Good to engage EC.

Yes his minutes are poor. Statistically and factually I think that’s a given. I assume you don’t want him to play more minutes?
His actual ability I have zero qualms with. Potentially he could be something special. I just want more of it

How many minutes did Byrne do? How many tackles did each prop do?
How many games previously has he averaged 10 metres per carry.

He is hardly blowing out his backside or asking to come off, it is simply that is how Peet wants to use him. As JonH said, the momentum swings when he comes on.

If he's playing low minutes and putting in Clubb type stats then fair enough, but when he is on the field he is clearly the dominant prop.

I'd love him to do 20 min spells, I think he could, but Peet sees it different and so far we can have few complaints because it's working.

I get where you’re coming from but with a 5 prop rotation last night, there’s only so many minutes each player can get and only so many carries available to take. Looking at the 5 lads in total, they took in over 60 carries between them. That’s huge and whilst you probably want your guy who makes the most ground per carry to be on as long as possible, I think they feel the best way to use him is in short bursts.

I must admit in one game I wouldn’t mind seeing him start and then trying to get 50-60 minutes out of him, just to see if he can do it and not become a defensive target/weak link. Last night wouldn’t be that game and nor would Saints/Catalans etc but maybe against a team missing a few or struggling for form.

Why does Peet play his best attacking threat for 80 minutes but his best forward threat for 10 minute bursts?
It just sounds totally illogical to me.

Mago’s first stint was ruined by us coughing up possession. He had 1 set with the ball.

Watch how Hull defend Mago compared to our other props.

I’m not sure he is being utilised quite right yet, it seems he is being subbed by the clock, however he scares defences as he has a strong carry and also hands.

He is the X factor in our prop rotation. He should be introduced when the game dictates it.

100% agreed, although I do think/want to see bigger mins from him (not sure what the lack of mins is down too) if possible.

Every drive, he's making ground and takes 2+ players to pin him down. He's not being dominated and there's always the potential for the offload. I'm more than happy with what he's doing when he's on the pitch. If his engine can take it and he can do more mins, he'd be like our Papalii in some respects.

What I would say however is that, if I had a choice, I'd have players like Havard and Ellis over a Mago. Big, rangy & mobile lads who can do 60+ mins if needed. They suit our style of play more than what a Mago type player does.

The morning after the night before, a very good win, over on the FC board they're generally gutted as they and let's be fair most of us thought our pack would be in big trouble last night.
They stood up to be counted, I really hope Singleton can keep churning out performances like that most weeks instead of disappearing into his shell or doing something stupid. Havard is already making a hell of a difference despite only having a couple of games under his belt.
I thought Smith had probably his best game so far for us, his movement and timing of the pass for Field's first try was top drawer and his kicking game was bob on, either finding the grass or launching high enough to get a good line set plus having the confidence to set up the 2nd dg attempt after missing the 1st.
Looking ahead I just hope we put 4 3/4"s on the pitch against Wakey instead of shoe horning a 2nd rower in at centre, very tough game coming up especially considering our recent record at their place.

Absolutely mate. Last night wasn't the best we'll be this season but there was plenty to be proud of as a fan. I walked out of that stadium pleased to have seen a team giving their all, prepared to dig in and fight when it wasn't going their way and determined enough to find a way to win after twice being behind. They did the shirts proud and that's all we can ask.

There is clearly so much improvement in this team that comments like 'we're miles off' are insulting. Did we see Bevan French at his best last night or with a few games under his belt, in a settled position and running on the firm tracks of summer will he be an altogether different animal? Would Ellis, Thornley or KPP add to that performance or is there no point them coming back as they'll add nothing? Will we be running with the three quarter line we had last night for the rest of the season? Will Marshall only make it to half time most games or us be down to 2 subs? Were the 17 who took the field operating at the very top of their potential with no improvement in them?

And then the big one: Harry Smith is our 3rd choice half. You could argue that, if Field seizes his chance when played there that he'll be our 4th choice. The lad has only had 2 starts this season. He was better than both Cust and Gale last night. At the end he won us the game for the second time this season. Yet I come on here to see nothing but criticism! Name me a team with a better 3rd/4th choice half than Harry Smith!

Look on the Hull board. Virtually everyone is saying the better team on the night won but that their team put in a decent performance. Come on the Wigan board and you'd think we lost.

Mago is potentially our best prop and as another poster has said he has the X factor therefore, unless he is carrying an injury why wouldn’t you want him on the pitch for longer minutes?

As many agree we are a work in progress albeit we are definitely improving.
Currently our main sources as an attacking threat are Field and KPP plus Mago with their offload potential. The longer Mago is on the pitch the longer we have that offload threat. To me it’s as simple as that. It’s not rocket science or critiquing a player it’s just common sense.

Genuine question Phuzzy, I’m not having a pop, but how do you see how we can beat Saints on GF?
Maybe I’m being too pragmatic or overly pessimistic but presently, unless Saints play below their high standards I struggle to see us winning.

Just on Mago. I timed him on and off last night and he did 32 minutes. That's fine in a 5 prop rotation. In fact it's fine in a 4 prop rotation when you have big minutes in the other 3 as we do. Itch makes great play of him doing short minutes in his first stint but what do you want him to do? Play on through half time? The coach chose to put him on when he did as our props were doing very well at that point. Correct decision. I don't like subbing on the 20 minute mark regardless of how the team is playing. In fact I've never got what benefits that supposedly brings.

When he was on he was a handful. Difficult to put down, busy in defence and always a threat of an offload. He sucked in 3 or more defenders on every carry.

I too would like to see his fitness increase as I thought he looked a bit gassed at the end of his second stint. Mind you, he always looks gassed. Doesn't stop him taking the next drive in or making the tackle as discussed elsewhere so maybe it's no biggie.

Would I like to see him on the field for longer minutes? Depends. If that were longer minutes but with less effect then no. If it were longer minutes with the same effect then yes. That's one for the coaching staff to figure out.

Of course we can! We probably should have beaten them in 2020 and we were nowhere near as good then as we are now.

If you're asking would last night's performance have beaten them. Depends on which Saints performance you're comparing it to. It was better than both of Saints last 2 performances so yes on those, no against Saints best.

You can't judge in round 7 how teams will be going come the Grand Final. We might be flying with an unstoppable combination of French and Field ripping teams apart. We might be awful with 9 players on the treatment table. The Grand Final isn't won in March.

All I know is last night's performance was good enough to win and showed desire, application and pride in the shirt. That'll do for round 7.