i do not want to put a mocker on yesterdays performance but we only teeally played well for about the last 30 minutes of the first half.

Defensively we were good most of the game but only really managed to look like the third placed team in that purple patch If we could produce that form for 80 m where would we be

This season there have been a lot of games where we have done the buisness in small patches and have not really had a towering performance for 80 m ( except Quins in the cup).

We are consistentky winning and are consistently defending well the table does not lie. Yet we do not seem to be dominant all game.

Is this a good or bad thing.

What do we need to improve

Is there room for more improvement

Name me one side that dominates games for the entire 80 minutes.

I think the trick the top sides have is to minimise the damage done against them when they're struggling. In that respect, they didn't do too bad yesterday. Of course, there's always room for improvement.

I think there's a danger of some of us getting Hull KR syndrome. We've won nothing yet.

I still feel we are lacking penetration in the backs,apart from Robinson

I've noticed how we seem to have a great 20 minutes in each half then drop of only to pick it up again.

If we click for 80 minutes someone will cop a right towelling but at the moment we are playing well in patches and doing enough to win which is all that matters at this time of the year.

Apart from the obvious terrible games, we have been able to get back into gear though, and if needed find a higher gear.

At the moment we are "the best of the rest" when we spread our good patches out longer we will joing "the best"

Thought Nathan Brown summed it up perfectly after the Harlequins game. We're a good team but not a great one.

I thought we played well against Warrington. Yes they were strong early doors and we made a couple of errors but we reacted well and defended strongly forcing them to spill the ball and keeping our line intact. In previous matches we've reacted badly and conceded a soft try which has led to our panicking and pushing passes. Once we'd taken the steam out of warrington our subs came on and made a real impact, Jackson and Moore scoring with pretty much their first touches and Eorl driving them back and keeping the ball alive.

ATEOTD most teams are going to have purple patches during a game and as the Baron says good teams soak up the pressure and take their chances, as Leeds and Saints have done to us this season.

I think we're consistent but perhaps lack the confidence, self-belief and probably two or three class players to regularly challenge the top two at the moment.

The thing about the really good teams have is the knowledge and confidence that comes from knowing that you will get chances during the game and that you are good enought to take them when they come. remember the cup final? we were all over em for fist 15-20mins saints didnt panic at all just defended there line, stook the ball up there jumpers and punted the ball deep whilst we were on top.

IMO we are not far of being that sort of team over the whole season our defence has been top class and once kev brown calmed down we stopped trying to force it and took our chances when we got em.

perhaps counting my chickens and all that but but i really do think we can now start looking at catching the top two instead of worrying about those below us.