He's a decent lad and for the life of me, i can't understand how we miss guys like that and yet sign dross the Clarke etc.

Props like Yates are ten a penny in the NRL & the levels below, but it seems like we've got no scouting network. Guys like Lachlan Timm (a guy I'd love to see us sign), Ben Thomas or Makahesi Makatoa who was at Fev last year and now tops the NSW Cup for meters made.

No chance of you guys trying to switch shorrocks to a 13 full time to replace lockers,seems like he's got a good pair of hands and the aptitude to pass on him.

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This is the bit that concerns me. There is a line of thought our props are not making big meters because they are being saved to come up with big defensive efforts.

Sadly though week in week out we see other teams ramp up big meter stats against us, so in my mind a part of the equation isn’t working.

I still reckon part of our problem is the backs not making the meters coming out of our own 10-30 area. Hudds had Cudjoe and Price scooting from dh, landing on their front then consequently the Hudds props were on the front foot and getting fast ball of their dh.
In our 10-30 too often Powell is at dh for the first play instead of backs scooting. Our ptb is therefore so much slower and the opposition defence is in our lad's faces before they can make any ground. Our backs have to scoot from dh far more often than they are, leaving out Powell.

Yesterday was a win that we were all grateful for but a very unconvincing win. That 17 we had shoiuld have run Hudds ragged. Two days before Watson could only name 16 players and had to get loan players to make up his squad. On top of that his two hia's didn't return. We go to their place Friday and there's no guarantee of a win then.

We surely have to give Hanley a go at fb with the great benefit of Hastings playing in the halves. Lam has to get rid of the "headless chickens" look from the team and to do that he has to play Hastings at 6.

They were making ground somewhere the backs because all bar Hanley went well past 100 metres. Hanley made 86m, Marshall 166m, Gildart 154m, Hastings 214m and Bibby 122m. All Bar Hanley comfortably beat their opposite number on that score.

We can’t look past just how poor the props are in making ground. You have Yates for them making 176m, which was over 100 metres more than our best in Joe Bullock, who made 74 metres. Tony Clubb fresh from his rest took in 4 carries for 30 metres. Singleton made 56 metres, Clark and Byrne around the same. It’s a shambles really with even a guy Huddersfield don’t seem to rate in Gavet running 111 metres.

Things have to change. I doubt it’ll be this season but until it does we’re going nowhere.

i'd have Gavet if Huddersfield don't want him.

amazing how when we had Greenwood he didnt do anywhere near the minutes he did yesterday.

that is embarrassing, all of them but especially TC, hang your head in shame

That would be too easy

That's not a switch, he always plays at 13 (except for a start at centre earlier in the year). Unless you mean have him starting there or play there all game, in which case I'd agree, although he does make a big difference coming off the bench too. Shorrocks is the most underrated player in Super League for me. He's a very good ball player but for someone so skinny for a forward he's not bad at making carries.

You’d imagine Lockers had been working with him training, filling in that link role nicely, great pass for Clark’s try.

One of the issues I noticed watching the game against Hudds was how many times our forwards espeically the front row got the ball either at dummy half or from Powell at dummy half and immediately ran straight into the markers from the previous tackle and got put down without making any ground. Is this a tactic they are being coached to do or is it just poor play, as it means a wasted tackle and no (or very little gain) - might explain some of the poor stats for carries.

It seems to be a tactic the main drawback is the players never disrupt the defensive line so as you pointed out tackles are wasted. If you had players busting tackles and drawing defenders in then there would be space further wide.

I don’t think there’s anyway excuses for a prop not to run as hard as he can and make ground on a drive, taking it in and giving up is pointless. It draws defenders in and creates spaces out wide.

The only other tactic I’ll have when it’s they’re not doing that is getting a roll on, hitting the defensive line at speed (making some ground) with a quick PTB to create chaos in the defensive line and open up gaps in the middle.

We don’t do either. Our props tend to trundle it up half hearted and get dominated.

Does anyone else feel the refs are a bit lax these days on markers not being square? Obviously one of the benefits of a quick p-t-b is that you can catch the markers not square, get a penalty/6 again call. But it seems to me refs aren't as strict on that these days, and pens are seldom given.