What is this bashing of Dane Chisholm all about? I think some of you lot expect him just to tip-toe through the defensive line every time he touches the ball and score hat tricks every week!
We scored three tries last night. Dane scored one of them and set up one of the others with a pin point kick (yet again).

Newcastle are no mugs, they are a well drilled side. They went to York last weekend and lost 24-6. One missed conversion away from being the exact same score as we put on them last night. I highly doubt the York supporters were all moaning after their win about how crap their side played because they didn't put 50 points on a side for once.

Defences were on top all night, in truth and both were well drilled. I don't think the game was helped by the referee, who whilst he pulled defenders well back immediately after the tackle didn't seem remotely bothered about them immediately moving forward again well before the ball was played, causing the acting half to make hurried passes or die with the ball.

wins a win but wasn't pretty. Ref seemed to pretty regularly pull us back 12-13 for Newcastle PTB's and only pull them back 6-7 for ours which combined with letting players move forwards before PTB had actually happened meant we were having to rush passes.
Not sure how Grant is staying in team. Seems to have perfected the knack of running sideways with ball and making little forward gain. Also noticed him positioning himself behind PTB a lot so he couldn't receive the pass and have to do any work.

Or "the Leon" as it used to be known.

I stood there last night wondering how many of these will still be with us next season if Kear wants us to be a top half championship club - not mentioning top four. We were poor and are struggling far too many times. Yes they see us as a scalp and up their game but they are division 1. This team playing exactly like this will struggle next year but I do have great faith in Kear and Chalmers so I expect us to step up next year but that may be a problem for a number of the current lads who may need to be released to bring in a better quality of player.
I don't think anyone is bashing Dane. A small group of us last night did talk about how he would go in a higher division as he isn't "ripping it up" in this division - although we must all remember the terrible injury he is still getting over. I hope he is fully over it both physically and mentally by next February. I think he will be. If not, then maybe a bid for Lilley or someone in a more traditional play maker scrum half style to give more options may be seen.

Unbelieveable. Someone actually suggesting - I assume seriously - that we think about replacing Chisholm with Jordan Lilley. You are mad.

It's a shame that player stats aren't really available in these lower leagues because I think Dane is certainly up there for tries, assists, clean breaks and even his kicking accuracy.

Like I said before, some people are just expecting too much and I think they need to be more realistic in their expectations.

I'm not making an argument either way (yet), but out of interest. Do you think that's mad because Chisholm is clearly better than Lilley, or because it's unrealistic for Bradford to sign Lilley? Not saying which my opinion is, just wondering the source of your amazement.

You can't really look at halves individually, unless one is 'letting the side down' and, personally I don't think this anything like the case, and even then the change has to be like for like.

We have two halves, one is the organiser who leads the side around the field and the other one is the 'off the cuff' bloke, who comes up with great plays when nothing seems to be on, whilst often not appearing to be doing much. You can't swap the 'off the cuff' bloke for another organiser, it would lead to chaos.

I've made my feelings known about Lilley on these boards before. I can't knock his enthusiasm but I just don't think he has the pace or agility to threaten sides. When he was on loan here he tried and tried to make clean breaks himself but came up empty handed every time. He will never pose a threat to a defense like Chisholm does. Keyes and Lilley are a similar age and I would take Keyes every day of the week.
I actually think we have a great halfback pairing right now. Keyes is more of an organiser but isn't afraid to take the line on himself and has scored a decent amount of individual tries this season. Chisholm is the off the cuff half and yes, a lot of his stuff looks bad if it doesn't come off but I would never want Kear to coach that out of him.

Chisholm is still coming back from that season ending injury last year.

Physically, he seems to be fine, but with an injury like the one he had, there's always going to be a mental issue on top of the physical. Minds take longer to heal than bodies.

That being said, he's doing a damn good job even at 50%

Given the skinny ten, the fact that off side was poorly policed and the fact the ref had the most random approach to deciding 'held' I think we did ok.

I know there's a lot of gerrum-onside-ers who never shut up shouting for off side, without actually looking at the PTB/defensive line in relation to the pitch marking, but on Friday there were at least 10 occasions where we PTB'd on a line with the defensive line being set 2m inside the ten.

As they were allowed to lie on/prat about at the ptb, by the time the ball hit the ground the defensive line was 7 m away and the marker defence was a square as The Oval it's no wonder we were snuffed out as an attacking threat.

Given the amount of defensive work we gave ourselves in the second half I was pleased with the scoreline.

But I missed how in the second half, in the middle of about 4 sets on our line, the ref gave Newcastle a scum on ten metres when they appeared to have thrown the ball to ground? I thought we would be breached after that.

I don't think it is particularly bashing him its just expecting more out of what is most likely our highest paid player. Look at the bashing George Williams is getting as a marquee paid player, it makes expectation go up. I'm not for any stretch saying its the same situation but playing wise he is our marquee talent. Maybe its a case of in his head he can ghost through against lesser opponents. There does seem to be plenty more gears he can go up, he is a far cry from performing like he did against KR last year. If we are to go up I do think he needs to up his game but maybe thats just it and he is just playing whats in front of him

Its an old adage but you really can only play what is in front of you. If you can win by 30, 40 or 50 points without breaking a sweat then really what is the incentive.

This year was always going to be a catch 22... pretty much brand new team, hybrid pt/ft training arrangements, lower quality opposition and even worse lower quality officiating (I didn't realise it could get any worse after the last 3yrs).

I'd be happy to see out this year with promotion and take it as a learning curve. The team will have to drastically change next year and I think it will. Then the real hard work will begin as Championship sides will not be as friendly as what we have witnessed this year.

Watching the highlights makes it seem like the Dane Chisholm showhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v

I thought we played well against a defensively strong Newcastle team. Onwards and upwards!