Pre-season who would have taken a top 7 finish and a cup quarter (if not semi) appearance?

I'd have bitten your hand off and it isn't an unlikely scenario

We aren't playing amazing attacking rugby, but we a building a club from the bottom up here guys and given where we have been; slow and steady defo wins the race.

I expect a stronger team to be assembled for 2020 and a real push for the top 5

In my view we’re going very well and considering where we’ve come from as the 2nd best side in L1 last year some people on here need to manage their expectations. We are in the mix for the top 5 with plenty of rugby to play. Sure, we’ve got a big budget but we’re a club that’s been rebuilt from nothing and it takes time.

The style of play is pretty conservative and anyone can see that we have issues with our last tackle options. We do line up too flat and we don’t offload enough or support the ball carrier enough.
However, we have two very young halfbacks and they’re learning the game. Many of the rest of the side are very young too. In many ways this is the ideal season to get those kids we’ve invested in up to speed. We’re not seriously in the mix to get promoted with Toronto streets ahead. Does a fancy style of rugby attract more fans? I’m not sure of the evidence of that. I’d say winning rugby is more important and we are a difficult side to beat. I’d sooner have this side that gives 100% over the fancy dan side we had under Rohan Smith that couldn’t perform under pressure. Remember that play off game at Fev in 2016 when we had a great team on paper but got nilled?

This season we’ve seen amazing games away at Fax and at home to Fev and Leeds in the cup. It’s been superb entertainment and better than anything we’ve had in years. It’s going to take time to get the casual supporters back and it won’t happen overnight. Kear is building a foundation of players that can perform consistently at Championship level. I’d certainly take a top 8 finish. Top 5 would be very good indeed but it is a very tough division and I think really it’s beyond us this year. Next year perhaps with some astute recruitment?

In the meantime I’m loving the rugby this season.

Fax were far the better team? Really? Don't get me wrong they were worthy winners and performed better than us but I actually thought it was a very close game performance wise. If we hadn't have taken a few poor options we could easily of been on the right side result wise.

I think we are doing pretty well so far this year and I will always take the a winning result before performance. What is the point in playing expansive rugby but losing? I said this year would be deemed a success if we were there or thereabouts for a top 5 finish. We are still well in the mix for that and have the chance of making a CC semi final if we can gain revenge on Fax next weekend. Let's see what the next few weeks bring..

Last 2 posts spot on.

Fax were certainly the better side on Saturday IMO. However we were going set for set with them for long enough. It was only their more clinical kicking game and a few bits of ill discipline by us that was the difference IMO. There’s no reason to suggest that our next game won’t be as close. They have improved since they got rid of Marshall but we will be better too with Peltier’s go-forward and hopefully a bit more quality at the end of sets.

^^^
This!

Before the season started, I pointed out this would be effectively only Year 2 of our rebuilding from zero, and Y1 we actually got promoted. So for a Y2 we are in a very hard school.

It takes several years to build up a collection of players into a very good team and there is no guarantee you ever will, but surely, we must have matched or exceeded almost everyone's expectations so far in 2019?

The style of rugby we need to play right now is to win games, not Harlem Globetrotters. We don't have the personnel for that anyway, and you build from the base, not from the top. I have really enjoyed this season, I mean properly enjoyed, just like bullseye said, which has made a great change. We are overall a very tough nut to crack and have had many spells where we have actually played very well indeed and shown some excellent attacking rugby - at the right times.

Some have gone on about Halifax's pace and moves, but that didn't win them the game, did it? In fact, those who complain about our attack need to work out how it was that we so often and for such long periods managed to put pressure on their line. If it was not our "boring attack" that kept getting us there, then what was it? And that was done without Peltier, whi we missed a lot.

The difference between the teams on the day was down to a bit of luck, and some poor discipline at crucial stages. Not any gulf between the teams. I am certain that if in that spell of sustained pressure we had managed to score, we would have gone on to win. If Crossley is ruled a try, we go on to win.

I was disappointed in the way we lost, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment overall of the show we put up. The issues have been already mentioned, and it's highly likely that more skill and variety on last tackle plays and kicks would have killed them off, and we are too often lacking in that department. but I think we are still heading the right way and doing it sensibly.

I don't why it is but we seem to give Murrell the run of the park whenever we play Halifax. It's no secret that he always plays well against us, yet once again on Saturday we never put him under any kind of pressure

I'm not suggesting thuggery - but maybe we need to stop letting him do exactly as he pleases, and 'get in his face' a bit more?

Wouldn't disagree, in addition make him complete a tackle every set we have the ball, tire him out

You show me somebody who enjoyed those home games against York, Dewbsury and Barrow and I'll show you a liar.

I'm not expecting top 5 and I'm not wanting harlem globetrotters, but we can't even do the basics!
I refuse to believe that these players are unable to offload the ball, or draw a man before they pass, or run some attacking lines, or vary their kick selection a little.

Yeah, Crossley and Peltier need to be picking him out and running straight at him at every opportunity

If you manage to do that then you manage to do something that most teams in this division struggle with. Hes a quality player but the way to stop Murrell playing well is to stop our pack playing well, just like any halfback, and on Saturday the Bulls didn't do that.

It would be a strange game plan to have your props running out towards the wing. Joking aside the way to tire him out would be to get him isolated against quick players, running big players at him he is just going to love, he is one of the best and biggest hitters at this level but is short of pace and despite the portly shape is not short of fitness.

I think maybe you're exaggerating a bit. I agree we were poor in attack in those games you mentioned.

However, we showed in the games versus Fax (away), the comeback versus Fev and the win against Leeds we can offload, draw a man and run a line. The kicking wasn't that bad either.

I think it's a matter of being consistent and improving. It's a young side. If we're still as bad by the end of the season I'll be more concerned but as it looks we're staying up and consolidating and I'm happy with that for the moment.

You missed Toulouse at home, hopefully the low point of the season - a cold, wet and miserable day.

Nobody was going to play champagne rugby on a day like that.