Whilst Saturday does not define the season. It was very disappointing after Arthur had spoken about making Headingley a fortress and getting off to a good start to get the fans back on side and some momentum in the team.
Handley and Newman racing out of the defensive line on at leas5 5-6 occasions probably cost us as it gave them the field position to score the tries. I don't see Handley as a centre but suspect Arthur will stick with him. Newman never looks like he'll make a break from a good line, power or speed. His instinct is always to cut back inside. He looks a shadow of his former self.
I thought Connor was very slow in bringing the ball back from kicks and possibly played a part in us starting sets on the backfoot. I also thought Hall and Lumb were slow in getting back at times to be an option for Connor to pass to from the kicks.
Frawley is just not good enough. His kicking is pathetic. A 10 year old could put up a more dangerous bomb than him. He doesn't appear a loud voice either. I would definitely be playing Sinfield ahead of him.
Ackers is possibly the most disappointing. I swear when he played for Salford, he would make 2-3 breaks a game from scooting from dummy half, however, I can barely remember him making a clean break for us. He seems slow and seems to go the wrong way quite often. If that's the level of his performance this season then he will need releasing.
Oledzki for me just needs to be tougher and nastier, a bit like Holroyd. The size of him, he should be causing chaos.
Bentley offers zero in attack. Gannon I'm hoping might be the player we need. McDonnell was ineffective cutting back inside.
It was very much a typical Leeds performance of the last few years. They seem to raise their games for the tougher matches and lower themselves for the so called lesser sides. I think there is a mentality issue. The fact we got that performance after an Arthur pre-season is concerning.
Lots of concerns for me and I suspect based on that match, we will continue to be inconsistent.
That said, it would not surprise me if this team beat Saints away in the CC. We seem so hit and miss.
