Quote: Mash Butty "Did we ever really replace the income from cigarette advertising? Money was on tap back in the heyday. Sad thing is there are just as many people who smoke now than back then, so it seems the only loser was rugby league. On the plus side- pubs smell better...'" And the non-smokers and people who work in them aren't subject to the dangers of smoking related cancer. Just a small point... Just to clarify your other little factoid too: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... ntury.html

Quote: Mash Butty "Did we ever really replace the income from cigarette advertising? Money was on tap back in the heyday. Sad thing is there are just as many people who smoke now than back then, so it seems the only loser was rugby league. On the plus side- pubs smell better...'" And the non-smokers and people who work in them aren't subject to the dangers of smoking related cancer. Just a small point... Just to clarify your other little factoid too: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... ntury.html

Pretty quiet again tonight I thought, yes its early in the season but just doesn't seem to be involved enough recently.

Thoughts?

I think part of it is down to Tomkins and his space creation

he is still working on being fit, the guy hasn't had a preseason.

He's completely starved of the ball since tomkins left. Sam often drew men across the field drawing in the opposition centre creating a two on one for Daz and then onto josh.
Daz was picking up assists for simply drawing the winger and setting josh free.
Without Sam daz's lack of ability isn't good enough to set josh off. He's a poor attacking centre. I don't care what anyone says.
Bowens style of passing early from second reciever would be ideal if we played with strike centres. He gives them early ball to do their thing; Goulding is not a strike centre.

Solutions.

1) play Hampshire. He plays like Sam. Runs across the line dragging players out of position creating 2 on 1s
2) play sarge with Bowen. Sarge would thrive off early ball.
3) coach Bowen to draw men and not pass early when attacking down Dazs side.

Josh last season was the top try scorer. Get him the ball and he'll score. He's not the issue.

I thought it was his best game tbh. He got through tonnes of work taking the ball out of our half and really gave the forwards a rest. He still looks short of full fitness but it's coming.

But he's not scoring tries.
Don't know where the evidence is to say he's not fit.

i thought the majority of last nights' game was played through the middle and we targeted their right hand side a lot after spotting their inefficiencies early on, despite this charnley played as well as could be expected IMO and put in his fair share - a lot better than the last few games.

If its down to bowen, how come burgess is becoming a revelation? I do suspect charnley is unfit, but burgess isnt suffering from poor ball. Thornley and goulding are comparable and sarginson has rarely looked to pass but none of this has halfed burgess.

He has a strike centre. Read my post

I would argue thornleys labelling as a strike centre. He did well last week but deprived joe burgess of the ball. last weeks performance may show he is a strike centre but in that match his delivery to burgess was poor, And so he scored the tries. I dont rate him as a strike centre, his delivery to his winger on the left is normally fine, but his decision making under pressure suffers. Maybe our opinions differ but would you say its thornleys strike ability that gives burgess space? If not, how is he making space that eludes charnley?

The evidence has been watching him at Cas limping about the place blowing out of his backside and he wasn't far off that again last week. His try record isn't quite there yet but he got two in the WCC, one at Cas and then had one turned down last week against HKR that could have gone either way. He didn't score last night but then it was a 12-4 game with three try's so the odds were always stacked against.

The supply to him will get there IMO. I thought Bowen was much more influential last night and found both wingers at times with cut out passes. He had Burgess away twice, got Charnley down the line in the second half and threw the intercept that on another works out as intended.

If Charnley plays for the next three weeks I'd back him and those around him to get his tally right up.

He's recovering from a hernia op. I don't think he'll be fully fit until April / May

Charnley, and Goulding inside him, didnt get a pass of the ball in open play all night against Warrington. This has pretty much been the case all season so far, whoever has played centre and wing down that side. We know what they can do when they get the ball and it has been shown enough the last few seasons.

The problem for me is that our entire attack from left to right is not as it was, we dont even attack that way the same as we have in previous season. There are too many in the line and no decoys, Bowen looks reluctant and hesitant to pass from left to right as he does on the left and Bateman often gets in the way and doesnt seem to know the play and if he does get the ball doesnt pass. They are 2 new players coming to terms with different attacking structures so it is all understandable and it will come good. Compare and contrast this too the left where we have Farrell who runs exactly the same lines and where Bowen is obviously much more comfortable attavking and passing. It will come but will take time.