Radford said that the team lacked cohesion after Westerman went off in the London game, so he is aware of the problem.
Backup plans are unlikely to succeed if there isn't another player capable of taking his place.
If there was such a player, we wouldn't be struggling the way we are at the moment.

He should have a backup plan, even it involves changing the tactics and not using the LF like that.

But what you're really saying is that he should have a backup plan that works - if only it were that easy.

If we can't beat Wakefield with a 12-0 HT lead, when your best player goes off, then you have to question the coaches tactics, especially when he seemed to know that we would struggle if it happened from the London game.

At 16-0 he should have had Houghton and Heremia (At LF) on, and told the players to close the game out with safe disciplined rugby.

Maybe that's what he told them.

I think stats can be useful/interesting, but it's important to apply context. As you say, Whiting has played at centre, so I've disregarded those games for comparison. I've not bothered to look at Tuson as I didn't advocate him ahead of Whiting. As said in my post, I'd have gone with Carvell and then Thompson in the back row. So, Whiting v Hadley:

- Hadley has averaged more tackles, but less completion. Makes sense given comparative gametime/workload, about even.
- Whiting has averaged more errors, but this also makes sense because he offloads more. About even again.
- Discipline about level.
- Carrying the ball. This is where Hadley is ahead. He averages more metres per carry, and has made more tackle busts in less games than Whiting.

So based upon stats, I'd say that Hadley looks slightly ahead, which is how I already thought, tbh. I would add 2 further points which I think are pertinent, too. Firstly, Hadley's performances have been improving IMO, so that is further reason to give him the nod currently. Secondly, with the stats being so close, it's easy to forget that we're comparing someone in their first real season to someone in their testimonial year still in their prime years. To me, that says a lot about Whiting's performances if he's about on par (and IMO even below) a rookie.

Do you give any credit for Whiting's X factor ? He has the occasional flash of brilliance, whether that's a good interception, ball steal etc. Just a thought.

I'll give credit when he does it. IMO, this season, he hasn't in the second row. Correct me with examples, I may have just forgotten.

Fair enough, wasn't trying to be clever. I agree he's been quiet this season, bit of a penalty machine too. Hadley is a good prospect but he's what my uncle would call an honest rugby player, by that he generally means a solid drive with not a lot of flair.

The most disappointing part of Whiting's game for me is the amount of silly penalties he gives away. For someone who quite clearly has an excellent rugby brain he doesn't half do some stupid stuff. I think the difference this year is that we've not seen enough of his good side to counteract it yet.

Nothing wrong with that, particularly at this stage of Hadley's career. All teams have some like that in them, and he may well have plenty still to come in his game.

But to reiterate about context, 2 of those tries came at centre. So it's 2 of each in 6 games, vs. 1 of each in 4. Whiting has done a little better at those than Hadley, but not that much.



I don't disagree about this week.

Wakefield got a sniff, started throwing the ball about a bit, realised if they upped the intensity a fraction, we wouldn't match it because as a team, we where not up for it, I reckon it's become a game plan for other teams, start slowly, let us think it's a stroll in the park, then booooooooom , smash and grab haha especially the teams we are expected to beat! On serious note, can we just get somebody doesn't matter if radford stays or not, but just someone who can string a sentence together before the match and at half time, somebody who actually talks a bit of sense! I'd love to be a fly on the wall in our changing room, I bet it's cringe worthy

... a bit like this post.