I have not had a propoer trawl through the doom on here yet. I have also not watched the TV Coverage but I wondered what peoples opinions on the fact that our half backs were playing on opposite sides of the pitch than they did all last year.

Briers on the left and Monaghan on the right? Is this a long term move or just a Jimmy Lowes curve ball for the first game that appeared to come off for 50 mins.
Is it the start of the end of the channel system as we knew it?

One of the most radical moves for 6 -7 years. Thoughts?

Hard to tell what impact it really had given the gameplan was 90+% forward play for 50 minutes and 100% scramble for scraps for the remaining 30.

I suppose so. It was not part of our game plan to ship the ball out wide unless there was broken play. So it is hard to tell.

Unpredictable if nothing else. Taking players out of their comfort zone. Not forcing players to play with knocks. These are thing we have not been used to and it is refreshing,
A change is as good as a rest and all that!

It did have a bit of an impact I thought, given that Monas passing isn't as good as Briers. Little things, there was one in the second half, a long-ish pass across a chest or two, if he finds Hicks breadbasket with a 'whizzer' then he's in, but it isn't, and instad he has to cut back inside, no more than 3 yds from the line.

Briers combination with Gleeson & Westwood is excellent, I know that Gleeson wasn't playing last night, but that combination didn't exist.

It would hardly have mattered if Monagahan hadn't even been on the field last night.

On the subject of the half backs I was disappointed Chris Bridge didn't get a chance at 6. Monaghan was poor last night and a change in the halfs may have swung the game back in our favour when Saints started to take hold.
Did Briers or Monaghan really attack their line last night? Don't remember if they did. This is one of Bridge's strengths and something we didn't use. If it's a case of easing him back into action then fair enough.

I agree. Would like to see bridge get a chance to play at 6 this year.

York 79