will gradually mould those understandings that the best teams have.

There is a helluva lot of scope for improvement in this team and squad and I suppose it is nice to be able to complain despite having won every game bar our hari kari at Leigh. The effort and the desire to win is there for all to see.

That's just how I see it. Maybe add a fifth point....... We have players in the squad that haven't played yet and they have to be played in their favoured position to see how they fit, and with whom.

I remember the last time we won the GF and we were poor at the start of season and didn't improve till July then kicked on from there.
The comparisons with Leigh are a bit fatuous considering they are a settled side with good players and playing the Championship as a side who've been there and done that and at the moment doing it pretty well.
The Bulls are a new Team in most aspects with a steep learning curve to undertake and are doing it ugly which will be a better for them come the real business end of the season because promotion won't be about doing it pretty.
The CC game against KR will show that the Bulls will struggle to step to SL level for one game but will show us where the Team are as far as end of season prospects.

I suppose the main positive is that we are still managing to win despite not playing consistently well yet

WE HAD NO PROBLEM LAST SEASON.

It can happen.We won everything in a season including World Club Challenge but still thinks it's rare, even in the lowly Khaki league.

You are right mate it is rare, if us [Leigh] or Bradford go the rest of the season playing and winning games as we both are we will both have done very well indeed, and when it comes to the middle eight it will be even more difficult , good luck for the rest of the season guys.

When Wigan were the only full time squad, John Monie said they were always a bit sluggish during the first half of the season, prone to the odd setback. They used to flog the players, lots of endurance and strength work. In the second half of the season they cut down on the weights, concentrated on speed are were untouchable.

We do have a bit of an advantage over the SL teams in that its almost certain we'll be in the Middle 8's whereas they're doing their damndest to stay out of them. They cant really afford to aim to peak late on. Hopefully we will be much sharper.

Good point.

Let's hope SL is so close that no clubs fate is sealed until final week.

That is our main advantage, Cibaman. Maybe some of their best players may well be, 'flogged to death', trying to escape being in the bottom four. Main hope for championship teams is to keep our best 17 fit and raring to go. It will still be hard, make no mistake.