Johnstone, Fifita, Arona, Tanginoa, Lyne, Tupou & Ashurst would all create a lot of interest from ‘bigger’ clubs should they be available. Miller would also be a better player in a dominant side alongside a decent halfback. Some of the younger guys like Jowitt Crowther & Batchelor would also be highly coveted. I’d also love to see Arundal get an injury free run as many have said he is probably our best all round centre. Much of the rest are kind of average Joes though but even so we should be getting much more out if them than we are. We ain’t a play off squad but we aren’t a 19% win/loss ratio team either.

A point to note though is of the eleven players listed above only Fifita & Tanginoa were signed by Chester, the rest were recruited by the previous coaching incumbents. Chester’s signings tend to be the average Joe’s. That is your problem right there.

on current form the only two who would get bigger clubs are tupou and TJ and both would be great for other clubs providing they can stop fit, tanginoa would also probably get a bigger club if he can discover last seasons form. Arona, fafita, ashurst, lyne who are all done great for the club Imo would only be used as a stop gap somewhere, with the exception of lyne who’s 29 their all the wrong side of 30 and their best years are behind them. The youngsters need to improve and continue to improve something I haven’t seen in any player in 2 1/2 years with players either stagnating or going backwards. Chester may of only signed two players but he’s resigned nearly all the other players. Also let’s look at his disastrous signings, gigot, brough, tangata, lino. The whole team as completely stagnated and if your not going forwards your only going one way. As for arudel he’s a good honest pro who can read the game but he’s like TJ he spends hell of a lot of time not on the field.

Whatever the disagreements about the squad surely no one can disagree with this?

kirmond said in his opening that Jordan gives 100% that’s not in question

In terms of effort and commitment I’d go as far as to say he’s gives as much if not more than any one on the pitch and he absolutely should be getting a starting shirt because of that

Chester is killing him by playing him at hooker though and killing us too
He’s doing to him what he did to max and Rocky

A hooker needs to have attacking flair, speed and be able to make positive creative decisions and most importantly attack the line

I like josh wood a lot, he’s clearly hard as nails and likes getting in to the oppositions face He’s very different to woody and that’s good but he does lack creative spark

So currently we have two hookers that struggle to create and coach who buy his own admission can’t get the players to do what he wants On the pitch

Not ideal is it

It's makes me laughing seeing so many people calling out the playing Crowther at Hooker decision. There were loads of people saying to do exactly that not long ago.
Crowther is clearly a 13 playing at 9.
But he brings defense so it's a stop gap.
If he played Harry Bowes you'd get the same people moaning he's killing him by playing him. Same as he killed Max by not playing him. Same as killing Annakin by not converting him to Hooker, same as killing Kershaw by playing him and then by not playing him.

At Wakefield you have to fix things a bit at a time. There isn't a Hooker out there in our price range that's a better option. It needs to happen for us to move forward. At the moment we are doing the best we can.
Would I play Josh Wood. Yes. Will he improve the speed of the play the ball more than Crowther, maybe but not a lot. Would we miss Crowther when he isn't on the field. Yes we would.

spot on

As regards playing crowther at hooker I was not one of those , I did suggest if we need a stop gap or developable hooker then either Brad walker or would be worth a go.

As far as I can see no one on here has criticised his efforts merely his ability as a hooker , but our problem in attack is manifest and obvious - we are incapable of creating tries. Our defence at times looks excellent but because we ain’t scoring when we are ascendant it tires and we start to drop off tackles . Where I do have a slight issue is saying he has to be on the field - where ? Certainly not at loose forward westerman is both in our leading tacklers and metre makers , in front of tanginoa really ? Personally think both Pitts and ashurst have more to offer in their all round game.

I actually think Jordan is a hard working back up back row forward , playing him at hooker I’ve never seen as he isn’t quick enough off the mark , and lacks perhaps that fleetness of mind the best hookers always have. Not quite sure why we can’t leave it at that

I get all the frustration – and I feel it just as much as any other ardent fan - but let’s put the losses into perspective: we’ve played only two games off the back of only one pre-season runout against Dewsbury; we could, and should, have won what was a close encounter against Leeds (in the very first game of the season); we were tied up at 6 a piece at half time against a Wigan side who defended brilliantly in the first half and in the second half ruthlessly exploited the enforced switch of James B into the centre following TJ’s injury (when we had a bench full of forwards). Off the back of that, people are calling for CC’s head to roll immediately, are singling out individual players for some pretty harsh and unfair criticism etc etc.. Now I’m one of biggest critics of the team and coach outside of this forum but I think we should not overreact just yet after two games.

That said, I accept that there are some pretty worrying signs in respect of our toothless attacking play even at this very early stage of the season. Just like last season and the season before, there is a bit of a deja vu feeling. I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom because there was a glimmer of improvement on display in that 20 min stint in the first half against Leeds to convince me (at least) that the group of players who CC has assembled are indeed capable of playing some decent attacking rugby. That has to be offset unfortunately by the reality that for nearly all the Wigan game, and most of the Leeds game, we were devoid of any real attacking threat.

Like previous seasons, we seem to lack any consistent structure in our attack. I look at all the NRL sides week in week out and watch how they set up in attack and think to myself why don’t and can’t we attack like they do. I’m not talking complex plays just the basic stuff: forming a deeper backline; running onto the ball and not catching it stood still and being driven back; having a number of players running at the line to confuse/keep defenders guessing as to who is going to hit the line with the ball rather than one out, predictable stuff which leads to easy defence reads and gang tackles; running intelligent lines; last tackle sets where our wingers actually compete for the ball with their opposite numbers or fullback. I don’t think any of that is really rocket science but it’s effective, it’s how you win games and it’s entertaining to watch.

The really frustrating part is that this team can do all of the above when it wants to – and, as I say, we saw a fleeting glimpse of it when they went 16-4 up against Leeds - so why don’t they do it on a consistent basis? For me, we need to be emulating (if we haven’t been) how NRL teams attack and that means getting those attacking fundamentals right. The coaches need to nail in training with the lads the plays that those NRL sides run and then make sure that they are executed come match day. It requires buy in from all the team obviously but specifically the half backs who need to grab games by the scruff of the neck and marshal the team around the paddock. It requires Miller to step up, be vocal and lead by example as captain and make sure that we stick to the script on the field and, if the team do not, to read the riot act and get the required response from his team.

If the attack continues to misfire over the course of the next 5-6 games – and I don’t think we could realistically leave it any longer than that to see the significant improvement that is required given the relegation threat (which is exacerbated by reason of the strength of the teams in the bottom half of the table) - then at that point people need to step aside and changes need to be made; for a start, a change of coach and a change of captain which for me would mean the promotion of Last and Pitts respectively.

We can’t keep relying on individual pieces of brilliance from TJ and Dave. If our attack does not start clicking as a collective – on a consistent basis and soon - then we will keep losing I fear that we will be relegated and I dread to think what that will mean for the future of the club.

dpbnov a good post but do you think there is more pressure on Miller and lino because of lack of help in attack by our 9 .The OZ teams seem to have a strong attacking one who can defend

I agree with all that.
Except the Brad Walker thing. That would just shift the issue.
We need a better Hooker.

I've said for a while but slow ball from Hooker stunts our attack.
Defenses know they can be on us before the ball has moved past first receiver.

Getting Lino improves it but it has just highlighted the 9 issue even more while Wood isn't around - and it's still a problem when he plays too just not as much.

I agree on Chester. Sadly I think the time for us to part company has arrived. I that you must be watching a different game to me though because I thought lino has impressed in both games