Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sat Jul 06, 2024 10:21 am  

I thought it was a very good performance. You could see in the first half that it was all about completion rate. I have not watched the game back so from memory our only error in the first 30 mins was when Fitzgibbon dropped it when he bust his shoulder. After the terrible completion rate against Hull I thought that was impressive. It wasn't exciting but it really made Huddersfield work which allowed us to play a bit more in the second half.
Something I noticed that since Wembley when Wigan had the measure of us shifting the ball wide (that had been so effective in the earlier cup rounds) there looks like there is more focus on playing down the middle. We tried in the second half at Wembley where we would try the short inside balls between Walker, Williams and and Dufty but looks like there has been a focus on this a bit more in recent games as an alternative to the big shift.
Considering we are missing Ashton, Thewlis, Philbin, Crowther, Bullock, Wood and Fitzgibbon went off after 15 mins I thought it was a big effort. To finish the game with Ratchford on the wing, Currie at Centre and Harrison at second row shows the commitment. I appreciate Drinkwater cannot kick like Sneyd or Abdul but I like what he is doing and I fear that if he leaves us at the end of the season then he will end up at Saints to replace Dodd.

I just hope Saints can turn Wigan over next week because we play them the week after and I can't remember the last time they lost 4 on the spin.

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sat Jul 06, 2024 11:14 am  

Also a win like that is a massive help to our points difference. They made a point in commentary about how it could well be important at the end of this season.

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sun Jul 07, 2024 7:39 am  

Watched it back this morning and the standout points for me are:

1. King must have had a major attitude adjustment, if what we had been fed over the past few years was true. To be pushed to the wing and do a great job of it too is a great indication of where the mindset is of the group.

2. Musgrove has arrived. Slow start to the season but was a stand out. Vaughan-like stats.

3. Jake Connor does more harm than good.

4. There’s a bit when we score and the cameras show the Huddersfield players in a huddle, Savelio looks like a petulant teenager. There’s a reason he can’t stay at a club for long, and Watson has collected a few of those characters sadly, and it will cost him his job.

5. While they were bad, they were completely suffocated. Drinkwater did well with his kicking game, as did Williams close to the line. King and Tai’s meters coming off our line really helped to finish our sets in a position for an attacking kick.

[Uncle Rico]

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sun Jul 07, 2024 11:12 am  

Fantastic Mr Catpiss wrote:

Not as strange as tai, currie nicholson ratchford

Good point well made

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sun Jul 07, 2024 2:13 pm  

Whoever said we'll miss King... Where's he going?

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sun Jul 07, 2024 2:46 pm  

Can't remember a game where we didn't get a single penalty?

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sun Jul 07, 2024 5:48 pm  

matt_wire wrote:

Whoever said we'll miss King... Where's he going?

Presumably his hamstring issue will keep him out next week. Think that’s what the poster was alluding to

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sun Jul 07, 2024 8:51 pm  

I'd have taken a lot less than the scoreline we achieved before the kick off. The zero in the against column was very pleasing, given we had a very reshuffled backline, with injuries the only cloud on our good performance. Would anyone swap Burgess for Watson, I very much doubt it.

[Uncle Rico]

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Sun Jul 07, 2024 10:47 pm  

I was an advocate of Watson coming here when he was leaving Salford, he seemed to be a man with a plan and a decent guy 'to boot'. Listening to his post match interview and looking at Huddersfield's recent run he's clearly a man who's plan has run its course, hasn't paid off, he looked lost and cast a very sorry figure.

Not that it's any of our real concern, but I feel sorry for him and the owner who's bank rolled this team.

[Fantastic Mr Catpiss]

Re: Tonight’s game v Giants : Mon Jul 08, 2024 8:40 am  

i think his recruitment has been his undoing, its been a bit scattergun, and poor in some areas.

i might go through this at lunch time