Quote: Jake the Peg "So now the dust has settled, what is everyone's opinion of 2017 as a season? I know the cup run and wembley were amazing again and maybe will cloud our judgement on the season as a whole, but my feeling is it's not been a great season overall.
Heavy defeats at home, losing a number of games to middle 8's bound clubs, massive inconsistencies in performances and only 17 wins from 31 league and play off games tell it's own story.
For me, only castleford have really stood up and shown a decent level of consistency this year whereas most other clubs have had some good bits mixed in with some indifferent ones. This had created a big opportunity for us to go to the GF and probably win it but early season performances and 3 losses against leeds left us with a trip to headingley where we haven't won for a decade and we're out thought and out enthused on the night.
So where do we go in 2018? For me we look weaker as a first 17 but maybe marginally better placed as a squad with abdul and hadley coming back. No doubt wire, saints and wigan will be better next year and add into the mix the return of the dobbins and it will likely make next year tougher than this one.
One thing which has to be put right is our home form which has been below what you'd expect this year and almost cost us a top 4 finish.
So for me it was probably a 7 out of 10 season in SL and we must do better next year or will be sat outsider the top 4 come season's end'"
All of that and then some...
The home form was terrible..even the games we won aren't great viewing mostly. Ground out wins with a squad on paper in the top 2 before seasons start
We got points early on whilst riding our luck..played hudds with 9 out..played Wigan with even more out..played wire who were utterly terrible at the time (still dropped a point. Then we got nearly 120 put on us at home v Salford n Leeds. 45.0 at magic. 40odd by hudds at home
Saw a season best 6 performances on our season review on something. Had cas other week with 9 out and Wigan at home when they had loads out. So it's fair to say we're struggling to pick out more than 4 top games performance wise. Our size..superior squad to most and sneyds kicking got us out of jail many games
Our stat not long ago was we'd conceded more tries than scored. A terrible stat for a 3rd placed team tbh.
People saying improved attack. Barring a maverick in the middle in Kelly not much else has changed. His individual efforts have added a little more. If teams really work on nullifying our kick threat for tries we'll be bang in trouble.
Which brings me to the problem. Shaul has been great to watch at times. But lack of ball in hand threat is killing us. Utterly killing us. 4 try assists all year. Rankin has 9 already. Yes that's not his game. But that's not good enough in this age. He scores some worldies..but they tend to come in games we're well winning. In big matches that need a game breaker they're rare. Scored 2 in games We've lost this year I think. Rest in games We've won and drained the opposition and tired them out. With a fullback who could link and pass our wings would have 5 a piece more minimum
Last week our forwards didn't dominate so sneyd struggled..so Leeds got Kelly extra attention. That's it. Kicks to Connor out in the centre was our only outlet
2016 and 2017 are missed opportunities. This is a good good team at its best and it should be lifting the trophy on saturday
Next year people are saying extra pivot at 13. Nearest I see that is watts or Hadley. We don't play that way to carry a pivot. We play off being dominant. Kelly can make a fist of it if not but sneyd is redundant if not
I look around I see so much potential in the teams around us to improve
If Barba stays and combined with new coach having an off-season in saints be really strong
Wigan will be unlucky to have as many injuries. Plus wane be gone by Easter if they don't buck up
Wire right back in the mix next year by time they've completed recruitment. Masila and Currie alone would've won them a few more this year
Leeds are Leeds. Who'd have said they'd be in GF at seasons start
We don't add some new stuff and find our home form we'll miss the 4. If we'd not had fortune of Cas in last game and them resting most of the team we could of easily missed this
Now that's all a bit doom and gloom. But I'm just been honest. Check my posts back. I was saying a lot of this 5 months ago
It still hasn't sunk in we've won the cup back to back (at Wembley) which is amazing. But can a season be measured by 3 or 4 cup games a year?
I'd still say it's been a successful year in the most part. But this team was a good team on a mega foundation from the year before. So it's part success part under achievement
Sorry to be so negative but I truly believed we were going there Saturday and I've seen us at our best v both who are there and our best beats theirs!
and it said recruitment is pretty much done. I don't know why but I think we'll sign another forward as a squad player. I think the squad lacks depth now that Thompson has gone.
