So where’s your scenario of not getting out of 3rd coming from? You are surely just speculating that without any evidence.

How about we were playing a team with no playmaker and their second game in six days and were incapable of playing better?

So you think that our performances against York and a depleted Leeds were better than our performance against Wakefield?

We’ve played 4 poor or weakened teams and in 320 minutes we’ve been on the back foot for the majority of the minutes.

I understand the injuries but what I think is that even at full strength we will fall short.
Peopare also assuming that Marshall and Manfredi will just slip back in with assured ease. Manfredi has hardly play for 4 years and maybe his best days unfortunately are behind him and Marshall may have lost that vital pace he had.

I’m basing it on the fact we never had to lift the intensity.

Do I think we played better last night than we did against Wakefield? Yes.

Don’t really count York as it’s a different competition.

Wakefield are a bottom 2 side. Leeds will be too 4 or 5.

3 from 3 and in the cup showing glimpses of pure quality but playing within ourselves as I see it.

I think we will have a more realistic view of where we are in the next month but so far I don’t see too much to moan about.

Icing on the cake would be a quality Prop becoming available however I think we may have to wait a little longer for that to happen.

Will have to disagree on Bateman Farrell and Isa. Yes the issue is at prop but that back three won’t improve the situation.

A lack of a decent kicker goes back to 2013 the lack of decent props predates that.

Teams will find us out. They will all play too our weakness which is in the middle. I don’t think we can defend at the current intensity throughout the full length of the season.
Hope I’m wrong but unless Bullock is holding back then apart from Harvard and maybe Byrne the rest of the front row options are far too weak.

You cannot ignore York just because it was the CC

Like you I was relaxed that we wouldn’t lose last night because they had zero options on the last in practically every set of six. More a case of their inadequacies than our capabilities

Agree with you 100% about the next month or so.

I’m not complaining just think that this will be another year under Lam where we will fall short when it really counts

Journeymen forwards? Most of them came through our own academy.

It will definitely be interesting to see how the backline is adapted if French and Manfredi are OK for next week. French straight to fullback or replacing Hanley on the wing? Bibby to centre or keep him on the wing? Farrell or Isa if we only need one stand in centre?

French
Bibby
Zak
Faz (purely because it's the left side)
Dom

Back 3 of:

Isa
Smithies
Bateman

I’m not ignoring York. I thought we went ok and did a professional job. We certainly weren’t poor.

It was similar to the game last night we never had to dig in because they never looked like challenging us.

Bibby and Zak went well last year so leave them there. Although, Bibby did play left side for Salford so I'm not sure it would be too much of a struggle for him to move.

My personal view is that Hardaker may actually be better on the wing than at centre. Great under the high ball, would return kicks strongly and be a more than decent finisher.

I'd be tempted to go:

French
Manfredi
Isa
Bibby
Hardaker

But swap Hardaker and Bibby and I think you have Lam's preferred backline (without Gildart and maybe Marshall).

I would say that Liam Farrell is better than Bateman

I was pleased with last nights game and performance. We are exactly where we need to be at this stage in the season with so many players out.

The only worrying thing for me is hardakers kicking. It is not good and could cost us one day. I don’t care if he’s the best one knocking them over in training, he isn’t doing it when it matters and needs to give someone else a go. There’s been 2 the past 2 weeks that haven’t even made the distance.

Yep that is exactly what I meant.
Guilty as charged m’lud.
Bateman and Farrell aside that is exactly what our pack is. Hopefully young Havard will join that duo.

Having journeymen is not a disparaging remark in fact all good teams need them particularly in a capped sport.
We just have too many for the prop position and to a lesser degree in the second row. We don’t have a loose forward of any description. Powell is decent but just short of being top class.

Our work ethic and discipline for me is the best in the competition but unfortunately for us that usually isn’t enough to win silverware.

I think in defence of Lennigan and Radlinski the unlikely act of Hastings actually triggering his 2nd year option probably derailed any plans in acquiring a new decent prop.
Offsetting that is the fact that the club thought that Clark was good enough and now apparently Clubb is good enough to go around for yet another season.