yea... fair point... you're always one defeat away from winning nothing....

makes you appreciative of back to back challenge cup wins really.

To win 3 would be one hell of an achievement.

Firstly, I knew things were bad when 15 mins in the bloke behind me had "seen 'em out in Stockton Heath, 'ont lash." so, welcome to 2005.

Anyhow, I know we're a bit up & down on here, I know I am. I thought we were unbeatable when I woke up, now - they'll be lucky to make the eight. I guess that's called setting yourself up for a fall, but hey ho.

I did find it disappointing today to be honest, I thought too many people didn't compose themselves at key times and at the same time, I thought a few people when push came to shove went back to the old versions of themselves instead of the calmer, almost more structured versions that has brough success. Silly things like Solomona not getting up & playing the ball properly 5m out when he'd won the floor, Briers just launching a kick in the air, Myler just not doing enough, Blythe not running with venom like he has done, Paul Wood not securing the ball in collision, just daft things - I think we just found a day when perhaps 7/8 players underperformed, 5/6 and we'd have got away with it, or if Monas has played the 80 it could have been 9/10 having a mere and he'd have Jean-Phillipe Baile'd us out.

Anyhow, lick our wounds - hope today hasn't come at too much of a cost. Carvell will have an anxious wait, Monas, Bridge & Briers all must have have knocks of sorts, but we'll move on.

It's probably just given Smith some food for thought really, if he had a plan of how to get through the season and who he can rest & where, it's probably made him think that one to a degree.

Some of the players were very lacklustre yesterday we deserved nothing and got nothing...
I'll leave it at that i think.

Sorry Chester, you are wrong, the season is over. We were lucky to beat Saints, Leeds and Wigan. The mauling of Harlequins was pure luck. Not a chance we will make the play-offs, our season will be truly over when Keighley turn up.

Not seen anybody say Briers was cack.

I did, I probably didn't take the time to articulate it well enough, I was referring to his decision to punt the ball when we lad with 8 mins left, I'll stand by that - it was cack.

His overall performance, just below par - like most others.

Don't think any of our fans on here have gone OTT.

Same can't be said for the giddy pie trolls though.

We played poor and dumb rugby yesterday and we paid the price simple.

We were fine when we last lost to Catalan and will be okay this time, 8 games gone we sit top of the league with class players to come back and having beaten Saints away for the first time in donkeys years plus beaten Wigan away again.

Think we didn't respect Catalans enough yesterday and boy did they show up! So credit where it's due.

The result is done with now and we will move on. Wigan lost to Quins at home completely unexpectedly at around this time last year if I remember and it did them the world of good. Perhaps all the hype surrounding us got into the team's head a little?

My only mini gripe with yesterday was the resting and rotating of the squad. We'd had a nine day turn around and I honestly don't think it was necessary. I'd have been looking at the Crusaders game to potentially give a few players a break going into the Easter weekend.

But onwards and upwards, unlike the Cullen days, I have complete faith that this was just a blip, and well done to Catalans for getting the job done.....

I think he was right to rest Harrison because he has been carring knocks in the last few games, Westwood has been running his blood to water for this team game after game he deserved a rest no point burning one of our best players out in April.

Smith put out a team that was good enough to beat them if the players turned up.

They didn't

Oh they didn't turn up I know. And yes, they may have been carrying knocks, I wouldn't know whether that was the case or not. But I do think it bit us on the backside a little yesterday.

Catalans' are reknowned for their forward fire power and size, yet two of our biggest enforcers were sat in the stand.

Therefore I do think, knocks and injuries aside, that TS got it wrong this time.

Wigan away last week, Huddersfield away next. No team can be expected to 'peak' every week. As a result, even the best have off days and come up with a surprise defeat to a supposedly 'lesser' team.

2010
Round 5, Bradford (finished 10th) 22 Wigan 20
Round 12, Wigan 26 Harlequins (finished 13th) 38

2009
Round 8, Bradford (finished 9th) 10 Leeds 6
Round 9, Leeds 20 Salford (finished 13th) 30
Round 11, Leeds 4 Harlequins (finished 11th) 21
Round 15, Catalan (finished 8th) 32 Leeds 20

2008
Round 5, Castleford (finished 12th) 38 Leeds 20
Round 17, Harlequins (finished 9th) 28 Leeds 24
Round 23, Warrington (finished 6th) 22 Leeds 12

It is very hard to keep the same level of intensity week in, week out. However, when we rest a player who has been the very heart of the team this season I wonder what message that sends out to the rest of the team, subtle or not. It only takes a small lack of focus to lose a game.

We have a long season. Given our better recent 'form', I think it's fair to say we can view the Catalans result as a bit of a 'blip'. No side can perform at such levels for every game, we will have down days, but these results won't be consistent and, hopefully by resting players now, we'll feel the benefit in the long term when we're hopefully competing for all of the trophies available.

We can complain, we can identify weaknesses and criticize whoever (constructively/fairly), but, at the same time, we should try and look at the bigger picture, and the bigger picture tells me we shouldn't lose the momentum we've built so far, put this aside as a blip and get rolling again.

Funnily enough I thought our blip would be next week. After losing yesterday I now expect a win on Friday.

However, I also thought we were now not the type of team to drop points in such a manner. Some habits are hard to break.

Catalan totally dominated our forward pack and deserved the win. Briers trying to play off the back of a beaten pack on one leg can't be blamed for much of it. We were poor from 1-17 and every side will have a day or days like that this season.