Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 11:06 am  

It is. It reeeally is.
We'll see

If you lot finish 4th then Matterson should be given a limo for day to day duties

Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:36 pm  

Gaslight wrote:

At the start of last year I predicted Cas 5th. This year I'd expect at the very least 7th, but if the defence is as good as the Leeds game most weeks 4th isn't out of reach.

I struggle to believe anyone, even the most rosed-tinted Cas fan, would predict the team that finished bottom to come 5th the next year...

Anyway, there isn't a single coach in the world that would have got last year's squad to 5th position - imo anyway.

Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:43 pm  

^ I agree. When your scrum half and hooker are out for most of the season it's going to be an uphill struggle. We did well to finish 7th. I'd be delighted with 8th this year too.

Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:47 pm  

Towns88 wrote:

^ I agree. When your scrum half and hooker are out for most of the season it's going to be an uphill struggle. We did well to finish 7th. I'd be delighted with 8th this year too.

But they weren't injured when I made the prediction I knew Chase would be one of the best players in the league after seeing him play in the NRL while some fans were complaining he wouldn't be as good as Dorn . The weakest part of the team last year is the same this year - depth, if the squad can stay fit then they should improve on last years 7th.

Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:53 pm  

I do think we can improve. I certainly don't think the squad is weaker, and the young team playing together again means they'll grow together without needing time to gel.

The problem, like you say, is depth. But I don't think that is TM's fault, and I believe that he is getting the best out of what he has. And to say he's taken over an NL1 team and turned us into a playoff side in four years without the financial backing that someone like Justin Morgan has had speaks volumes about his ability.

Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:57 pm  

Gazemous wrote:

speaks volumes about his ability.

His inability to sort the defence out in them 4 years is what concerns me about Matterson, it was good for the most part against Leeds, so if they can keep that up most of the year then I'll call him a good coach, but making the playoffs with a negative points difference was quite poor considering, get rid of the hammerings would be a good start though.

Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 1:24 pm  

Gaslight wrote:

But they weren't injured when I made the prediction I knew Chase would be one of the best players in the league after seeing him play in the NRL while some fans were complaining he wouldn't be as good as Dorn . The weakest part of the team last year is the same this year - depth, if the squad can stay fit then they should improve on last years 7th.

Well maybe if they'd of stayed fit then we might of achieved 5th....

Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 4:36 pm  

Cas did really, really well to finish 7th last year, that was a fantastic result given the strenth of the squad we had (a mid table squad, no where near top 5!). I predicted 9th last year, I'm gonna predict 9th again for this year. We're no weaker in most departments but a lot of teams have recreuited really well, but our stability should see us surprise a few of the bigger teams.

Re: Tonights game : Thu Feb 11, 2010 4:45 pm  

Cas' problem is depth as some others have said

Re: Tonights game : Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:05 pm  

So, to answer Gaslight:

You said, [of a team built by Terry Matterson]

Gaslight wrote:

..that starting 17 was good enough to finish 5th..

and when someone pointed out that Sherwin and Raz had been out most of the season, you replied:

Gaslight wrote:

...they weren't injured when I made the prediction I knew Chase would be one of the best players in the league after seeing him play in the NRL ...

Is this really the legacy over four years of a coach who is, in your words

Gaslight wrote:

a crap coach

or one who is

Gaslight wrote:

clueless and inept

You say

Gaslight wrote:

The weakest part of the team last year is the same this year - depth, if the squad can stay fit then they should improve on last years 7th.

This is not all the fault of the coach. A lot of this is down to finance as well.

In truth, the team, with its lack of depth which you knew about at the start of last season did a remarkable job to attain 7th place, above stronger squads on paper such as Bradford and Warrington despite the injuries we got. Yes we got some hammerings but you must admit, it's been our most consistent season in SL for years. To say that the coach who built the team and guided it, injuries and all, to 7th last season is "clueless and inept" or "crap" is incredibly harsh on someone who has given a lot of us a lot of things to be proud of.