My impression of your props is that they are excellent without the ball, pretty ineffective with it. Some of their tackling is fierce and stopped our boys dead in their tracks. But when they were carrying it they rarely punched any holes and we were able to limit yardage quite easily.

That is exactly it.

Defensively we are obviously very good, but we don't make enough yards to be able to build pressure in a game or to get truly on top which is probably why we never blow sides out the water like Saints and other sides do.

It’s like Groundhog Day watching us at the minute. You know we’ll defend our socks off and look clunky in attack and more often than not we’ll get the job done.

A lot of that comes down to the lack of ground we make in the middle from an attacking POV. It is a worry because I’m not sure we can spend a full season putting this much energy in to every game and having to rely on the young forwards to see us through.

That’s my concern also. Although it’s promising to be winning games and not really making much impact in the pack, we can’t exert this much energy week in week out. We’re going to get found out eventually and Hull very nearly did that last night. I thought they just lacked some killer instinct where as we took our chances (in the main). If it weren’t for a Connor brain fart it had a 1 point winning DG either way written all over it

Wonder who’ll come in for Clubb next week ?

Clark or Kilner ?

Tommy (Smith to bench) ?

Gildart/Manfredi? (with Bibby to Centre, Faz to back row Smithies to bench?

At risk of him becoming like Escare and Hankinson (weird fan favourites who never play) I’d like Clark to have a go and say go get us 100m on 10/11 carries and the bench spot is yours for a month.

I think Tommy will be ok. I sense he’s been ‘not risked’ for a couple of weeks more than anything and with a couple of aims in mind (on top of not risking him). One has been to give Harry Smith a shot and two has been to keep a little back from Hull. He’ll have had an issue but at another time I think they may have pushed him through the games.

I think we’ll just see Leuluai for Clubb tbh with Harry Smith dropping to the bench and one of Havard or Bullock stepping up to start.

I read somewhere he was out 3/4 weeks Cas game. Think we could do with him against Hull.

I saw reports saying a couple of weeks. I’m probably wrong but he was touch and go for last week and then missed that and this week and I just thought it all seemed a bit tactical. We also played exceptionally conservatively on Thursday and it all just felt a bit like we’ve been playing a few cards close to our chest ready for next week. I’m not saying it’ll be radically different but I think Tommy may play and we’ll move the ball more.

I cannot see Clarke being like Escare and Hankinson. We all know his limitations. The issue is that I just cannot see how he could be worse than Clubb. Personally I would have thought Kilner was next in line. Interestingly enough Shorrocks and Byrne are the ones who are impressing me most. Smithies looks stronger further out but does not have the attacking ability of Farrell so I could see him moving back to the bench when the backs are back. On another note does anyone know how Kai Pierce Paul is now?

Disappointed that the OP didn't call this thread the Proplem

Same again.

Totally bullied by a bigger more experienced pack.

Saw the forecast and I expected a repeat of the Leeds semi from last year.

It’s a huge issue that needs resolving if we expect to challenge for trophies on all fronts.

It’s ok signing marquee halves but until we provide them with a platform to play it’s fairly pointless.

Don’t worry Jon if we get Williams next season we will be complete as a team

And Lam put Manfredi on the bench rather than Clark WTF

Yep - weather forecast came in and we all knew what what would happen.

Nope, everyone apart from Lam knew what would happen.

I'm probably wrong, but how long was it before we saw Bullock? Getting bullied and keeping the biggest guy we've got on the bench.