Agreed with myler,,

For those who don't know there is an old saying, I still believe applies today, but unfortunately it goes completely against the grain if those who are calling the thread tosh...

Only forwards win games, only backs decide by how much.

Duckie for what you know,,, you could get a job for sky,, fit right in between stevo and Eddie a treat!

Our centres are the problem Atkins cant make a correct decision and Bridge is just crap at the minute. Our Half's are left without options as there are no lines of run form either centres or second rows. that's why Myler and O'Brien took so much ball in themselves.
Even when Atkins scored he could have passed inside for a score under the posts and another 2 points.

I'd drop lazy Asotasi and play Wolfie.He couldn't do any worse.

props ain't the problem for me..its the half backs....terrible kicking game...both long, territorial kicking and short grubber kicks...add to that they make poor decisions time and time again...and they aren't very quick...both with feet and mind.

For me is a combination of both, but Murphy was at the game today and let it known about his opinion on the two hb's today. It wasn't pleasant.

Props are not the problem (in my opinion) . Even Asotasi is doing OK. I would start with Hill and Asotasi and bring on Harrison and England. Include Westwood as a middle channel player with a 13 on his back. The halves have nothing to hit out wide. Give them something to pass to. The second rowers are either ponderous (Laithwaite) or ineffective (Currie). Neither can run any sort of angle at pace. If you have essentially defensive second rows - you need to attack with the centres and wings. Today there was one running chance to a winger - not enough and both centres offered little.
So crazy idea - why not play Sims and Philbin in the second row and get them running out wide.

The defensive system is too compressed - and does not work. It seems to be an "up and in" system which needs rapid and agressive defensive from the second rows and centres otherwise there's an overlap and players on the outside get bypassed or marooned. Change the system!

I worry most about the lack of skill in the team. Passes are all over the place. Runs are timed badly. There is not hint of alternative runners and backing up. Players are going backwards skillwise - Who is charge of the skills development for individual players?

I watched the warm up today and it was tepid. Little dibbed kicks , half heartedly caught. Players running through shields then rapidly decelerating and not busting with venom. Pat a cake shield drills. Dropped ball...
You play as you train...

M

Definitely worth giving Sims a shot at second row

Well as a saints fan watching his side dominate in the forwards but losing games due to playing 5th/6th choice makeshift halves, I can confirm that this saying is nonsense.

Wire's problems are in the halves, absolutely no question.

I think that is probably the best critical analysis I have ever read on here. I don't agree with everything (Asotasi looks competent only because he is only on the pitch for 5 minutes) and Philbin is still very raw, but excellent summary.

An oasis in a desert of turds.

The unnerving thing is, the running of lines and pass selection/accuracy is not improving. The defence is a puzzler; when the opposition run a double pass shift play from one side of the pitch to the other, we don't shift/react quickly enough. That is a massive worry for me, as it is really basic stuff.

Cat mentioned this yesterday at the game. You look at the way Cas lined up in defence, everyone was lined up, they would all slide together, but when we lined up, there were gaps everywhere, especially between the winger and the centre on the South Stand touchline, and the sliding defence was either non-existant or it took quite literally forever to move over.

Cas should have scored when they cross kicked over to the South East corner, no sliding defence so Penny was left stranded on his own, luckily the ball bounced quite wickedly, the catcher couldn't take hold and knocked on.

You would have thought that would be the wake up call Warrington needed, but even after that there were still instances of it happening.

We get the ball through hands out wide quite well, then we hit the SR / Centre and the play just stops. That's where the problem is.

Widnes did it a couple of times on Thursday, resulting in one try.

One thing I meant to mention previously, which happened yesterday and Thursday is not numbering up, especially on the short side. Again, basic stuff that should be second nature to any RL player.