Shaun McRae & Thoughts : Sun Mar 01, 2009 9:32 am
Shaun McRae`s Spporting Life quotes after Castleford game
`Salford coach Shaun McRae said: "I think we are struggling to come to grips with the pace of Super League.
"We didn't have any ball and for the first 10 or 15 minutes we are finding ourselves defending all the time. Some of that is our fault and some of it is good play by the other team.
"We have just got to come to terms with the speed and intensity at this level and when we do we will be okay.
"With the football we did not look too bad - we just didn't have enough of it.
"Defensively we have some issues and problems. I think that is an understatement when you concede 52 points."`
OK as far as it goes for me but :-
Fitzpatrick - SL experience & Irish International
Wilshere - SL experience & Papua Int
Littler - SL experience & ex Irish Captain
Talau - SL experience & Samoa Int
Henry - NRL 1st Grade experience
Smith - NRL 1st Grade experience & Kiwi Int
Myler - No SL experience but England Int
Cashmere - NRL 1st Grade experience
Alker - SL experience & England Int
Stapleton - SL experience & NRL 1st Grade experience
Adamson - SL experience
Parker - SL experience
Swain - NRL 1st Grade experience
Paul - SL experience & Kiwi Int
Nash - SL experience
Sibbitt - SL experience
Leului - SL experience & Samoa Int
Now - if we had been talking about
Ratchford, Turner, Jewitt, Sidlow, Walton, Marlon Alker etc etc then I would have wholeheartedly agreed with Shaun. Personally I just feel he is wrapping the `stars` in cotton wool and in my humble opinion needs to make cartloads of changes now and bring the kids in to LEARN - we have 3 years to do it - and fans could forgive displays like that at Castleford with a younger set up under the coaching skills of Shaun, Allan & Scott. Remember the 3 year Franchise was designed to let clubs like ours blood English youth - not increase the pensions for Antipodean players.