Quote: thehullwhitestar "Our pack of 2005 was one of the best in SL. Since then it has steadily gone backwards to the point where now, our pack of 2008 and 2009 is one of, if not the, worst packs in SL.
Not big enough, not aggressive enough, offers zero go-forward and still contains the likes of Radford, King, Thackray, Dowes. This is the main reason that we have quickly become a bottom four side from being in a position of strength not so long ago.'"
Radford is the only one of those who wasn't in the 2005 pack.
The main difference between our pack now/last year and the pack of 05/06/07 is the lack of Carvell. Stick him in our pack now and it'd be a very different proposition.
Another difference between how it is performing now and how it was is that lack of direction from the halves. Cooke and Head both did this well. Dykes did too when he played. We don't have anyone to do that job currently though.
Quote: thehullwhitestar "Which, TBF, wasn't the question. '"
For 'did a good job' read 'dominated the opposition' regularly. Obviously only once Kear had gone and Sharp came in and changed the attacking structure.
And 2005's did struggle for large amounts of the league campaign, most notably when Swain was out. This was a pack, let's not forget, that contained Dowes, McNicholas, G Horne, Higgins and, on occasion, Hill, Bailey and Last, none of whom would really be considered more than 'average' and all of whom would be players most on here would want releasing if they were still here (as a couple are). It also contained King and Thackray, both players who are still here, both players who have done a decent job this year and both players who most seem to want rid of.
The majority is not a lot different to the pack that was considered one of the best in the league, it's just the one or two additions that elevate it. Crocker and Lauaki, for example.
