: Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:11 pm  

Thought it was a cracking game,,,only gripe was i don*t know if it was me or Sky but i had a lot of interference,,(picture freezing ,sound out of sync)

: Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:15 pm  

We're not a bad side, but are not playoff quality yet. We have come a long way since last year and if we show a similar level of improvement next year then we could be in a position to challenge for honours.

Our defence is the main problem, but we also just lack the quality of the top sides when it comes to our players. We do have a pretty good team work ethic and we do have some quality young players.

If we can win our last two games and enter the playoffs with some form (we need to get the likes of Shifty & Goldie playing near their best again) then we may be able to do something, but to be honest I feel that if we can just make the playoffs this year then that would be a great achievement.

The game was OK tonight, Wigan played well in parts, but always seemed to be playing within themselves. Everytime we came back Tomkins would just pop up and score another try!

: Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:22 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Leuluai has been our player of the season without doubt. He's really coming of age and is a very important player for us.

I thought Chase played pretty well for Cas. He's always a threat and caused no end of problems. If i were a Cas fan i'd have just liked to have seen him get a few more options around him. He was crying out for runners all game and didn't really get them.

Agree with that. Leuluai had another good game and he's been a great player for you this year.

It seems at the moment that we give the ball to Chase, stand back and hope he can do something. He needs an on form Sherwin to link upto again with the likes of McGoldrick, Owen, Shenton etc. making runs around them to link up with the play. We do get it to click some times and I guess it's only to be expected that things aren't quite coming off at the moment with the likes of Sherwin being out for the past few months. Once the team is used to playing together again, with the workload shared more (so not everything goes through Chase) then we should be a force again. I just hope that we can do that over the next two games.

: Mon Aug 24, 2009 7:47 am  

I saw Castleford at their most dangerous when they started to speed up around the ruck. I'd say that they are they quickest side I've seen around that area in Super League this season, but it's obviously very hard to maintain. When the play the balls were quick it wrong footed our defence, allowed you to get a roll on and you're back rowers and three quarters were able to pierce gaps.

An area where I saw Castleford less dangeorus was attacking out of their own half, particulary from a kick restart. I didn't think your widemen and forwards combined well enough to work out of their own half and the kicking was pretty poor.

I think a mistake was made putting Chase to hooker. My heart was in my mouth every time he had ball in hand as is turn of pace, step and vision is absolutely superb and he is totally wasted at hooker.

: Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:26 am  

ABP' wrote:

I saw Castleford at their most dangerous when they started to speed up around the ruck. I'd say that they are they quickest side I've seen around that area in Super League this season, but it's obviously very hard to maintain. When the play the balls were quick it wrong footed our defence, allowed you to get a roll on and you're back rowers and three quarters were able to pierce gaps.

An area where I saw Castleford less dangeorus was attacking out of their own half, particulary from a kick restart. I didn't think your widemen and forwards combined well enough to work out of their own half and the kicking was pretty poor.

I think a mistake was made putting Chase to hooker. My heart was in my mouth every time he had ball in hand as is turn of pace, step and vision is absolutely superb and he is totally wasted at hooker.

I'd agree with that, a very fair round up. Regarding Rangi Chase, I think it was simply because Ryan Hudson got a back injury meaning we had no other nine in the side.

All in all I was proud of our effort, as we didn't throw the towel in like last week which was the main thing. I just feel we are our own worst enemy, as so many tries from Wigan were aided by our ineptitude- such as the poor ball by Sherwin for Tomkins first, the two penalties that piggy backed Wigan for their second and third tries, and then knocking on from the kick off (Higgins) after drawing level again from Joe's penalty. Fair play to Wigan, they were clinical and their havles were the difference with the ability to poach tries form nothing (although I think conceding from dummy half from Leululai was again, very slack defending even though he is a good player.) I suppose it comes down to big game mentality, which is something we severly lack at this level, as when we are under pressure or need to chase the game, we seem to panic.

I think the main thing to for me is that Wigan had two on form halvesm where as we had one in Rangi Chase, and the other one is on the mend from injury in Shifty- it was always going to take him time to get fit again, and so hopefully that run out will have blown off the cobwebs for the two huge games we have left.

: Mon Aug 24, 2009 9:05 am  

Tomkins and Leuluai were the stars for Wigan last night.

: Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:29 am  

The lads tried their hearts out last night, and as a fan that's all I ask for.

Ganson didn't have a good one!! A lot of players (both sides) a good yard and a half in front of him during the play of the ball. He also seemed to forget how a ball should be played after a tackle....ie not by walking 2 or 3 yards past the mark whilst rolling it back as seems to be Wigans technique.

All in all, a good Cas performance and for the last 20 minutes a great croud atmosphere which definitely lifted the players.

: Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:07 pm  

Dead Man Walking wrote:

Tomkins and Leuluai were the stars for Wigan last night.

What a talent that Tomkins is, one of the best kids i've seen in a long time.

Feisty bugger too.

: Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:35 am  

ABP' wrote:

I saw Castleford at their most dangerous when they started to speed up around the ruck. I'd say that they are they quickest side I've seen around that area in Super League this season, but it's obviously very hard to maintain. When the play the balls were quick it wrong footed our defence, allowed you to get a roll on and you're back rowers and three quarters were able to pierce gaps.

An area where I saw Castleford less dangeorus was attacking out of their own half, particulary from a kick restart. I didn't think your widemen and forwards combined well enough to work out of their own half and the kicking was pretty poor.

I think a mistake was made putting Chase to hooker. My heart was in my mouth every time he had ball in hand as is turn of pace, step and vision is absolutely superb and he is totally wasted at hooker.

Well i would take the opposite view on Chase.I don't think his decision making at stand-off has been that good,he missed a few gaping holes he created for team mates coming back on the inside.
Two short passes to Westerman (which he lost the ball)when he was dummy runner and McGoldrick was running on a arc creating a overlap.
He has played his best football this year at hooker when Hudson was injured and scrum-half when Sherwin was injured.His speed and evasive skills are a much bigger threat around the play the ball against opposition forwards.
All the best ball and kicking skills come from Sherwin,i can understand how you might have got the two mixed up at times as they have both got a similar haircut and build.
I would love to see him as interchange hooker next season with Hudson and backup scrum-half and then we can sign a more specialist standoff.
I agree we do struggle to get out of our own half as only Sargent and Feather(looks like TM doesn't rate him) in our forwards make good yards.
As for our fast play the balls,most of them come from Wainwright but he just doesn't has the speed,strength, balance or evasive skills to score try's,which is not very good for a winger.

: Tue Aug 25, 2009 2:44 pm  

-DAZ- wrote:

What a talent that Tomkins is, one of the best kids i've seen in a long time.

Feisty bugger too.

Must admit, he reads the game well and is extremely fast off the mark. He will do well in the game!