Re: Players for next year : Mon Aug 20, 2018 11:54 am  

paulwalker71 wrote:

But does anything think that we'd have been bullied so easily by Workington yesterday if we'd have had Hock coming off the bench rather than Kirk?

Would have probably been bullied easily but with 12 men on the field, because as soon as it got heated, Hock would have done something stupid enough to be sent off.

Re: Players for next year : Mon Aug 20, 2018 12:10 pm  

dddooommm wrote:

The deadline has passed. He won't be playing for anybody else this season.

Ah, good point. Although the signing deadline really doesn't make much sense for League 1.

[Bullseye]

Re: Players for next year : Mon Aug 20, 2018 12:26 pm  

paulwalker71 wrote:

I don't doubt that there'd be an outcry from the holier-than-thou brigade if we sign Hock, as there was when it was mooted that we might sign Ryan Bailey

But does anything think that we'd have been bullied so easily by Workington yesterday if we'd have had Hock coming off the bench rather than Kirk?

We certainly need some more mongrel in the pack. Whether Hock is still up to it I've no idea. We might have gone a bit better had Peltier and Bustin been getting us a roll on but we'd had had the same issues with the niggling tactics.

I had hoped we'd have learnt lessons from the away game and all the other times it happened last year but it seems not.

[Bulliac]

Re: Players for next year : Tue Aug 21, 2018 10:35 am  

HamsterChops wrote:

Would have probably been bullied easily but with 12 men on the field, because as soon as it got heated, Hock would have done something stupid enough to be sent off.

That's possible, thought with that referee it's far more likely that he would spot someone clouting him in retaliation..

Re: Players for next year : Tue Aug 21, 2018 10:55 am  

Bullseye wrote:

We certainly need some more mongrel in the pack. Whether Hock is still up to it I've no idea. We might have gone a bit better had Peltier and Bustin been getting us a roll on but we'd had had the same issues with the niggling tactics.

I had hoped we'd have learnt lessons from the away game and all the other times it happened last year but it seems not.

Flanagan provides the mongrel in the pack. Higher risk of himself getting in trouble, but also he's the only one on our team that could do to Workington what they were doing to us. He seemed to be winding Penky & Wilkes up on the pitch, enough that they were focussing on Flanagan & not quite as focussed on their own job when they were all on the pitch at the same time.

[Bullseye]

Re: Players for next year : Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:03 am  

Looking at recent performances I'm not sure I'd re-sign Chisholm. While he can do the odd special thing he disrupts play too much and we end up depending on his maverick one man show too much against the better teams. He also looks well short of fitness and less than committed at times. I'd also not bother with Pownall as he couldn't tackle a big dinner going by Sunday's effort.

Re: Players for next year : Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:07 am  

Highlander wrote:

Flanagan provides the mongrel in the pack. Higher risk of himself getting in trouble, but also he's the only one on our team that could do to Workington what they were doing to us. He seemed to be winding Penky & Wilkes up on the pitch, enough that they were focussing on Flanagan & not quite as focussed on their own job when they were all on the pitch at the same time.

I saw this in the opposite way. We don't need to be playing the same way as Worky but sticking to our game plan. All he did was get himself off the field at the moment we needed him the most. Easier to say when you're watching but from the high shot penalty should have just smashed the ball into touch as quick as possible and got on with attacking the Worky line.

Re: Players for next year : Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:11 am  

Bullseye wrote:

Looking at recent performances I'm not sure I'd re-sign Chisholm. While he can do the odd special thing he disrupts play too much and we end up depending on his maverick one man show too much against the better teams. He also looks well short of fitness and less than committed at times. I'd also not bother with Pownall as he couldn't tackle a big dinner going by Sunday's effort.

I'd be looking for a SL experienced organisational 7 to play with Keyes. Obviously they'll be growing on trees. Plus a number 9, unfortunately can't see Butterworth coming back. Reading between the lines of the Craig Harrison interview at HT on proper sport, seems he's trying to get him a deal at Cas. Wouldn't blame him.

[Bullseye]

Re: Players for next year : Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:25 am  

If we stay in L1 we'll save a lot of cash if we don't re-sign Chisholm. I have serious reservations about his fitness and level of commitment.

I think we've made a mistake with Butterworth. He should've been in and Hallas played at 13 or not at all. Hallas simply isn't good enough at dummy half. Butterworth may be younger but he's more skilful. I remember him kicking 40-20s last year in the 19s.

Re: Players for next year : Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:29 am  

Bullseye wrote:

If we stay in L1 we'll save a lot of cash if we don't re-sign Chisholm. I have serious reservations about his fitness and level of commitment.

I think we've made a mistake with Butterworth. He should've been in and Hallas played at 13 or not at all. Hallas simply isn't good enough at dummy half. Butterworth may be younger but he's more skilful. I remember him kicking 40-20s last year in the 19s.

I've always been under the impression that allowing Butterworth to go to Cas was less of a decision to not want him playing for us, and more to keep them sweet in order to get the likes of Egodo, Hitchcox and Green in return. With 3 other hookers already in the squad, but really lacking some quality in the centres and size in the pack, you could see the logic. Especially if Butterworth wanted to go too.

Saying that, when Butterworth was here, he still didn't get picked. I don't get it either, from what I've seen of him, he's certainly looked a better option than Halafihi or Hallas at 9. Perhaps there's more to it than playing ability? (Total guesswork)