Feels like we need a veteran half back on a short loan. Ratch and PM at 6&7 is dog, we'll win nothing with them. Get an old dog to take charge until Drinky and Williams are back.

Disagree, play Riley Dean along with Ratchford.

Get other players to step up around them, Daryl Clark, Danny Walker, Vaughan etc to cover being short at half back.

There's literally no man management or coaching a team through some adversity here... Won't be long before Daryl probably plays the bad apples culture card again

100%. Powell's problem isn't just the form of the team but the fact he is sleepwalking through it and can't or won't make changes.

We need to give Dean a chance, he's a natural halfback and either Drinkwater or Ratchford should be able to guide him.

Failing that, move Dufty to half and Thewlis to FB.

Bullock should be starting ahead of Dudson, we need to get on the front foot early because atm as soon as we go behind we are lost.

To clarify, this was based on the fact he's binned Dean to Cas already. I'm in the realm of thinking around Powell's mistakes and there's a 2 week recall clause on Riley.

Surely we have triggered the recall option with Williams out for a month? You’d think.

For Dean, it must be so frustrating. Recalled twice from Featherstone where he was wanted, and playing well. I think we picked him once, from memory (Leigh) across the two times he was recalled. Then sent back out on loan when there’s a realistic chance of playing with Drinkwater out. If we’ve recalled him again, he’ll probably have one, maybe two games before Williams is back owing to the two week clause.

Strange decision making throughout

No more excuses, the well is dry.

The bad apples are gone
This is his team, his signings
He's had a full pre-season with his own squad
We have no relegation concerns

This SL is probably the weakest its ever been (quite a statement). All the usual suspects (Saints, Wigan, Catalans, Leeds) look inconsistent and the likes of Huddersfield are vying with us for comedy value.

The most damning aspect of last night was there was no reaction - in fact we started where we left off.

Powell has aleady stated he likes to keep a consistent 17, and by that he seems to mean he won't change unleas he has to, due to suspension or injury.

The first 7 games are a smokescreen. We're back to 2022 level, but with a bigger (but at times ineffective) pack and less excuses.

no other team would win without their starting 6 and 7, came back well, Powell has always been a cock, your squad with troops back will be there or there about for the title don't worry about that

I think i would even be tempted to try Thewlis & Dufty in the halves if Dean is unavailable & put Ratch at fullback where he has done us proud in the past.
I think Thewlis could be a playmaker in the making.

Im coming round to this view. 2 full pre-seasons, lots of signings, season and a half in and we have played well for, what, 7 games in total out of 42?

We played well last night and Huddersfield were poor.
It helps when we put our players in their best positions.
Myler to FB and Handley to wing springs to mind.
We already have a weak pack with Holroyd, Tetavano and Gannon missing and both Sangare and Smith were taken off with leg injuries not to return.
So that`s potentially 5 of the starting pack missing.

It doesn’t matter because if you believe some of the comments made a fair few of our team don’t want to play for Powell and some just can’t anyway so it will level out with who ever you got missing.

Yeh good point mate, forgot about that.


Like I`ve said on here before Smith lost the dressing room 2 weeks ago but must have got it back on Friday as they all wanted to play for him

All this losing the dressing room thing makes me laugh, seems to be a modern thing in team sport these days. Couldn’t imagine the likes of Clough or Ferguson putting up with this nonsense. Then again without a big pool of talent in rugby league I guess players have the power now.

Like your humour. Smith was one to be replaced by Holbrook??
That horrible soccer term "lost the dressing room".
Who would be a coach? Big money for a while ... but you have tough to handle the poison attached that comes with the job.

Quote ="karetaker"All this losing the dressing room thing makes me laugh, seems to be a modern thing in team sport these days. Couldn’t imagine the likes of Clough or Ferguson putting up with this nonsense. Then again without a big pool of talent in rugby league I guess players have the power now.'" Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI

Quote ="karetaker"All this losing the dressing room thing makes me laugh, seems to be a modern thing in team sport these days. Couldn’t imagine the likes of Clough or Ferguson putting up with this nonsense. Then again without a big pool of talent in rugby league I guess players have the power now.'" Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" Probably would of heard him from bottom of Bridge st

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" Probably would of heard him from bottom of Bridge st

Just watched Penrith vs Newcastle Knights; Penrith missing both 1st choice halfbacks & you couldn't tell (and they won), so with a quality squad it can be done...

...just not by us

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" Love that. At the end Maurice Lindsay sneeks in with the sheepskin coat on. Absolutely priceless video.

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" Love that. At the end Maurice Lindsay sneeks in with the sheepskin coat on. Absolutely priceless video.

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI icon_lol.gif'" The camera zooms onto a very young Shawn Wane between 1-05 and 1-23 minutes.

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI icon_lol.gif'" The camera zooms onto a very young Shawn Wane between 1-05 and 1-23 minutes.

I think a lot of Leeds fans would take Holbrook over Smith.
The jury is certainly out on Smith me included.
He inherited a bag of rubbish and has brought in some questionable signings of his own.
But that might be down to him not having the cap to bring in anything better.
Much will depend on where we finish this season and if Holbrook is still available and not at Warrington by then!

I haven't see any mental toughness, nor leadership and organisation on the field, for a couple of months. I wonder if Josh McGuire, who divided opinions regarding punishment on this board, has done the same to the squad. Something has caused a big shift in our performances, and that's one possible answer.

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" This is gold dust. I remember taping it on our Ferguson Videostar. Never recorded over it. From the good old days when international centres were a mile overweight and Granada presenters hadn't yet sampled the delights from Grandma's biscuit barrel...

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" This is gold dust. I remember taping it on our Ferguson Videostar. Never recorded over it. From the good old days when international centres were a mile overweight and Granada presenters hadn't yet sampled the delights from Grandma's biscuit barrel...

The Murphy clip is funny, BUT with those players, did that improve them individually or as a group?
I really find it laughable and absurd that a significant number of posters think that if the team is playing poorly they should be bawled and screamed at at half time 'Fergie-style'.
It may work ocassionally, and be appropriate ocassionally. What's the common word?

The coach needs to tackle the main issues collectively, and get across any key points to specific players and the leadership group.

I always remember Paul Cullen saying that at half time as a player you can only take so much onboard as you're trying to recover from your 1st half performance and keeping it simple was the key.

Now - who can I have a rant at??

I did post the video tongue in cheek.