Quote: sally cinnamon "Lee Briers would have won that game today.
His retirement has left us with a hole we have never filled, and days like today expose that.'"
I don't disagree for one second, SC
In fact, you could add the following to your list
A halfback pairing of Ratchford and Bridge,
Richie Myler
even Gareth O'Brien, could have won that game.
This stems back to Smith's apathy to recruitment, as well as the Briers situation.
Briers didn't really retire, did he. He was told to stop immediately, on medical grounds. If Smith was still coach, and Briers neck not done in, Briers would still be playing regular rugby for us NOW, despite his decline in his last couple of years in P&B.
Since that GF defeat in 13, we've sleepwalked into blandness in the middle of the park. An old Gidley, a bang average Brown (who we paid a big transfer fee for) and a urine taking Roberts, who (iirc) was signed when we didn't have a coach in place.
Yesterday, Cats tried their best to give us that game in the last 20 minutes, yet our halves couldn't seize the initiative. They created nothing. Our 3/4 line had to go hunting for opportunities, rather than 6 or 7 creating them. Livett, who can be devastating on his day, with ball in hand, was starved of chances.
Recently, we've blown big matches v Wigan, Saints, an injury ravaged Cas, and a draw against Cats. Big game players (halves) not doing enough.
It's time we admit that Brown and Roberts aren't working, and something needs to change. What's that definition of insanity? Doing the same thing all the time, but expecting a different result.
As Jean Jacques Burnell once grunted "Something Better Change"