I dont mean this as a dig at you as I get your point. But if he's blown 3 from 3 chances because he thinks his boss didn't want him to pass, he should be no where near the 13, 17 or club. If he can really play 3, 12, 13 and 6 he should be smart enough to now when to overrule the game plan when the tryline is begging

Defending the indefensible. Powell basically saying Mata’utia could play as poor as he wants and he’ll still pick him. Are they the standards we’re setting now? How does that motivate Mata’utia to improve knowing he’ll be picked regardless. Time to leave Daryl.

I like the thought of Dufty at 6. He could be electrifying but I'm not sure he can kick?

It’s certainly worth a go. He has got a good pass on him (despite what Phil Clarke says) and him, Williams and Thewlis (fb) having their hands on the ball for a large percentage of the time would certainly give us some zip/fear factor.

I now have this mental picture of Rishi Sunak plotting to pin food prices, gas & electric costs, mortgage rates and people crossing the channel in small boats all on DP.

Quite right, but how many times do you see players take the chance but get it wrong, and the walkie talkie goes flying, then they get called out for playing dumb in the post match interview. I don’t think it’s inconceivable that he’s been told to play safe and let Williams take the chances. But, you’re right, that doesn’t absolve a player of fault. As I say, if he plays, it’s absolute madness.

How can DP say anything else in public? I have expressed my view on PM any number of times and Sunday just confirmed my view. However the failure on Sunday was collective. A more inept, panic ridden, dumb display I have not seen since starting to watch in (19)73.

well he could give him the Riley Dean treatment, who despite being s young half back who needs to be given the chance to make mistakes gets dragged off and called out whenever he does.

Has he actually finished a match that he's started in?

In the post match interview he calls out Vaughan for not looking before playing the ball. He says Dufty “started playing” towards the end of the game. He’s previously dropped Dufty, Dean and Thewlis sighting their failures in public for the reasons why they were dropped.

Matautia is a part of the leadership group, he’s a senior member of this team. There can’t be one rule for one, and one for another. You’re creating your own problems at that point.

Either call nobody out publicly, or call them all. He messed up three chance, clearly. That’s not opinion, that’s fact.

Think back to that game that Dean got dropped for, the Wigan one. He scored our only try, a solo effort. We get hammered. He gets publicly dropped for kicking the ball down the throat of the full back. We lost by 30 points! No halfback in the world kicks badly enough to be solely responsible for conceding 30 points.

In my view he is a rubbish centre, and definitely worse as a 6 and in the pack (where his grabby tackling is really exposed). I have deliberately stayed off here and the WG site until yesterday. The only interview i have read is the one where DP defended PM in the light of public criticism. Hence my post. If he has public ally criticised other players and not PM then that sheds a different light on it.
Certainly he (DP) seems to have a blind spot as far as PM is concerned and reading between the lines it looks like he is being reinforced by Sheridan’s views.
I agree that R Dean would have been hooked from the pitch fairly early doors had he made similar mistakes.
Perhaps Powell is trying to protect what remains of the leadership group given the Maguire debacle.
Presumably he will double down and select skippy at 6 again assuming Drinkwater isn’t fit.

I think his public flogging of some players - particularly young ones is one of the most disappointing things about Powell. Of course Powell will know which players need an arm round then and which need a kick etc.....but the kicking should always be done in private IMO. I could be wrong but I don't think you'd ever find/found Wane doing that to one of his young players.

Holbrook sacked by the Titans.

Any takers?

We wouldn't act quick enough to secure Holbrook even if there was a mindset to change

Holbrook details here:- https://www.nrl.com/news/2023/06/22/tit ... -as-coach/

Holbrook details here:- https://www.nrl.com/news/2023/06/22/tit ... -as-coach/

You'd be mad not to. Same with Leeds, Huddersfield and even Wigan. He'd improve not only the team at any of those clubs, but the club itself. He did some outstanding work with us that set us up for 10 years, nevermind the next two or three. I can't imagine he'll be unemployed for long.