rileys defence

Quote: Stewie Wire "I'm sorry but this is just incorrect! (I'm not here to either blindly knock or defende anyone either) as was the comparison earlier on with Penny.

The fault for the tries lies squarley with Riley and his habit of coming in off his wing to "assist" in tackling the centre. Look back at the two tries from friday and you'll see that our defensive line was set correctly (unlike in the Penny era when we had some issues with compression and he did occassinally get hung out to dry) . In both cases there was absolutley no reason for him to come inside and leave the wing exposed. This isnt the first occassion either, it happened against Wigan & Castleford (he was an unneccessary 3rd man in on 2 occassions against the Tigers) That close to the line you have to hold you position, mark your man & have faith in the players inside you.

There's no evidence to suggest Atkins in "unreliable" in defense and therefore its his fault not Rileys. It was entirely Riley's fault that Blanch scored just before the half - man on man, by the touchline and instead of shutting him down or bundling him into touch, he got carried over the line for a try.

He's been weak in attack too - you cant fault his workrate and eagerness to come inside, but his hitting the line is weak and he goes down too easily. Yes he can score & he is quick, but only if he gets a clear chance. The first Monaghan try took some scoring and he beat 3 players to get the ball over - Riley had an almost identical opportunity in the 2nd half, but cut back inside, hit the line weakly and took the tackle.

I know the above sounds like a proper rant and Riley bashing (and all the Riley lovers will be up in arms), but its not meant to be that - it's my view of him based on current and last year's performance and not wearing any kind of tinted glasses, for or against. As someone said before just because someone is local doe'nt mean they're free from observation or criticism along with everyone else. I dont dislikeRiley as a person or player, nor do I doubt his passion & commitment - I do doubt whether or not he's the potent strike weapon you need on the wing these days.

(Typing done - sits back & awaits the ensuing pro-Riley backlash

Well obviously that's your opinion and good for you, but have a look at Atkins defence this Friday, you might notice its occasionally uncontrolled and he lets his man go. He's usually pretty good just is a little careless at times. Otherwise both guys are a quality couple, they just are careless early in the season.