Re: Denis Betts : Sun Apr 15, 2012 9:26 am  

What people need to remember is that Widnes are decimated with injury and have been all season. The likes of Owens, Craven to a lesser extent Mullaly would normally have been eased in gently but at the moment are playing every week. Owens wasn't even playing championship rugby last season.

Re: Denis Betts : Sun Apr 15, 2012 9:31 am  

littlerich wrote:

So, everyone's warming to Denis

Next Friday you'll be baying for his blood.


Good effort though yesterday. Need that "30 something" defence sorting though.

Right on Cue .

Re: Denis Betts : Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:50 pm  

Redchemic wrote:

Right on Cue .

Always like to keep my hand in on my second favourite club

Re: Denis Betts : Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:57 pm  

littlerich wrote:

So, everyone's warming to Denis

Next Friday you'll be baying for his blood.


Good effort though yesterday. Need that "30 something" defence sorting though.

I'm certainly not just yet!

We played well against a Saints outfit that looked disinterested and thought they had it in the bag. Put it this way, Saints have only shipped in 38 points once in the last 2 years. Is Widnes's attack really that good to inflict that level of damage or were Saints not playing at as intense a level as they usually would?

Friday will again tell us a lot and I won't even start getting excited until then. If Saints up their game and give us a predictable battering then it was as I suspect. If we can match them again for periods of the game and keep them to less than 20 points then we might have turned the corner.

Re: Denis Betts : Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:47 pm  

HARDMAN wrote:

What people need to remember is that Widnes are decimated with injury and have been all season. The likes of Owens, Craven to a lesser extent Mullaly would normally have been eased in gently but at the moment are playing every week. Owens wasn't even playing championship rugby last season.

Absolutely spot on mate. Injuries have played a far greater part in our season so far than people are giving credit.

Re: Denis Betts : Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:02 pm  

HARDMAN wrote:

What people need to remember is that Widnes are decimated with injury and have been all season. The likes of Owens, Craven to a lesser extent Mullaly would normally have been eased in gently but at the moment are playing every week. Owens wasn't even playing championship rugby last season.

Correct. Don't get me wrong we have been bad (a lot) but with the injuries we have had it's no massive shock tbh. We have had as many injuries as anyone else and 3 players out for the year after just our third game!

People will say 'you should have the squad' but in one years recruitment the squad was never going to be strong.

Good to see Craven getting better and more confident week by week and Owens just seems to make the first team step up look easy at times for a 17 year old!

Re: Denis Betts : Mon Apr 16, 2012 8:09 am  

J20 wrote:

Correct. Don't get me wrong we have been bad (a lot) but with the injuries we have had it's no massive shock tbh. We have had as many injuries as anyone else and 3 players out for the year after just our third game!

People will say 'you should have the squad' but in one years recruitment the squad was never going to be strong.

Good to see Craven getting better and more confident week by week and Owens just seems to make the first team step up look easy at times for a 17 year old!

And that's the crux of it... I'm sure in years two and three when we've added to the squad that we will be able to handle injuries a bit better but if you took Tim Smith out of the Wakey side, Chase out of the Cas side and Gower out of the London side they would probably have struggled as we have.

I said at the game on Saturday that who knows how the season would have gone thus far with Watts available? There was no doubting his ability pre-season and the short spell he was on against Salford he looked to liven things up.

Re: Denis Betts : Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:57 am  

I take heart from the fact our forwards really began to come to the fore on Saturday. Hep Cahill looks better every week, mulls is back and always improving, kav is a big miss, kite will be running through walls next season with more game time and a full pre season training program under his belt. seriously that guy will destroy tacklers next year with the proper work in pre season. Lloyd white has a long way to go but we keep seeing glimpses of that potential, we need to maximise that in years two and three. Flynn and ah van have been awesome, Owens and craven keep getting better all the time. You throw watts and a few new signings into that mix and assuming the coaching staff get their poop together and sort the team ethic and defence - then years two and three (and beyond) look much better. This is still pretty much the opening play of a long building process, we just need to stick it out. The future is bright.

Re: Denis Betts : Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:00 pm  

Snake Plisskin wrote:

I take heart from the fact our forwards really began to come to the fore on Saturday. Hep Cahill looks better every week, mulls is back and always improving, kav is a big miss, kite will be running through walls next season with more game time and a full pre season training program under his belt. seriously that guy will destroy tacklers next year with the proper work in pre season. Lloyd white has a long way to go but we keep seeing glimpses of that potential, we need to maximise that in years two and three. Flynn and ah van have been awesome, Owens and craven keep getting better all the time. You throw watts and a few new signings into that mix and assuming the coaching staff get their poop together and sort the team ethic and defence - then years two and three (and beyond) look much better. This is still pretty much the opening play of a long building process, we just need to stick it out. The future is bright.

Do you think so? I actually think his quality is showing through now. I don't think he's the best hooker in the division or anything but going forward I think he's a good option and is scoring some good tries.

Re: Denis Betts : Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:44 pm  

Dr Chim Richalds wrote:

Do you think so? I actually think his quality is showing through now. I don't think he's the best hooker in the division or anything but going forward I think he's a good option and is scoring some good tries.

ok, I should have chosen my words more carefully on that one. I agree his quality is showing now, but that's my point - I can see the potential and think he has a lot more to offer in future. I stand by the rest though