Whilst not being a quantum leap (we are working with much the same personnel after all) there has definitely been some tweaks and changes that make us a better team to watch when it clicks. Think Catalans at home, Hull KR on Easter Monday or the first halves vs Castleford away or, to a lesser extent, Warrington at home a couple of weeks ago.

We are getting the ball wider more quickly and Williams has a more roving brief, although I personally feel we will only see the full effect of this particular change next year when Hastings comes in as this is far more his style than George's, who tends to be more left side dominant.

We are slowly regaining the steel and aggression in defence that we lost, to some extent, early season. Certainly few fans would want change in that area so it's good to see we still have that in spades.

Not the finished article yet but, with the addition of O'Loughlin and Flower in a couple of weeks and hopefully Bullock shortly after that, I think we'll be a few steps closer to it.

I think that bullock is out for the season. If he is available then it will be right at trend of the season therefore, lam will be reluctant to use him due to lack of game time.

The main reason I think we won't win the gf is that we don't have enough in attack to beat saints particularly down the middle. Another injured prop and we are up shoite creek without a paddle.
I'm just enjoying the ride up the table and listening to the squeaky bums over the hump.

I heard back mid playoffs but I get what you're saying about game time. However his availability will at least go some way to negating your point regarding another injury to a prop, so fingers crossed. Just one other point worth mentioning here; I reckon Saints are just another injury to a prop from completely self imploding. Take Walmsley or Thompson out of their front row and they're a busted flush. In that scenario I'd take us to win all day long.

This season has been a strange one but here we are, 2nd in the league and most people's tip to make the GF. Who'd have thought it? Like you say, I'm just enjoying the ride!

Far from squeaky bum, I'm hoping we play you rather than Wire if we get there.

Nobody else has a chance of reaching the final outside those three IMO, unless Hull turn in a couple of their "on" days, but back to back performances aren't really their thing.

Maybe not yourself FTV but a few on Redvee have definitely been spooked by the cc loss and it's nice to read some of the posts on there.

To be fair I think if/when we play I'm pretty sure it will be Saints who will come out on top. I think that the only way we would have a chance is if you had injuries to Thompson and Roby.

I think we just have a different opinion on the season. Yes it could have been worse, but it could have also been better-way better. He didn't take over an under-performing team, he took over current champions, even with the departing players he inherited a worthy group...so that's by the by.

You make many valid points regarding injuries, we've had our fair share. However I look at overall performances, even now when we're heading towards the back 9 of the season we're still not playing well. I don't know if you saw anything of the Wakey game or the Wire game before the CC final, we're just not putting in excellent 80 min performances...while I'm more than happy to see how the season has turned around and now we're second (thank god) we're not seeing a team playing at a level which looks capable of winning the GF.
I don't think realistically anyone can say the performance v Wakey was a good one, we've had more bad performances than good this season, you can work through the fixtures, and I hate to say it, more absolute stinkers than amazing performances.

Considering this... I think a 6/10 overall is about right.

However... I do agree with your final comment, my verdict is 'this season so far'... I think next season, when Lam has had time and the introduction of new personnel, we could very much see a much better side.

I think that is pretty spot on.

Our attack this season hasn't been as good as previous seasons. We played a 'machine like' attack which was very well structured, even though some said it was predictable it was hard to stop.
Last season things were kept simple yet effective which each player only given limited options in their role, the downside being a lack of individual creativity, the upside being they could hit a play at great speed as everyone pretty much knew what they were doing...

For example, dummy half was a passing 9' goal...clear the ruck with passing getting the ball to either half who played on either side of the pitch, they then could hit the first man on the short... usually a SR or play deep hitting Sam on the overlap coming in as a second receiver creating an overlap out wide.
So... halves had really 3 options... show and go, play short to the SR, or hit Sam round the back.
SR has limited options, run the ball, find Sam round the back or find his centre or wing man.
Sam has options as the link, run the ball, find his centre or a cut out to the winger.

Each player has limited options but this means you can play what's in front of you and the team pretty much knows what to do, highly structured, yet effective.
Lockers in play also acts as a link man linking the halves.

In 2019 we've seen a few changes. Zak isn't as effective as Sam as a second receiver, it's changes the movement and link out wide when the FB links.
Powell seems to have been allowed to run the ball more from dummy half.
We're holding a 'flatter line' with more players in the line we're swinging it at pace outside to try and pass the opposition middle 3rd to catch them with pace...usually trying to to get the ball to Williams or Gilly out left.

We're a little bit more free this season with the roles...so far it doesn't look as crisp or effective with players in motion. However, with a pre-season, inclusion of Jackson Hastings as a creator with French playing off him (I hope this look for this rather than splitting the halves) with Zak playing more as a support down the middle, we could see a completely different look.

My only concern is... if you're playing with an 'old school' 7 who controls left and right sides playing tighter to the ruck, what do you do if Hastings is injured? I don't particularly feel confident with anyone else in our squad running the plays with creativity and freedom.

Either which way... we'll beat Saints when we need to...

Fair comment, it's all down to different opinions in the end and I can't say I disagree with much you say to be fair. It's more the interpretation of the same data, so to speak. Far worse can be equally seen as far better. It all depends if you're a glass half full or half empty type of person.

You say we've played more poor games than good and, again, I'd agree. However all the stinkers were at the beginning of the season and, as we now sit in 2nd with our destiny in our own hands, those are largely irrelevant. Had we missed out because of them, that would have been a different story, but now all that matters is recent form and I would argue that is a different matter.

The last 11 games have brought only 1 loss. Those performances have ranged from average to good overall with pockets of excellence. Is that good enough to win the GF? Well, it's significantly better than Wire's and Saints performances have, as last season, been tailing off at the back end of the season. The loss at London, the struggle against a championship team in the semi final and a resounding bottle job in the final among them. Last Friday they were again worse than anything we've served up in months! So in answer to that question I would say "it shouldn't be but, in reality, it probably is". We would only need to see a Catalans at home or Hull KR on Easter Monday, an 80 minutes like the first half away at Castleford or, in truth, a dogged defensive display like we saw from Warrington at Wembley for it to happen.

I'm certainly not saying we're the finished article but, perhaps where we differ, is I've seen enough improvement in the team to believe we may well do much the same as last year. Don't forget everyone, yourself included, was saying we weren't good enough last year and it was only come the playoffs that we became the 'champion team' that you say Lam inherited.

We might do as well as last season, you're right. We might go undefeated in the playoffs and win the GF, if so I'd gladly change my scoring; of course. But at this stage I'm reviewing the season so far, not the hypotheticals of what might happen; which is impossible to do.

Re last year. At one stage I would have given the 'season so far review' a poorer result, obviously, we weren't looking like a winning side, but things changed and we finished on a stormer, so of course I'd change my thoughts and scoring considering the new information considering how well we performed at the end of last season, that's when we became a champion side, which is the simple facts of the matter, as we won the championship.

I am however excited to see what this season brings, I still have faith that we can improve, put together 80 min performances and, fingers crossed be back to back champs come October; which after the start we had; would be pretty fantastic.

Interesting take. I can see why you would be confident, but that one loss was to the team you say are doing worse on the back of losing with deliberately weakened teams at London and a loss in the cup to the team you lost to in the cup.

Realistically, ignoring deliberately weakened teams at London, we've lost one game in the league in early April. We're going for a 100% home record this weekend.

The recent dip in form over the same 11 game sequence you refer to has included (other than weakened teams at London):
- nilling a team battling for the play-offs in a meaningless game for us
- 30+ points on Leeds/Wire away in games where they needed points but were meaningless for us
- easy win over Wakefield
- easy win over Wigan
- 40 points on Hull away
- another win over wire away
- another 30+ point score against Leeds
- easy win over hudds

I think you have every right to be confident in Wigan's improvement and no question you have every chance of winning the GF. But I struggle to see that respective form is the reason for that.

The current 17 won't beat Saints or come close. However, with Flower, Lockers and maybe Bullock back that could change things, especially in a one off game where the pressure will be on Saints.

Apart from differences in opinions in regards to inconsistent form and the standard we’re at, I think it’s important to highlight where coaching has been an obvious influence. Powell for example is a far better player the last few months following a change in coaching. Marshall, Hankinson, Partington, Sarginson, Smithies, Williams are examples of players who have improved under Lam. It took a while but it’s now evident and with a full Pre-season plus the addition of quality that’s coming in, we have a heck of a lot to be positive about.