Brian thats pretty much as I see it.

The deathly silence at the end of the Fev 8s game summed it up for me. Most knew that was season over.

I hope Api stays he is one of those players that has time no matter how much pressure he is under.

Agree, down to partner's visa if others on the site are correct?

Season full of hope, let down by one or two laspes in concentration which in the end cost us big time when it mattered... We do need more grunt up forward, and I also really hope Api stays....

I think by November I'll be more positive than I feel right now, there has been a lot of good stuff in the season, but to me this will always be the season of what might of been....

Still lets see what we have next year.. I still need to renew those tickets

Disappointing!
I never expected us to get promoted, and in reality for me 5 or 6 was where we realistically should be, I know we will finish 6 most likely but it's a poor 6th spot with only one win.

Disappointed in some ways, elated in others, some great rugby will be overshadowed that they fall asleep for 20 mins per game

Next season I want the players to go to bed earlier so they mange to stay awake for a full game. I would like three big, fast ugly mongrels added to the park we have already got to boss the game around the park. I would like a massive amount of improvements in penalties and then maybe we will get the promotion we deserve

Expected to finish 2nd and that's what we did. In the 8's we would have expected 4 points with 1 extra win v a SL side getting us the MPG......we fell short, but not by much with only the Fev result a "shock".
All in all no surprises.
IIRC there were long discussions and negotiations between the owner and the management of the club 2 years ago about 3 years of funding.....if I do recall correctly, then 2018 is potentially our last as a FT outfit, so as others have said, some Grunt and a bit of attitude adjustment needed for next year....whomever comes down and Toronto, who have recruited well will be in the mix, so there can be no more dodgy 10/15 minute spells in games and we need to be ruthless...dare I say nasty?

So near yet so far. Season over after the Featherstone game in the eights. Thought played quicker in the eights but as others have said a number of times not dominating enough up front. However we failed to really dominate the vast majority of teams we played throughout the season. And the falling asleep either side of half time was there from day one. Tend not to win the tackle either in defence or when our players get tackled. So in terms of first team final position, no real improvement. Yet elsewhere the junior teams have progressed significantly. And the club appear to be developing the community work. still a work in progress.

Views on the first team squad:

Walker - made the fullback spot his own after a dodgy performance at Halifax. Felt has grown, solid under the high ball.
Dixon - iffy start as he and Purtell failed to gel. Once had a centre who worked with (or protected) him confidence grew.
Purtell - never trusted Dixon and the partnership wasn't working.
Kear - been dependable even in what is probably out of position.
Williams - must wonder what the ball looks like. Never lets us down but ability could be used more as a winger than in the first tackle.
Sammut - been excellent and probably the most I've seen him play as a team player, while giving us something extra.
Barthau - feel he has grown and developed this year. Been very good and the partnership with Sammut somehow works. Kicking game has been mostly superb.
Ioane - stand out all season. Is cloaning legal yet?
Ackers - feel has developed and possibly replaced Cunningham as our first choice hooker.
Spencer - if only not so unlucky with injuries. When available added to the go forward.
Garside - pretty solid all year.
Harrison - have missed him when he's not been there.
Pitts - I think underestimate the contribution being made.
Davis - feel has grown through the season when played. Came back from injury and has a good level of enthusiasm.
Cunningham - maybe usurped by Ackers as our first choice hooker. Maybe struggled to get his mojo back, but appeared to be improving as we got to the end of the eights.
Channing - well his understanding and ability work with Dixon helped solve a few problems. Think we and Dixon missed him when injured.
Grant - well could be a new signing for next year as failed to feature due to injury. Not our first in that position.
Battye - injury curtailed what looked like a good start. Think still trying to recapture that form. Attracts penalties like moths round a light. Maybe trying to over compensate for our lack of physical depth elsewhere.
Pewhairangi - Not convinced as a centre. Seems to have time others don't and always entertaining.
Hellewell - has been solid but not as much of an impact as last year.
Gee, Evans and Offendahl - interchangeable or am I being harsh. Solid if unspectacular. But if Battye and Ioane were off the field together I'm not sure we had the same sort of impact and go forward, at least not as consistently
Roqica and Bienek - one will be here next year the other won't. Roqica really hasn't lived up to the billing. Maybe one game. Bienek is still raw and it is true he has run through a gap rather than over a player.
Pointer, Pearce-Paul and Adebiyi - all three need game time and experience. Loan will help them develop. Plus another year of training should enable them to bulk a little. Opportunities have been slim and not much impact when on field to date.
Wilde and Boudebza - difficult to join late on and fit into systems. Both potentially good replacements but unsure whether added that extra something.

I had a chat with Grix after the Fax game in the regular season and he said they couldn't cope with FT fitness. On reflection that has been our advantage in a number of games, running away with it in the last 15, not skill or better quality players.

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that is a little harsh, our attack, especially around Sammut/Barthau and Api has been impressive and that has one us more games than fitness, falling asleep for 10-15 mins either side of half-time cost us games and meant we didn't win as comfortably as we should

In the early part of the season being pro made a huge difference. We could easily have lost at both Oldham and Swinton, in my opinion it was being full time that won us both those games. Take those two wins off and I suspect we'd be looking back a little more critically

Add Fev at home in the league game to that list.

This.

Not the best finish to the season

Sammut's really improved, but just needs to hold his nerve when kicking under pressure. We have the bones of a good squad and when we play our own game we look really impressive, Strange though that one of our most improved and indeed best player's kicking let us down a bit in the qualifiers.

Think the difference with the kicking in the Qs for sammut was the pressure he was put under by the "better" teams.
Our frailty throughout has been the inability to win the ruck in defence or attack, meaning opposition defence gets set and they can read the next play much better. It's all about knees and elbows and quick ptb