Don't think his standards have dropped. It's just he's had a few games based more on graft. He'd scored a couple of tries n showed some nice stuff but a lack of a steady 6 giving him some decent ball has made him seem a bit less effective
I'd fancy he'll be back in the tries when pryce gets back
Also Manu's work on the floor is unmatched in out team. League even. Works the floor brilliantly

It's such a mixed bag this season so far, from depressing lows to exaltation.
Great start and looking like we going to blow teams away to abysmal performances for the next three (despite the closeness of the Cas & Wigan games we were bang average)
The five game run showed we can show spirit and can hang on in and grind results which we weren't doing previously, oh and some certain amount of talent.
The turning point of our season has to be the KR game, a great, great comeback, amazing feeling from fans and players and from that wins against two top teams which is a feather in Radford's cap.
Losing against Leeds is a real dissapointment and still highlights two mistakes Radford repeats and has done on numerous occasions.

We have some gumption and heart and attacking wise we look a hell of a lot better when we actually get our act together whereas the last two seasons we just haven't, we are playing better as a whole, there are signs and a belief by the fans we really can beat anyone and could well be serious contenders but the players are making the same type of errors also that are costing us and at times we have looked fragile.
Thus far I think we are a strong 7.5/10, there's definitely room for improvement, we can definitely play better, we have an immense squad and first 17 and if Radford and the players can cut out making repeat errors and continue with the good stuff we will make a dent at the back end of the season.

Beating Wakey is really important right now before facing Catalans.

How can we have been both "abysmal" and "average" in the Cas and Wigan games?

Otherwise a fair post.

Happy, but could still go either way. Be interesting to bring this thread back up if we happen to lose to Wakefield and Catalans - entirely possible given their form - in the next two games.

Of the defeats, the Castleford one was particularly unfortunate and I think we'd win that game if it were played now we've tightened our edges up defensively. But Leeds on Friday was a poor result, and however hilarious the derby was we weren't good there for an hour against the worst team in the competition.

We are, for all the money spent and excellent recruitment, already reduced to playing Danny Washbrook at 6, which he never has been and never will be. We're an injury to Sneyd away from God know's what, likewise Houghton who has been superb.

With the players we have fourth is the least we should expect, and fourth is where we are, so that's fine. Like I say, let's look in again next Friday night. Massive pair of games coming up. It's very delicately balanced at the moment - beat Wakefield, beat Catalans, secure in top four with winnable games to come. Lose one, or both, pick up an injury to Sneyd or Houghton and the whole thing can go down the tubes again.

Abysmal overall for the three games, large chunks of the Cas and Wigan matches we were garbage but did show some bright sparks so i classed those as just below average (using bang average usually infers not just average but well below par but not utterly shiate),
I also used bang average to tone it down so as to not give the usual suspects any ammunition to jump on my post and start throwing insults/making inflammatory comments because they disgree with my opinion/choice of words..oh wait, no ammo needed
We are going ok though but the ups and downs are still far apart. We haven't won more of the close games than we lost which is a failure in LR eyes but we have beaten Saints/Warrington/Catalans.
We have a fantastic squad of players with the likes of Bowden really showing he's a class act this season, we already know about Shaul, Ellis, Houghton and Minichello, it's a team that really should be top 4.

Just think if Radford stops picking players whom aren't fit to play more than 10 mins or use them for more than 10 mns which he's done a few times already this season and ensure we have a specialist half on the field instead of someone who is neither fish nor fowl that could be the difference in very close games..Friday's for instance.
Players need to step it up regarding same old penalty issues. Smarten their thinking, Radford should be screaming in their ears (via the trainer) to remind them especially on defensive sets, the amount of times that Michaels has been left with an overlap against him this season has been ridiculous.

Win against Wakey and we are set up for a hell of a match against Catalans which will show if we are up to being contenders or not for the remaining half of the season.

Can't disagree with him about Abdull if that is the case. I'm really disappointed because I was looking for him to basically take Pryce's place in the team on merit this season but he's miles away. Everybody was bad at Widnes fair enough but he was like a turnstile in defence against Warrington, when the rest of the team was great, and they targeted him every time. His conditioning is unforgivable. At that age, with the amount of sport he's doing daily, the only way you can be that fat is eating and drinking too much rubbish.

Completely agree. If abdul can't get himself into shape at 20 in a full time professional sports environment, then he never will. I don't care how talented he is, his physical condition isn't up to top flight RL so if he can't get himself in shape then I'd let him go when his contract ends

If he's not training/conditioning properly then maybe there are other issues that we're unaware of?

I believe that despite all the talent and depth in the squad, keeping Ellis on the park and leading the team through the tough times is essential. If he'd played on Friday I believe we would have won. He's been that good this season in my opinion. Time and again we struggle when he is off the park (20 mins he was off vs Wire fort example). He brings that certain X to the team. Seems to lift them as he leads from the front and is there with the orders. If we have him in the 17 for 80% of the remaining games I feel top 4 is the minimum we can achieve.

Overall though I predicted a top 4 finish and I have faith we will remain in the 4. Final positions comes down to luck But the game against Widnes and 60 minutes against Rovers show how fragile our faith can be. (I'm not talking fickle fans). We need to be consistent and must string together performances that raise the crowd and build confidence.

The defeat to Wigan was a blow. They imho have been below average this season and yet they still have a culture within their ranks to pull off the wins when the games are tight. (I ignore their game against Wakey as I honestly can't see that happening again, and suspect some may have played their last games in cherry and white). Castleford game was a wake up call which took us 160 minutes to recognise. We honestly should not be losing at home.

I've been particularly impressed with Bowden, Houghton and Washy. I was one who saw no apparent reason for bringing Washy back, but I have been mightly impressed with his performances. Nothing spectacular but he does all the basic stuff brilliantly and lays a platform for the stars of the show.
Houghton has been a reverlation. I never considered him to be international material. Too slow round the ruck with his delivery. But he has come on really well this season so far. I just hope he stays fit for the season.

I'm disappointed that Yeaman is still star of the show. Logan for me showed his inexperience and cost us on several occassions. Hopefully he is learning and will be back better and stronger.

I could go on, but I think we are all just about on the same hymn sheet. Going well. So far so good. Certainly plenty of room for improvement, but equally this year is as good a year as I can remember for us to give it a good go. It will be great to see Wire, Catalans and us in the top 4 come the end, just to shake things up a little. But its a long way to OT and Wembley. I worry about our mobility in the heat of the summer. But thats for then. I'll just enjoy the moment for now. I'll even be listening to radio 4 on Thursday and hoping for a bit of luck there.

Whilst I agree with the above statement, I also think having Shaul would've won us the game. We made far more meters and the massive difference was the lack of support play for those breaks. Shaul would've been backing Frank up each time and we'd have been laughing as Leeds had their heads down. We let their confidence grow, you could feel it happening from Western Terrace and as South Stand grew louder, so did Leeds. We need to be the type of team that puts teams to bed and doesn't allow them to gain confidence, and support play clearly needs to be a priority for all players, not just Shaul!!

leeds made almost 100 more metres than us on the night

The three clubs above us have won 8 lost 3 so I'd agree 7 v 4 is not a bad return. Radford is nursing the squad through a part of the season where I believe injuries have hit us badly in the past - especially when feeling the need to get them back before fully recovered. Keeping players on the sideline until they are fit and taking the odd risk with team selection (like against Warrington and Leeds) will hopefully pay dividends at the "business end" of the season. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing the team play on firmer, drier grounds (not artificial ones).

Feeling more and more hopeful that some of my bets might well come in - the odds have certainly shortened since the start of the season.

We started with a new blend and they nor we didn't how good it would be. Half way through we know we are actually pretty good. The brain fart apart, our few losses have been even narrower than last year's. We've learnt game management, we now have the mind set to win games from behind. If from this good start Radders can instill hunger and desire rather than over confidence and complacency that has been before then we might just be in the mix up for a shiny pot with ribbons on it.

Sidewards doesn't count!!!