No it doesn't, but some people are going on like we lost to the 86 Kangaroos.

If we had lost to a team of that standard I don’t think many people would complain

Personally I’m just peed off because it was obvious how Hull would play and Lam hadn’t got a clue again why we didn’t turn up when it mattered
I don’t like losing but if we give it our best shot and lose at least that can soften the disappointment but yet again we turned up empty of ideas and senior players just not turning up

Quote Rogues Gallery="Rogues Gallery"We have the top metre maker in Superleague and four in the top twenty. https://www.superleague.co.uk/stats/player-stats https://www.superleague.co.uk/stats/club-stats'" Metres made after contact is the big stat for me. Can run 250 metres in a game but 200 could be unaposed. Bet our prop forwards metres after contact is by far and away the worst. In fact i bet walmsley has more mertres gained after contact that all our props put together. The problems are obvious and have been for 18 months.

Quote Rogues Gallery="Rogues Gallery"We have the top metre maker in Superleague and four in the top twenty. https://www.superleague.co.uk/stats/player-stats https://www.superleague.co.uk/stats/club-stats'" Metres made after contact is the big stat for me. Can run 250 metres in a game but 200 could be unaposed. Bet our prop forwards metres after contact is by far and away the worst. In fact i bet walmsley has more mertres gained after contact that all our props put together. The problems are obvious and have been for 18 months.

Quote Rogues Gallery="Rogues Gallery"We have the top metre maker in Superleague and four in the top twenty. https://www.superleague.co.uk/stats/player-stats https://www.superleague.co.uk/stats/club-stats'" This in my view is reflective of one of the main problems at the club atm. We're covering up our weaknesses by pointing to our strengths. I don't even need to click on that link to know that Liam Farrell will be on that list, probably Zak and Bateman as well. OK - we have players who let our front rowers off the hook and make a lot of metres - that doesn't mean that our front row still isn't weak. Yes - we're capable of defending our line for long periods (e.g. the superhuman effort in the GF) but it doesn't mean that there isn't a clear problem that we need to do that in the first place. In 2018 we won a Grand Final without kicking a goal - it doesn't mean goal kicking isn't a weakness that needs addressing.

Quote Rogues Gallery="Rogues Gallery"We have the top metre maker in Superleague and four in the top twenty. https://www.superleague.co.uk/stats/player-stats https://www.superleague.co.uk/stats/club-stats'" This in my view is reflective of one of the main problems at the club atm. We're covering up our weaknesses by pointing to our strengths. I don't even need to click on that link to know that Liam Farrell will be on that list, probably Zak and Bateman as well. OK - we have players who let our front rowers off the hook and make a lot of metres - that doesn't mean that our front row still isn't weak. Yes - we're capable of defending our line for long periods (e.g. the superhuman effort in the GF) but it doesn't mean that there isn't a clear problem that we need to do that in the first place. In 2018 we won a Grand Final without kicking a goal - it doesn't mean goal kicking isn't a weakness that needs addressing.

A couple of good results and all of a sudden the problems faded into the background. The problem is that they did not go away. If we are suddenly on our haunches if a player who makes three carries a game is banned then things are worse than I thought. Whatever Lam says pushing Smithies into the middle will not give us any go forward. Byrne had a mare but has been a stand out this season though I cannot see why he was not pulled out earlier and why was Bullock given so little game time. If he was not injured then we should be questioning the decision making.
This team could have a fabulous season but we just do not have the right players in the right positions. I do not know what we can do about French, who seems a shadow of his former self, except to move Hardaker. On yesterdays performance I would not criticise any individual other than to say that higher up decisions need to be taken with some kind of longer term plan being sorted out.

I see on the other site people calling for us to look at Hurrell as a centre. Now there is a player who could transition to a prop.

Agree with this.

Yes out wingers are making big meters. They always do.

It’s our failure to stop other teams making big meters and our lack of ability to make big meters between tackles 2-5 which is killing us.

We have a soft belly that consistently loses contact in the middle of the park in both attack and defence.

You can’t hide that with wingers making good kick returns.

Why would you stifle the running elusive power of Hurrell by having him run 3 or 4 metres straight at seasoned forwards ahead of him?

Wouldn’t want him in the centre never mind playing out of position in the pack.

I think that is a really good post. A team is only as good as its weakest link and the only way we are going to improve is to rectify those problems. The return of Manfredi and Marshall is important as we should make far more ground from kick returns, which in turn should ultimately put us on the front foot. It will be interesting to see if that enables our props to make more of an impact later in the tackle count, if not, then it is definitely time for change.

The other issue with our defence is our line speed. We need to replicate what we did in the GF on a regular basis. Hull did it to us last week and stifled the life out of us.

If Gildart departs then, in my view, we need two strike centres because what we have got is not good enough.