Quote: knockersbumpMKII "You know that really can't be done but the two years of Gentle were far more successful than Radford's and better defence/attack points wise.
However, my opinion is Radford had more experienced youth players that Gentle had just as they stepped up from academy as they had to step due to injuries to senior players.
Radford had the luxury of getting 'his team' in a third year.
Radford had the most expensive squad assembled and quality everywhere especially in the pack and in depth, soething we haven't had in a decade, oh and a relatively injury free Gaz Eliis last season.
Yeah defensively Gentle worked wonders given what he had.'"
What about the other side of the argument...
Radford's side the past two years are playing more games a year, therefore they could be more fatigued?
Radford's side in the past two years are playing in Super 8 games against better opposition in the new league structure.
How many injuries did Radford have to content with in 2015 vs Gentle?
What were the areas of expertise within their backroom staff at the time?
Basically, comparing Gentle vs Radford defensive stats is an utterly futile exercise as there are so many other variables playing a part - Radford himself was involved in both setups in different positions. A simple average points against stat isn't a reliable indicator at all, except when trying to create a stick to beat Radford with.
I would also dispute your point about certain players not improving. Is there still room for improvement? Yes. Have they improved? Also yes. Particularly Talanoa the past couple of seasons. Who else do you feel hasn't improved?
We did ship in more points down the right hand side, but every team do. That's because most teams attack down their left more often as it's usually faster to ship the ball that way with right handed players. We also had a winger playing in the hardest position to defend in at right centre.
