Again another baffling decision from a coach that is held in high regard. Walton should be centre or not in the squad. Other options are better at second row i.e. molloy and centre is one of our weakest positions!

I thought we play HKR next week then Warrington away the week after, then the French at home the week after that?

We do.

For me, the most concerning thing is the tackling.

Here is a link to the highlights:

[urlhttp://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/rugby-league/10167673/castleford-40-6-wakefield[/url

If you watch at the one minute mark, this is just plain embarrassing!

It seemed bad enough at the ground yesterday but, watching it like this is just horrifying.

At the video session (which I'm assuming they have but, with this shower, it doesn't pay to assume anything) hopefully there will be some very embarrassed players who feel the need to put things right.

Already at this stage of the season, is fitness rearing it's ugly head? It's hard to generate line speed and maintain structure and discipline when you're blowing like a billy goat.

People (including our coach) are mentioning the penalties. Hand on heart, does anybody really think that was much of a factor? Penalties go for and against all teams but, good teams play what's on the pitch in front of them. If you don't like penalties, be fitter and more disciplined so you don't have to be as reliant on slowing the ruck down as much.

We are falling into the same patterns as last year. Blaming outside factors that we can't influence. Take ownership of your problems, deal with them and move on.

Yes you need luck in this this game. But more often than not, the harder you work, the luckier you get.

Was going to read B Smiths post match interview this lunch time, saw it on the wildcats website this AM but appears to have been taken off WHY?.

As sad/hard as it is to say it; you've got it spot on with regards to penalties. I don't think I've heard a post match interview with Smith yet where he hasn't criticised the ref.
I understood it last year as it took some of the pressure of of the players, but continually blaming the ref and the interpretation in the UK just gives the players a cop out and they start to believe they're beaten as soon as a string of penalties go against them. That's how fans think, not coaches and players!
I have to say that, at present, your standard of fitness would concern me too. This could be down to your preseason being conducted exclusively indoors. Heavy pitches require different conditioning and you can see that the players haven't done much on them and are blowing far too early. I'm sure they'll look better on a summer pitch, but can you afford to wait till those pitches come, if they even do?!
I'm sure I'm not telling anyone anything they don't already know, but Halfback is a key area for you too and to go into the season with your hopes pinned on Finn & Miller was a massive gamble. It was all the more baffling when Godinet was allowed to leave, but it is what it is and I'm sure that what you have will be enough to stay up. The question is how much longer can you go on like this?

Fitness isn't the issue, it's turning the ball over cheaply and having to tackle on repeat sets.
It's skill and team work that needs to improve.

Can were better than us. We have to accept that.
There were a couple of things that the ref picked up that were questionable but Smith didn't say we lost because of the ref, he simply said there were some decisions he didn't like. Nothing wrong with that. Powell isn't exactly a ray of sunshine in his post match interviews when they have lost.

Smith said it was our discipline and our game management that cost us, and the fact that Cas were better.

Steady good post, especially the last paragraph which I have highlighted.

After what this club went through and more importantly, put its faithful supporters through last season I really expected to see more improvement. I would have thought that the close call in the Million pound game would have given the club a massive incentive to improve and push on. So far it looks like our leaders are just dishing up more of the same and yet again loyal supporters are being asked to like it or lump it.

At half time 18-6 one of my mates said "good half but remember last year"

I actually think the team that turned up at cas last year were far superior on paper.

That come back was influenced by the likes of

Tim Smith
Ali Lauititi (especially)
Danny washbrook
Pita godinet
Paul mchshane

Those were 5 genuinely influential players who are no longer there and frankly haven't been replaced.

The squad looks more balanced this year and deeper, however quantity has been preferred to quality it would appear.

Looking at that team yesterday there were very few match winners, especially now it seems kirmond is a spent force.

The five players I mentioned above created opportunities from nowhere and it's sorely missed.

However, I do think Wakefield just need that first win and belief will creep it's way in.

Looking at the fixtures it must be hard to see that win but it will inevitably come.

Ultimately it's still very much a bottom 4 squad, so realistically the team has 5 months to gel.

Any improvement this year will be a bonus and if that means finishing 3Rd in the middle 8 then who would complain?

Your point is well made Dave.
At the end of the day our squad is a bottom 4 squad. If they over achieve they may get 8.
Cas has a top 4 squad and if they under achieve they may get 5th.

It's not good to hear from a rivalry point of view but they are the hard facts.

Cas isn't the game to be upset about losing. We have better games ahead of us. Hull KR is a much better test of where we are. It was disappointing to lose the game in teh middle 8 against them as we had it won. We will see how we perform this time. Clearly they will spot us as a must win as well, so not going to be easy.

Our key players will need to step up. Half backs especially.

From watching the video, I don't think Finn can be criticised for not diving on that ball that led to the early try. The ball was clearly behind two Cas players and by not making a pointless dive at it, he was able to join the defensive line. The problem appeared to be that Gibson went wandering, leaving Reece Lynne exposed. In fact, the video seemed to suggest that the problem is down that side defensively, as Gibson seemed to spend most of it turning to watch someone go past him.

Some of the tackling looked woeful from a tired and beaten pack. That is inexcusable. If you can't be the best, at least be the fittest.

My take on the half-back pairing is that Finn and Miller have very similar games. The best pairings have different styles of players: one who will run the game, and another who can exploit gaps.

I'm prepared to be patient, but my willingness to give up afternoons and cash to watch pummelling after pummelling will wane quickly.

On the realistic side, however, on paper the result is not unexpected. How sides start a season is never an indication of how they finish it. Do we really think Huddersfield, Leeds or Catalan are nailed on bottom 4. On current form, you'd say yes. Who knows how the dry months will turn out.

any news on the lad who got knocked out for you guys? Looked a bit nasty initially