Off! Number Seven wrote:
Leigh's line speed around the ptb totally shut your forwards down. They do it to everyone if you let them, it doesn't take a genius to work out that you need to move the ball quicker and run wider at their weaker, slower moving flanks. The fitness at Leigh is very good and is the reason for their league position, as it was for Barrow last year, however you can only be so fit and the Leigh pack needs to be dragged around the pitch as much as possible to reduce its effectiveness and create room for your own strike players.
Hmmm, perhaps I should have posted this before the match, if Cullen had read it things might have been different...
It wouldn’t have made ant difference. Our pack was too lightweight and inexperienced to deal with Leigh’s big, aggressive forwards last night. We were out fought down the middle and struggled to make progress up-field. We ended up throwing out wild, desperate passes in an attempt to find gaps, thus making mistakes. Halfbacks cannot flourish under such circumstances.
There was only one man in the pack who attempted to get in the faces of the Leigh pack and, yet again, that man was Jim Gannon. The rest were intimidated or not experienced to deal with it. Jordan James didn’t get a lot of game time, but he’s been a big disappointment since his return and I hope that Heckenberg, when he eventually plays, gives us a bit more umpty going forward and in defence. We’re definitely going to need Pickersgill and Mark Smith back for the play-offs. Kirk Netherton did OK, but we just don’t have anyone to spell him and Danny Hulme didn’t make the team last night. Grady should not be in the pack and, even if it means dropping Toa or Gardener, he should remain in the centres. This is also a symptom of relying entirely on one player to do the goal kicking.
I’m sick to death of seeing us out-muscled every season. It’s the same old problem. We’ve recruited a great pack this season, only to see it decimated by injury. Surely our luck must change soon?
I’ve been saying all season that our kicking game is non-existent. With a weakened pack, a good kicking game could have got us the important field position we were failing to get by running the ball. Ball-in-hand Thackeray and Webster mickey all over Ridyard and Paul, but Ridyard can do something both of these can’t – kick! He did it last night to great affect. Our best kick was put in by Kirk Netherton. Perhaps he should take over the kicking duties while he’s here?
I wouldn’t keep Webster here next season, but look for a good scrum half with an excellent kicking game. It’s rumored that his 2-year contract is worth £60,000. Now I’m not sure if this is true, but he must be on a decent wedge, and that wedge would be better spent on someone else next season imo. Perhaps we can bring in a good Aussie from the NRL on a 3 year contract, with part of next years earnings deferred to the last two years – which will hopefully be in SL.
If we can get Pickersgill, Smith, Coyle and Heckenberg back for the run-in, we’ll still be a force to be reckoned with. We’re not that far off it even now. We ran Fev close and won the second half of last nights game against Leigh. Those players above may well close that small gap. Our backline is excellent, but they need that platform which can be provided by a good, big, aggressive pack and a good kicking game. We’ve had no continuity, with players going out injured to be replaced by youngsters, players coming back from injury and new loan players being brought in and Dual-Reg players coming and going. Cullen’s head must be battered with it all. I honestly cannot blame him- yet.
