Re: Saints (a) : Wed Mar 27, 2024 10:53 pm  

Saints 2 point favourite with the bookies

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:15 am  

I’m rarely if ever very confident against Saints because I think that it is just a too simplistic and a little too disrespectful however, I’m quietly confident that we will do the business on GF. I expect Byrne to step up and go hard against Stepper Walmsley.
Clark will claim for a penalty every tackle but hopefully we get a decent call from the referee. If our defence reverts to Penrith standards then hopefully we will snatch a victory. Looking forward to a great game.

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:11 am  

I'm pretty confident too although a defeat wouldn't be the end of the world away from home early in the season. We are better than saints all over the pitch so no concerns from me where both teams will be come season's end

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:10 pm  

[Gareth] wrote:

I think we will struggle with this one

We havent been our best for the last few weeks (WCC hangover) but if Saints have finally overcome their jetlag from last years trip to Aus then we are in trouble

Fingers crossed though

I think a lot of it will depend on our discipline. We've been pretty poor recently: offside, not square, incorrect play the ball. Saints are unlikely to score many from deep but are dangerous from twenty metres out. Keep giving the ref reason to ping them up the field and we will struggle, crap weather forecasted (plus their potato patch field) so think it could be a low scoring match. If we keep Saints in their own half then confident but obviously it's easy said than done.

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:12 pm  

Our attack doesn’t look fluid but neither does Saints from what I have seen, their forwards got on top and won both of their games against Leeds and Walmsley is looking good but I am confident our props can go up against Saints props now and come out on to, Bell being out is a bit of a blow for them, I think he’s a bit of an unsung hero for them.

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:00 pm  

NSW wrote:

Saints 2 point favourite with the bookies

Sounds about right to me. Even in the off season I felt like they would probably be going into this game in better shape than us following the WCC, and I think that's broadly right even though their attack hasn't looked overly sharp.

I think Saints are marginal favourites, but it would lay down a massive marker if we can get the win. Over the course of the season things are only likely to improve for us in terms of getting players back, being on drier tracks, and getting the WCC challenge out of our system. Obviously not the case for Saints, plus they're at home.

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:34 pm  

At what point are we going to stop mentioning the WCC hangover, what is the actual hangover from it, yes it was a tough game defensively but that was weeks ago now, if they have not recovered within a couple of weeks then the S&C staff are doing something wrong, time to stop mentioning Penrith and the WCC and just focus on the team taking to the pitch, conditions and the opposition

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:50 pm  

Taking my boy to his first derby tomorrow
He’s pestering like hell about the full words to the Allez Allez Allez song. Can anyone help?

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:54 pm  

Warrior Winger wrote:

At what point are we going to stop mentioning the WCC hangover, what is the actual hangover from it, yes it was a tough game defensively but that was weeks ago now, if they have not recovered within a couple of weeks then the S&C staff are doing something wrong, time to stop mentioning Penrith and the WCC and just focus on the team taking to the pitch, conditions and the opposition

Think it's more us, the fans, who've had an issue.
Everyone was hyped up for the Penrith game and it delivered but since then the fixture list has been to put it mildly a bit uninspiring. GF feels IMO anyway like our first big game of the league season

Re: Saints (a) : Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:55 pm  

Warrior Winger wrote:

At what point are we going to stop mentioning the WCC hangover, what is the actual hangover from it, yes it was a tough game defensively but that was weeks ago now, if they have not recovered within a couple of weeks then the S&C staff are doing something wrong, time to stop mentioning Penrith and the WCC and just focus on the team taking to the pitch, conditions and the opposition

It’s not just what goes on, on the pitch, it’s to do with peaking the players at the right time.

Peet mentioned a few times during the off season they would look to peak for the WCC game. Training would be different more intense and demanding over a sustained period of weeks prior to that game much different to how they would normally go into a season.

It’s possible to peak 2-3 times over the course of the season. With all things after a peak there needs to be a trough to assist recovery and get the bodies back on track.

I think training intensity will have dropped off for the last few weeks post Penrith which is reflected in our lethargic performances.

I think it will have been ramped up again, but not to pre Penrith levels, prior to this match.

I think we will have looked at the fixtures post Penrith and used it as a deliberate active recovery period post the WCC.