And rlTHISrl from the man who answered my question about where will we finish this year at a forum with "FIRST....OTHERWISE, WHAT'S THE POINT OF PLAYING"

Not sure I see your point, a translation of training ground process into game time is more important than the 2 points as an indicator of where he thinks we will end up, if we won easily but poorly executed [i.e Cas's mistakes won us the points rather than our strengths] what have we learnt?

"Cas" and "mistakes" in the same sentence? Surely not!

He said first was where he thought we would finish when I asked him, now he says the result against Cas isn't everything.....Sorry, but I'd take the 2 points over anything else. If Quins play badly and win, then that's championship form in some books
That said, it could just be Mind games....has Brian has been sharing a bottle of vin rouge with one Mr Ferguson of M16 0RA

I think its more to do with the team being undercooked atm and that at this stage of the season its more about getting their processes right than picking up cheap points (though always welcomed) through someone elses incompetencies

I can see BM's logic. I hate cliches but we really are in a marathon and not a sprint. I would like us to be physically and mentally at our peak further down the track.

I've often wondered why we don't have a longer off-season TBH and use the first 2 games of the season as warm-ups. There's certainly a trade-off needed between trying to play intense rugby over 30-odd weeks and avoiding fatigue later in the year.

Because if our first two games of the season are against Bradford and Cas thats 4 very gettable points.

I simply don't understand the logic.

You just can't maintain intensity over 30-odd weeks. Have a tough pre-season and hit the ground running in February and you inevitably risk fatigue later on. Of course Bradford and Cas are winnable in rounds 1 and 2 but so too are games in rounds 8 and 9, 17 and 18, 25 and 26 ...

Ultimately, it's a trade off unless you believe that physically and mentally players can perform at precisely the same level over a 9-10 month period. League position is about accumulating points but the trophies are won in August and October - nobody remembers who sits atop the table after round 5.

Like BM says, if the players can work to the patterns he wants and are beginning to get to used to combinations, I expect he'll be happy to build momentum slowly, even if Cas win on Sunday. That said, I have no doubt that he wants a performance *and* 2 points.

I agree, teams get tired and physical and mental fatigue can set in. Thats why I think teams should look to start the season as best as possible. To treat the first 2 games as a pre-season fixture sends the wrong message - to fans, to players and perhaps most importantly to the opposition.

ooh this is not a good start, we go from saying that we think we can win the title to saying the points in this game are not important!!!
Every game is important and we should aim to win every game!!! points win prizes
Getting the basics right and losing gets bugger all

Come on Mac get more positive

I agree with Mac entirely and i dont think its negative or contradictory. Saints were rubbish at the start of last year and made the grand final! Its about building momentum and peaking at the right time. We'll win so it doesnt matter anyway.

I'm with Gutterfax on this, the comments are worse than Presidents johsnons and troop increases for Vietnam.

I'm sure he believes that if we play to our plan, and as well as he say's we've prepared, then we will win.
If we do what's been good in training, but we lose through a drop goal or a last minute play the ball penalty, so be it.
If we don't play as we've trained, we haven't lived up to the team expectations and that's an issue long term.
Probably.

As a sports coach I understand where he's coming from. The performance is the prioroity for him, get that and the result could follow, but more importantly he has a solid base on which to work for the future results.

It's not the first few weeks that defines the champions, witness St Helens last year. So early results are not necessarily a good indicator of how the table will pan out - so don't be too dismayed if there are some early reverses - especially if the performances show promise. Similarly it's best not to get too carried away by a fast start, it's consistency throughout the season that is needed - and I suspect you'll find that is what BMc has in mind.

I wonder if the likes of Phil Gould, Wayne Bennett, Clive Churchill and Jack Gibson all thought that winning isn't everything?