Not only can we claim to be playing a different brand of rugby but I think it's important to see that were 5th on the trying scoring chart so far in the season which tell's a story in rlitselfrl

That and 5th on the meters made rlchartrl

...and on the carries rlchartrl

AND !!! 4 more tackle bust's that Leeds !!! considering the size of there pack that's an bit of a surprise !!

Our Team stats on a hole are awesome.

Who said 5 wasn't the magic number

One stat that really does stand out to me is the how many fewer attacking kicks we've had than anyone in the league. Maybe it's because we're scoring with ball hand so don't need to rely on kicks?

we are top of the 40/20 chart as well

Without ingon everyone's chips I think we need to look at this again after playing HKR. If we are still comparable then I reckon the playoffs could well be within grasp.

5th is acceptable but Salford are 4th in the Albert Goldthorpe Medal Table and for individual kudos DJ is 4th amongst Super League goalscorers and 3rd highest for points scored.

Room for further improvement

Im glad somebody has highlighed the stats so far this season, been keeping a record of our performance so far

Our meters made so far per game

Castleford 1112
Saints 1008
Widnes 1488
Hull 1081
London 1518

Isnt too bad but when you factor in our carries per game and compair it to our opponent you find that apart from Widnes we have lost every meter per Carry contest
US / Opponents
5.39 / na
6.29 / 6.43
7.33 /6.9
5.78 / 6.4
6.8 / 7.1

Might be the fact our forwards arnt the biggest and we are playing more of an expansive game but still would like to be winning more than im losing in this category if im honest
What i would love to know is how many metres we make "in contact" as i think watching so far this season it is an area we have improve this season

We are averaging 19 kicks in general play a game, i would love to know what our average "exit set" (bringing the ball out from a kick) metres was as in Williams / Broughton we have two powerful wingers who with a good quick play of the ball can gain a good 10m with contact.

Our attacking kicks are quite low averaging 5.8 a game but it seems when watching we are being pinned in our twenty on a regular basis and we do get to our opponents line we score so we dont need to kick it as much

i surpose our statistics might be inflamed a bit as we have had two "blow out" results (widnes and london) but its positive and room for improvement in lots of areas will make us better, as long as we are improving every week then i will be happy

Meters in contact is not necessarily the all important factor anymore. Compare James Graham against Peacock/Morley last autumn, Graham made quick meters and got a quick play the ball, which in turn increased the tempo England were playing at and gave Chase some space to exploit. Compare that to when Morley and Peacock were carrying the ball forward, yes they made some good meters in contact, but the Aussies were wrapping them up and slowing down pace of the game.

I'm not saying dominating the contact isn't important, but the game has become more about tempo than raw power. It's not coincedence that our performances started to improve once we got McPherson in the team, and how much sharper things look when Feka enters the pitch. Yes the physical stuff helps with that all important first contact, but egtting mired up in fighting for every last yard can end up costing a team on the next phase.

Just look at Matty Smith's try against Castleford, Feka smashed the ball in got a quick play the ball and that set the tempo for the rest of the set. Our pack isn't that small, but I'd sacrifice a few meters to play at that higher tempo. Creating more space for our backs. Long and Vievers have found a formula that works, thus far, the acid test going to come this week, and over the next few. I'm looking at the way we beat London, and that style of play could work, but it's only cautious optimism at the moment.

Stats are interesting but should be observed with caution. Carries/metres made for example doesn't factor in tactics & style of play (per opponent) or even conditions, which would effect the overall results for all teams. For me, the most relevant stat is completion as teams who keep it high usually win games. With regards to Salford, tactics employed seem to me to be the shining factor for us this year so far. We seem to be compensating for the lack of forward metres by employing early kicks and backing ourselves to score from anywhere in the opponents half. It's certainly been a long time since I've seen a Salford side so ruthless in the final third as this current team.

I agree with LincolnDEVILSfan in that it's less about certain stats and more about dynamically adapting to given situations. I'm extremely glad that the stats heavy coaching of McRae that relied on hitting percentages and having no faith in your team, without the ability to adapt a game plan seem to be long gone.

The next few games are tough encounters and as long as that belief the team has remains, regardless of results, I'd be more than happy.

I've got to say, some the rugby we've played over the last few weeks, has been by far the best I've witnessed since Andy Gregory was at his coaching peak in 1997. The speed, the lines, the support, the reading of the games and offloads have been excellent. We won't get the same amount of opportunities against the bigger teams, but when you look at the fact we are not relying individual brilliance, some high quality skills yes, but those skills are coming off down to playing as a team. Pattern's and Moons breaks are getting finished off due to some excellent support play. Looking at the way we are playing now, and the dire rugby McRae served up, it becomes so painfully obvious why were struggling.

I'm trying not going to get carried away, the only only team of recognition we've beaten so far is Hull. Things are looking up though, but as a Salford fan I say it with cautious optimism. If we can compete with the big boys, then the teams confidence should continue to grow.

Totally agree with both of you.

Fair play would like to know our win / lose tackle ratio ie land on the players front to the amount land on their back as with mcpherson, Nero and Williams I recon that would be quite high and allows us quick play of the balls and space to run into