Rammo, nice post. I've followed this forum for a couple of years. The Cas result has moved me to post. I wasn't expecting such a humping at home, I know some you guys were anxious but I really didn't expect it to be a 50 pointer.

Who is our D coach? Do we have one?

Are we saying that our current crop of players, especially the outside backs , just can't cut it in D ( or attack) at SL level because of physicality?

If those stats are week in week out then someone on the coaching staff needs to take responsibility for fixing it. That's someone's job.

I don't subscribe fully to that, there must be a case for it's not the size of the dog jn the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. Watching Lomax and Burrows getting stuck in is great.

I don't think we have much dog in our squad. We have tended to respond to a bit of biff ,playing up for a few minutes but that was the last couple of seasons.

Would any other coach be able to turn this squad into a competitive outfit? Or is there a stigma surrounding the London outfit that pervades into the players psyche that means they are never going to perform no matter what playing structures and communication you drill into them.

It is so terribly sad to see London getting stuffed on and off the pitch.

What will happen to the youth if there is no SL team in London? Trek up North for those who want to get on?

Chester Uni, Leeds Met etc even Gloucester offer pathways with foundation degrees for example.

Couple of guys from All Golds have gone to Noosa Pirates. Doesn't sound like a bad gig.

Although we had less prep time than other SL teams we are still "full time" professional athletes. They have had since January and some much longer as professional athletes... so why on earth are they physically ineffective against similar professional athletes?

Someone can become extremely fit and strong by training part-time and balancing a full time job with excerise and gym work... so if someone is doing it full time and as their job... why on earth are they not physically able to handle themselves on the field?

I have said on another thead that what the coaching team (or person if singular)need to do is focus 100% on defence. Forget the attacking plays etc... because at present we are just shipping in points and be default giving repeat sets away like candy. If we don't have the ball why waste time training on attacking plays?!

Get the defence mean, organised and physically on-song and then we'll start to generate a 50% share of possession. Once that's in place we can start to think about who takes the ball up in the first, second, third etc. plays and how to manage on the sixth tackle.

Get someone in who can get into the players heads and motivate them to understand the mental aspects to putting their bodies on the line and what is required. This can be turned around in a short space of time - defence wise - and we can then progress. Until that happens we'll continue to lose by cricket scores.

We all want to win... but I must speak for the majority that to lose 12-0 is easier to stomach than 54-6!

I agree with that, but I'd add that we look physically smaller than every other team. Apart from Greenwood our props are all dwarfed by their opposite numbers and when that happens it doesn't really matter how much effort you put in (and I do think the lads are trying) because you're always being pushed around. Having a big, physical pack is even more important when you play on a small, narrow pitch.

Agreed- Warrington last year started with Wood and Hill and at 20 rolled out Morley and Carvell!!

We start with Krasn and Cook(both hard workers), roll out a lazy Slyney and one other then lob the starters back on quickly to take another hiding.

We badly need specialist centres and props. Rea has given us utility players, wingers and backrowers.

The forwards just aren't winning the collision - collectively, their tackle stats look fine but the oppo forwards get to walk an extra 1-2m in the tackle and then deliver a quick PTB. Related to this, our forwards don't seem to have grasped the fact that the refs aren't blowing for pens at the ruck at all - we should be slowing the PTB down more.

In the absence of reinforcements - and without Dollapi for a few more weeks - I'd start with a bigger set of forwards: Greenwood, Moore, Vea, Cook, McMeeken, Griffin. I hate the term but we need to get into the arm wrestle and we aren't doing that with the likes of Slyney who makes a tackle and then misses the next play because he's not fit enough to get to marker - oppo dummy halves have noticed.

A kicking game would help too but I fear Rea and Gigot have already cost us that aspect of the game. Gigot through not taking being dropped very well and Rea by doing the dropping. This has been a constant in Rea's coaching career - drop the European as soon as the Aussie is available. Gigot put in a great show against Salford and was dropped, Bishay put in a great show against Warrington and was dropped. Contrast that with Drinkwater - Rea comes out after every game and tells us his kicking game was rubbish but picks him again anyway. But I guess he has no choice now that Gigot has gone.

I am pretty depressed by it all.

Equally, I'm still hopeful that we can pick up/borrow a big prop, get Dollapi back and at least look competitive up front. I also think that Solomona is massively talented and exasperating in equal measure - can the coaching staff move him towards more of the former? I'm also hoping that Duckworth gets fit - I think he might be the best of the loanees.