Selling season tickets is always based on the premise that "no, really, next year will be better, we promise". Losing Widdop for a few months would dent that message in the minds of some.

Makes you wonder how much the collective ring of the management would twitch if 'twas the night before Christmas & not a season ticket had been sold.

the truth will NOT out. Not whilst season tickets are trying to be sold. I think we'll do well to get half a season out of Widdop...especially when he is playing behind a light weight pack.

I think the term "light weight" might be pushing it a bit.
Cooper, Clark, Hill, Philbin, BMM, Hughes & Currie ... all pretty recent internationals.
They were more than a handful most of the time last year.
* Mind you I'd still like another prop

There's a point....we wouldn'tnt have pages of speculation talking points if they did.

They are lightweight. They're not a pack thats going to steam roll over the opposition and knock 10 shade out of them coming the other way. We have a pack that is athletic and mobile. rather than raw power and trying to play off a 'platrorm' we should be moving our pack from side to side around the park, spereading the opposition defence. We need to be plying off of multiple runners and short balls and offloads.

thats where the type of players we've signed come into their own. its that type of play that encourages 'eyes up' running and playing what you see in front of you.

Widdop doesnt neccesarily need to be 100% fit. I would like to hope he was signed to give the team direction on the pitch. It's Austin, Ratch and Clark playing off off Widdops guidence that need to be 100% fit.

Didn't our "lightweight" pack win the Challenge Cup for us?
Have you already forgotten about their performance in the QF, SF & Final?

It's the ability to do it consistently. For every game such as the QF, SF an Final we can list games such as ..


Losing 36-12 at Salford.
Losing 22-6 at Salford.
Losing 12-14 at home to Castleford
Losing 20-6 at Wigan
Losing 12-30 at home to Saints
Losing 30-10 at Catalans
Losing 27-18 at Castleford
Losing 12-22 at home to Castleford

Well listed ... but a bit repetitive & obvious.
Consistency is what every club strives for. We were the third most consistent club last year (I put us above Salford due to our cup run). We mustn't be all doom & gloom about the club we support.

It's the unfortunate truth that we were not good enough in the league.

Fans (like me) are desperate for success where it counts. It's so disillusioning when we can see we are set up to fail again before the season even starts and it's been like that for a while. Either a coach who had run his course, or an unbalanced squad, or poor tactics. It's not enough for me to say we were the 3rd most consistent club because we were not. SL 2019 will report we finished 5th. Behind Castleford and Salford. That is the blunt truth. 5th. And that is simply not good enough for a full cap side, with a marquee signing and superb facilities and support base.

How long has it been since we had genuine belief we could win the league?

Yes. one off games. were they able to do it in the league when it mattered? No. Beacuse our pack could not consistently bash it up every week.

Listen, you make it sound as though I'm moaning about having a lightweight pack. I'm not. I'm moaning about how our lightweight pack is trying to play like a heavyweight pack. That heavyweight style of play does not suit our type of forwards and doesn't suit our halves.

Theres nothing wrong with having a lightweight, athlectic and mobile pack as long as you play them in a mobile and athletis way. Thats how we played first half of the season and it showed and worked. Heavyweight style at the back end of the season proved we cant play that way and see results.

We all saw it but Price couldn't. Hopefully theis season we stick to what we're good at. Quick direct play both sides of the ruck, forwards running lead lines with tip-ons/offloads and halves running out the back and playing off it.

In Super League we finished 4th.
I can see you are never really going to be happy.
Relax and enjoy.