Whatever the reasons, it is undoubtedly now John Kear's team albeit on a budget. There needs to be some significant signs of progress in the next couple of months. At the moment it feels like the players change but the same problems persist, so the blame lies with the coaching staff whether it's preparation, tactics or recruitment.

We'll find out in the coming weeks if last weekend's result was an aberration or exactly this.

Thinking about it in context Kear did ok with the 2019 side and if that hadn't been broken up we could've been more genuine contenders by now. As it was 2021 was almost another rebuild. That's not to downplay the way it ended. The key now is to see in the coming weeks whether that poor form at the end of last year was a trend that's continuing now or not.

Problem for me last season was the players leaving seemed to give up once guaranteed playoffs
Brown,Hallas,Oakes especially all poor in last 4 defeats.

Part of me thinks peoples frustration with John is down to other clubs progressing.

We had our highest placed finish in six years last year; and we’re 40 mins from 3rd place.

That would’ve been essentially ‘top’ of the best of the rest. Surely he deserves the year, if results improve?

That was the year he got rid of Dane Chisholm for being exciting.

Its bad... but not that bad!!!

Fitness a lazy argument? Yes and no I would suggest.

For most of the squad I don't think general fitness is an issue, but being able to maintain a high quality performance whilst fatigued is. When we get tired we drop balls, drop off tackles and give stupid penalties away which then compound the problems. Other teams are simply better conditioned to be able to deal with fatigue than we are, and that comes down to the training.

Kear can say its a lack of attitude and disrespectful of the opposition all he wants, but the buck lays firmly on him I'm afraid. Its his tactics and his training methods that put the players into that position.

Chisholm called it out and got the boot. Others have tried and failed too.

I don’t watch enough RL closely enough these days to know who would be a good replacement.

We’re in the difficult position of being stuck behind a different top 2 who each year have a bigger budget than us. Without this changing, it’s a big ask for any coach to come in and make real progress. Looking at last years table, there wasn’t much difference between 3rd and 5th.

I guess it depends on whether a new coach finishing 3rd is seen as progress (and will that still be the case if 3rd is maintained?)

I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by sacking Kear mid season (and to suggest it after 2 games is utterly ridiculous). If we are in the position of appointing a new coach, I’d rather plan for it and have a pre-season to properly prepare.

Indeed but it doesn’t bode well. I would have thought the preparation would have included some mention of the absolute tonking they gave us last year. Perhaps the conditions spared us a similar fate on home soil.

They're not fit enough, it ain't rocket science - the better team (on paper) lost on Sunday because they tired and they were complacent.

Both things a top coach should fix.

This coming from the fountain of all knowledge. Still watching this space…

After all, you know the future, so what happens with Kear?

Yawn

The performance against Leigh will be the evidence, but I think JK has (for the first time with us) created a team which will go better on a dry track.
The other thing to remember regarding squads and budgets is that we have to have a 35man squad so we can run our mandatory reserves side like London & Newcastle- this has a slight impact on quantity/quality

What is the logic in waiting until the end of the season? Who will oversea recruitment? It would be an awful waste of a season, rather than get someone else in to gather a bit of form/momentum and fitness.

After last nights game John said, "When you came in at half-time, you thought we'd have half a chance if we just continued what we had been doing."

We'd been penned in our own 20 for the previous 10 minutes and Leigh had a try ruled out. There was not a single indication in that 40 minutes that we would go on and win that game with the rugby we were playing. You cannot play a territory based game of low risk rugby without the territory. It's over.

It's the McNamara scenario all over again we can't afford to sack him but more inept performances and bad results crowd dwindles even further and it will get to stage where the club can't afford not too.