I don't think Leigh are necessarily going backwards, but I do feel the last two games have been a bit of reality check for them. They've had a brilliant campaign in the league this season and naturally, a team looks better when they're scoring 60 points every week. Some of their fans have gone into the Super 8s believing that top 3 is very achievable and that top 5 is a certainty. It's not really worked out that way. They were comfortably beating Hull KR and poor tactics cost them, though Rovers were much improved in the second half. I didn't watch the Salford v Leigh match, but I imagine it played out similar to our match against Wakefield; the score-lines were almost identical.

It's the same for ourselves. We looked good in the Sheffield match and I went into the Wakefield match thinking we could get a result. A win against Wakefield and I think top 3 could have been possible. But we just didn't turn up on the day. Their ruck speed and their aggression in the pack killed us in the first 10 minutes, and we gave Tim Smith far too much time on the ball. Whether that was down to poor tactics, or whether we were shell-shocked from the way Wakefield started, I don't know. If there was one thing we couldn't handle, it was the speed at which Wakefield were playing. The step up in ruck speed and energy compared to the first 23 rounds of the season was evident, and we were 30-0 down before we knew what was happening.

Against Salford, our only hope is that they go into the game over-confident and relaxed, and that we come out the blocks fired up, which I think we will. I think whatever happens, Salford will ultimately have too much quality and will run away with the game in the last 20 minutes or so, like Hull KR did to us in the Challenge Cup. With Leigh being at home against Wakefield, they might be able to sneak a result. If they do, and we lose to Salford, our chances are looking grim.

I finally made myself watch the first half again, and this just confirms my impression that it was nothing much to do with any great Wakey ruck speed at all. Wakey played good but not great, the overwhelmingly biggest issue was that we came out for whatever reason not ready to do the work. They played with urgency and determination, but we stood about. Our defence has developed into a pretty good unit in the second half of the regular season for the most part, but against Wakey, all that was forgotten and critically we showed no great desire to get the man halted and on the ground. I am talking about our pack. It may as well not have been on the field.

It was certainly a case of the Bulls being slow, lazy, lethargic and disorganised. We allowed them to play. We should have been in their faces and aggressive and we simply weren't. Our pack was simply overrun, and it shouldn't have been, but if you won't make the effort to muscle up and hit them, instead stand back and watch, then you'll see exactly what we saw. Against anybody.

Do the same as me and watch it again. It looks as if we were playing to a new rule not to get within 20 metres of Tim Smith. It is dire.

I simply don't understand how we could have descended to that mode.

Leigh have lost their opening two games but they have hardly laid down and died, or 'peaked too soon'. They should have beaten Rovers were it not for some dumb plays in their own 20 and some dumb props conceding back to back penalties.
Then against Salford they had at least 3 tries disallowed that could very well have been awarded had a video ref been available. The final scoreline at Salford flattered the home side somewhat imo.

Rowley will get his side fired up on Saturday and they will have a good go. I think a lot swings on what Wakefield side turns up - if they can keep their completion rate and error count at the same levels they were against us then it may well be too much for Leigh again, but a few quick Leigh scores could put the cat well and truly amongst the pigeons.

I am really torn as to who I want to win that game on Saturday. Obviously for our own personal chances of promotion, we need Wakey to win. But part of me would also like to see a championship side gain promotion this year at Wakefield's expense, and if it's not us then I'd like Leigh to get a shot in SL.

The annoying thing about Saturday is I still believe we have a very handy team that are capable of beating a lower SL team.
I also don't see Wakey as a good team. I go through their players and there are many that I wouldn't be impressed if we had signed them. Would we have been whooping with joy if we had signed Lee Smith?

No, we are not a bad team but we are a team who are playing very poor rugby and have been for most of the season apart from the occasional 20 minutes which has papered over the cracks.
I would still go back to Wakey in that £1m game - with a full team and feel that we do have a real chance if Jimmy could do what he is paid to do - Bloody get all 17 players up for it - just for once!

I haven't seen much of your boys this season, so I wont comment on anything Bradford. From a Salford point of view, we're pretty strong at the moment having pretty much a full strength squad to choose from for the first time in the entire season. Importantly, since Sheens came in to help out Watson and Gleeson and Harris disappeared, the team's belief and comradery returned. We were inconsistent for most of the season, not helped by injuries and lengthy suspensions to key players. Our destruction of Leigh was primarily down to dominating their pack, tiring them out, and exploiting weak defensive structure, especially out wide. Chase masterminded pretty much everything, with Dobson performing the right hand man work very well. How you handle Chase will be key to how well you perform. Leigh and Wakefield had no answer on that score. I don't think Salford will take you guys lightly for the reason that our last two fixtures are away to SL opposition, and it would be nice for us to have a buffer rather than rely on getting results away to SL opposition.

it's still one game though, and any game is winnable on the day. Could be interesting.

Looking back at the match I am sure our forwards will see that they were beaten by a more convincing pack. They should be angry with themselves that they were shown up as much less than their opponents. We have seen SL sides starting incredibly quick this season and got results from it. The pack are going to have to be like enforcers, get respected and force them to doubt.

Defensively we have to be quicker and switched on for the full eighty. It comes down to each player getting fired up and believing in themselves as quality athletes. This is not a poor team just a team that has to step up mentally.

Chase is terrific give him too much space and it will difficult. Clearly I am one of the outsiders who prefer Seika and Henry....

We'll play better but still get well beaten. I think our pack is lacking power. We're two decent props and two decent backrowers short of SL standard.

While Sidlow and Clough are ok neither Crossley or Lauaki are fit enough or mobile enough. Ferguson is good enough in the backrow. Pitts is ok and tackles like a demon but is a bit lighweight. Olbison has improved a lot but looked outgunned versus Wakefield - too small.

Addy for me is not SL quality. He's too small and doesn't hit hard enough in defence for backrow. He has good core skills but isn't quick enough for halfback. He would've been a decent loose forward in the 1970s or 80s.

Sidlows been poor most of the year in my view. Lots of minutes, little impact. Cough was awful on Saturday but has been our best prop.

I don't understand the signing of Crossley at all.

Great post that Nothus.

Realistically I can't see how we can win this match. I certainly hope we don't throw a patched up Gaskell into this match if he isn't 100%.

I think we're OK in the back row. Agreed we're two big aggressive props short. I know Lowes has taken a big of a bagging recently, but another mistake he made throughout the season was not rotating. Not just to keep players fresh, but to give others game time so there is competition. Now we're in a situation where our pack got dominated, and we only have one prop we can bring in. So the players know they're unlikely to be dropped. There won't be any pressure on them from fringe players during training etc. It's a ridiculous situation to be in.

For me recruitment for next year is two HB's and two big aggressive props. Wholesale changes never work.

I'd also like to see Walshaw and Mellor brought in for Sunday. Plenty of size there.

I think a lot of the issue with the Wakey game was something that's been evident all year. Our pre-match prep is just not up to scratch. Lowes seems capable enough of getting the team fired up for the 2nd half, but we keep going out in the first half half-cocked. Now against the teams we've faced all year, it's not been an issue as we've been able, in most cases, to do enough work combined with superior fitness levels to grind out the opposition and get the win.
That sort of thinking isn't gonna fly against SL teams. You give them space and time and they'll bend you like Einstien. Even the poorest team in SL this year were able to out muscle and out perform us and by the time Lowes has managed to kick some backsides they were too far out of reach. If we don't go up this year, then I really think Lowes needs to be shown the door as I'm not sure he's got the needed skills to win promotion through the current system.

Lowes is a rookie coach though and we don't know if he will learn from what has happened this season or if so, how much. If he recognises how things could have been significantly better and is capable of correcting those things then he COULD be a much better coach next season. We simply can't say.

What I can say is that a coach rarely stands still. A clever coach would learn the season's lessons, digest and make the necessary changes. And do better. A poor coach will either not make the right changes, or fail to see the problems in the first place, but in that situation the 2016 team would be worse.

We still need to pay Franny off.
I can't see how we would also pay Jimmy off.
If I was Jimmy I would expect my contract to be honoured. Jimmy didn't appoint himself it was the club that asked him so they should give him the two years he signed.
It may not all be down to Jimmy. Ferres will also need to lift his game a notch or two. No more fillers that we don't play and send out to other clubs. Drop the numbers to around 26. Bring in one top SH. I would keep Seijka as back-up and see what he can do when fully fit. How can we lose Crossley when he has another season?
Look at the two props Leeds recently brought in. That is what we need but how could we persuade two to come to us unless we offer quite a few ££££££s.
The signings and released players in the coming months will determine how much chance we have next year in the CH or in SL.