Re: Packs win games : Fri Jan 19, 2024 8:21 am  

Last year it is pretty obvious that the young lads ... Green, Thomas & Whitehead in particular were not thought to be up to scratch to play many Superleague minutes. When they did they struggled to get into the game.

Re: Packs win games : Fri Jan 19, 2024 8:44 am  

I get that Smiffy but it might have been better to give some of those fellas more exposure. Dudson by his own admission was not ripping up trees. Neither was Kassiano. And both of them were not doing big minutes. Yes they had experience but Kassiano was making a lot of errors with things like incorrect play the balls.
I just think we missed an opportunity last year to give some of those fellas some game time and more experience.

I get that the coaches know those lads capabilities better than I do and maybe they were not ready but knowing what we now know from Dudson s recent interview maybe we should have given it a try. As we approached the last few weeks of the season we knew that we were not going to win the GF and we were not going to be relegated so it was a free hit.
I also suspect that the coaching staff knew that Kassiano would not be in the plans for 2024 (wrist injury or not) and we could have been setting up to be without him.

I just think we are not great at planning for the future sometimes.

Re: Packs win games : Fri Jan 19, 2024 9:44 am  

Wigan, Leeds & Saints are often named as sides that put youngsters into teams ... but the question is would those particular lads have been given a game in those sides. I doubt it really. I understand the repetitive cry to play 'em but the coaching staff see them every day & player development is their top priority ... that's why people coach.

Re: Packs win games : Fri Jan 19, 2024 5:51 pm  

Wigan, Leeds and Saints usually have lots of good young players knocking on the door so a lot of other young players never get a look in. A lot of our Academy players who played 50 or so first team starts in the first team would never have had that in Wigan, Leeds or Saints, they would have been moved on to another club (like Warrington).

Re: Packs win games : Sat Feb 03, 2024 11:15 pm  

Same old, same old.
We’ve another season of underweight and shallow depth.

Re: Packs win games : Sat Feb 03, 2024 11:17 pm  

I’m beginning to think Sally Cinn was right about Tony Smith.

Re: Packs win games : Sun Feb 04, 2024 11:30 am  

Don't worry we have just given out 3 and 2 year contracts to Currie and Philbin.

Re: Packs win games : Sun Feb 04, 2024 12:06 pm  

rubber duckie wrote:

Same old, same old.
We’ve another season of underweight and shallow depth.

A little early to be quacking on that score I think, missing our standout prop, first choice 13 and with another prop still to arrive.

Re: Packs win games : Sun Feb 04, 2024 4:31 pm  

rubber duckie wrote:

I’m beginning to think Sally Cinn was right about Tony Smith.

I don't know what Sally said about Tony Smith, but judging from today's result from Hull where the 1st thirteen was battered by Wigan at home, I'm hoping he didn't say "Tony Smith and a big set of props is a successful formula every time'?

Re: Packs win games : Sat Jun 15, 2024 10:32 am  

We’re at least a quality prop, or better 2, off being a serious contender.

We released 3 props since the of this season, and could also include Cooper not replaced in 2023, and we haven’t replace any of them!

We brought in Musgrove’ who hasn’t particularly set my hair on end, and trying to fill in for the rest with Crowther, Wood and Holroyd who are more young backrowers.

I don’t think it’s a glitch, but underestimate by the board to hold off replacing them, or perhaps they only see 2024 as a restructuring season and have targets for 2025?

Wembley looks like it was a target, a bonus being an easier route to a final.
A reward for no solid intention of winning SL this season, just trying to get it right for next season.

I think we need more than Yates though, he is solid in defence, but he doesn’t really punch holes.

I still don’t see the love in for Vaughan he gets on here…
He played superb against poor teams last season, got himself soft banned against the good teams, and banned when his presence really mattered for the play offs.
This season has been underwhelming in comparison to those good efforts against those poor teams last season.
Just my opinion.

Ever more the optimistic RD, but I can’t see a GF in 2024 at the very least.
Fire away.