Quote Cruncher="Cruncher"The other thing is - Finch and Lima have copped a lot of stick since arriving here, but how many of last year's team of unstoppables have played anything like as well this year?
For me, only Sam Tomkins has been a consistant performer. Joel, Lockers, Tommy and George have all blown hot and cold. Prekky and Moss have done okay, but I think Coley has been less effective. McIlorum has tried hard, but I don't think he's the answer to our hooking problem. In the second row, I reckon Faz is now better than Hansen, but he still doesn't get as much game time.
If you look at the away league fixture at Leeds last year, when we crucified them, all of these guys were absolute dynamite. We haven't seen anything like that this year yet.
So picking on two of the three new boys - especially when one has been seriously injured and the other has had minimal game time thanks to suspension - is a bit short-sighted, IMO.'"
Agreed - we are a bit off the boil compared to last year and are missing the guile and change in play that Piggy gave us - together with missing Fielden who's has been the mainstay of our pack for the past couple of years.
Combine this with Richards missing the season start (look how much better we are with him in the team - takes pressure off sam at FB, & he get's us at least a couple more points a game with kicks) Gleeson saga, playing St George, Maguire, it's been a pretty disruptive start to the season.
Finch is struggling to get to grips with coming back from injury, adapting to a key position without having had much if any prep time with the squad, and expectations from fans that we have signed cronk rather than finch - he's definately more of an organiser and playmaker rather than a game breaker - some fans will never be happy with that. He is struggling with his game but this form isn't the player maguire signed.
Lima - bad (and probably harsh) start with the disciplinary has put him under the spotlight and every thing he does (or doesn't) is now magnified 100x.
If we can keep the results going while we are struggling with form and stay in touch at the top 4 then we will come stronger in the 2nd half of the season and the criticism of these 2 from 3 imports will go (apart from the usual lifetime moaners........)...