Bullseye wrote:In my view we’re going very well and considering where we’ve come from as the 2nd best side in L1 last year some people on here need to manage their expectations. We are in the mix for the top 5 with plenty of rugby to play. Sure, we’ve got a big budget but we’re a club that’s been rebuilt from nothing and it takes time.
The style of play is pretty conservative and anyone can see that we have issues with our last tackle options. We do line up too flat and we don’t offload enough or support the ball carrier enough.
However, we have two very young halfbacks and they’re learning the game. Many of the rest of the side are very young too. In many ways this is the ideal season to get those kids we’ve invested in up to speed. We’re not seriously in the mix to get promoted with Toronto streets ahead. Does a fancy style of rugby attract more fans? I’m not sure of the evidence of that. I’d say winning rugby is more important and we are a difficult side to beat. I’d sooner have this side that gives 100% over the fancy dan side we had under Rohan Smith that couldn’t perform under pressure. Remember that play off game at Fev in 2016 when we had a great team on paper but got nilled?
This season we’ve seen amazing games away at Fax and at home to Fev and Leeds in the cup. It’s been superb entertainment and better than anything we’ve had in years. It’s going to take time to get the casual supporters back and it won’t happen overnight. Kear is building a foundation of players that can perform consistently at Championship level. I’d certainly take a top 8 finish. Top 5 would be very good indeed but it is a very tough division and I think really it’s beyond us this year. Next year perhaps with some astute recruitment?
In the meantime I’m loving the rugby this season.
^^^
This!
Before the season started, I pointed out this would be effectively only Year 2 of our rebuilding from zero, and Y1 we actually got promoted. So for a Y2 we are in a very hard school.
It takes several years to build up a collection of players into a very good team and there is no guarantee you ever will, but surely, we must have matched or exceeded almost everyone's expectations so far in 2019?
The style of rugby we need to play right now is to win games, not Harlem Globetrotters. We don't have the personnel for that anyway, and you build from the base, not from the top. I have really enjoyed this season, I mean properly enjoyed, just like bullseye said, which has made a great change. We are overall a very tough nut to crack and have had many spells where we have actually played very well indeed and shown some excellent attacking rugby - at the right times.
Some have gone on about Halifax's pace and moves, but that didn't win them the game, did it? In fact, those who complain about our attack need to work out how it was that we so often and for such long periods managed to put pressure on their line. If it was not our "boring attack" that kept getting us there, then what was it? And that was done without Peltier, whi we missed a lot.
The difference between the teams on the day was down to a bit of luck, and some poor discipline at crucial stages. Not any gulf between the teams. I am certain that if in that spell of sustained pressure we had managed to score, we would have gone on to win. If Crossley is ruled a try, we go on to win.
I was disappointed in the way we lost, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment overall of the show we put up. The issues have been already mentioned, and it's highly likely that more skill and variety on last tackle plays and kicks would have killed them off, and we are too often lacking in that department. but I think we are still heading the right way and doing it sensibly.
Joking aside the way to tire him out would be to get him isolated against quick players, running big players at him he is just going to love, he is one of the best and biggest hitters at this level but is short of pace and despite the portly shape is not short of fitness.
