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.

Teams are starting to target Joel and penny's winger, every play at Widnes long passes all went down that side, last season gene got criticised for his defence, penny has taken unfair stick, but over last 2 seasons that's where we have been weak!!

I should add that many teams play a compressed defence in the opposition half but transition to a sliding defence with greater width as they regress towards their own line but Warrington, for some reason do not. Up and in (or umbrella) and sliding do not mix.

I'd also say he's a bit of a fraud as well.... He actually reminds me of Basil Richards - Remember when we signed him, he was hyped up to the hilt. He was going to be the next Ellery Hanley, he was going to be this, he was going to be that. As it turned out, we may as well have signed Viv Richards. He was absolute garbage.

Currie is similar in that he came onto everybody's radar under a sea of expectation and hype, and similarly he is turning out to be a massive anti-climax.

He may well come good at some point, but at present he is heading for a career of mediocrity in the lower leagues if he doesn't sort himself out soon - He may well have a longish contract with us, but fans aren't stupid and will quickly recognise somebody stealing a living, which is what he looked to be doing yestrday.

Can not argue with that, on a number of occasions he stopped rather than running the ball in.

I think one of the main problems with our forwards is that instead of working his young forwards in gradually over the last 2/3 seasons TS persevered with the old guard of Morley, Carvell,Wood in the hope of the elusive GF win & then ,for whatever reason, they all moved on. At the same time the academy structure where some of the replacements would hopefully come from was abandoned by the RFL. All that is left then is the under 19s for back up ,many of whom are still wet behind the ears, & the option of buying under performing Aussies.

Smith must sit down and admit this is one of the holes he's dug for himself, it appears at the moment he's still digging.

Whilst I agree with the first part of your post, I think Smith did overdo the 'old guard' in an attempt to pull off the elusive GF win, Philbin has been one of our success stories this year. Maybe the complexion of our pack might be viewed differently if Grix, Evans and Harrison were fully fit and firing, together with Laithwaite and Curry really kicking on?

Seems a fair gamble to me, admittedly one that hasn't paid off due to injuries and a lack of form/confidence, but, a different proposition to the lack of halves accusation for mine.