Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:46 am  

Bulliac wrote:

To be honest, we owe Hull thanks for allowing us to use their players. Other clubs have not been so gracious, it has to be said.

As for the match, I'm mostly puzzled by Radders' tactics in the first half; surely he'd noticed there was a ruddy gale blowing down the field? His team certainly didn't make any real effort to utilise it, unlike the Bulls who made it count, by pushing FC back with long kicks. It was a strange game, some bone shuddering tackles went in along with some pretty naive defensive stuff from both sides. It's easy to suggest it was a 'nothing' game, but some of the tackles suggested the players cared all right, so this 'switching off' in defence, by both sides, is hard to understand.

They didn't need that wind in the first half, there was another Gale intent on helping Hull FC for half the match.

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 10:17 am  

easthullwesty wrote:

Im not being funny, but Arundel is pants, he had plenty of chances and was awful. Talanoa has been one of the highlights of an otherwise dire season. Sa will also be a great signing once he's got a pre-season under his belt. Completely agree about Crooks though, Radford has managed in six months to remove any sort of confidence from him. Dream team to Doncaster says it all.

Is Arundel pants or is it his coaches. Up to Jimmy arriving I would agree with you but since then he has improved quite a lot. Also why did Hull buy him, was it because he was a promising young player at Castleford or Pants. Seems a lot of so called good players become Pants at Hull considering how much they invest in players.

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 10:24 am  

Bulliac wrote:

To be honest, we owe Hull thanks for allowing us to use their players. Other clubs have not been so gracious, it has to be said.

As for the match, I'm mostly puzzled by Radders' tactics in the first half; surely he'd noticed there was a ruddy gale blowing down the field? His team certainly didn't make any real effort to utilise it, unlike the Bulls who made it count, by pushing FC back with long kicks. It was a strange game, some bone shuddering tackles went in along with some pretty naive defensive stuff from both sides. It's easy to suggest it was a 'nothing' game, but some of the tackles suggested the players cared all right, so this 'switching off' in defence, by both sides, is hard to understand.

Not sure if it was a "nothing game" for Hull as if they had taken the points they could still in theory have scrapped into the play offs. When they went 12-0 with their bigger pack I thought we might be in trouble, but we made much better use of the conditions and Jimmy certainly seems to have put some more fire in the teams belly. I actually thought at half time after we restricted them to a two point advantage that we were going to win - and it's a while since we have been able to think that at half time!

Interesting to think that there is a good chance now that come the end of the season we may well have won more games than FC?

[Bullseye]

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 10:46 am  

I thought we kept our composure well in the first half and came back really well. In the past we’d have let heads go down and been taken roughly from behind. This time we looked fairly composed. We made some howler mistakes in our own half but for the most part managed to avoid paying for it.

Our left side attack looked good, particularly Gaskell. We used the wind well with Gale unlucky to see a couple of kicks roll dead.

I did think we go bullied up front at times and it was down to Hull not making the most of this platform, and our scrambling defence that we didn’t concede more. I thought we looked better with Ferguson on adding size to the back row. Olbison, Donaldson and Pitts are too light as a combination but I guess you go with who’s available.

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:27 am  

Ferguson got stronger throughout the game and he really adds some mongrel to our pack, I thought O'Brien was excellent again and as his confidence grows as has his running game from dummy half. Great to see Gaskell playing as he is, looked dangerous every time he got the ball.

[Bulliac]

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:41 am  

Northernrelic wrote:

Not sure if it was a "nothing game" for Hull as if they had taken the points they could still in theory have scrapped into the play offs. When they went 12-0 with their bigger pack I thought we might be in trouble, but we made much better use of the conditions and Jimmy certainly seems to have put some more fire in the teams belly. I actually thought at half time after we restricted them to a two point advantage that we were going to win - and it's a while since we have been able to think that at half time!

Interesting to think that there is a good chance now that come the end of the season we may well have won more games than FC?

Well, yeah - in theory. In theory, and mathematically, we could have still escaped relegation if we'd beaten Huddersfield but we all knew we weren't going to, and I think that most Hull fans had accepted they weren't going to make the eight - win or lose at Odsal yesterday.

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 1:18 pm  

ifallwerelikemumby wrote:

Is Arundel pants or is it his coaches. Up to Jimmy arriving I would agree with you but since then he has improved quite a lot. Also why did Hull buy him, was it because he was a promising young player at Castleford or Pants. Seems a lot of so called good players become Pants at Hull considering how much they invest in players.

He was poor under Gentle and has declined ever since for us. Pitts I would take back in a heart beat, thought he was great for us. One thing that Gentle wasn't afraid to do was blood youngsters. Crooks, Lineham, Shaul, Arundel, Thompson. All of them were superb under him apart from Arundel. Not sorry to see him leave.

[Bullseye]

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 1:27 pm  

Not seen enough of Arundal really but for Cas he always seemed to be on the list of scorers. He’s not got great pace or evasive skills but he still scored from 35 metres out yesterday and nobody caught him.

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 1:36 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

Not seen enough of Arundal really but for Cas he always seemed to be on the list of scorers. He’s not got great pace or evasive skills but he still scored from 35 metres out yesterday and nobody caught him.

Thought Addy did well tracking back after the Hull clean break.

Re: Hull match : Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:50 pm  

RatedRKO wrote:

Thought Addy did well tracking back after the Hull clean break.

That is one problem with tackle stats - not all tackles are equal in the context of the game, but this one saved a try