Joined: May 29 2005 Posts: 16474 Location: Select Security Stadium
bUsTiNyAbALLs wrote:I don't think it's through lack of pride though that we are losing games. We've just lost our coach recently, our squad is unbalanced up front, it's average age is very young and it hasn't played together and settled for many seasons like 'fax etc.. There are too many variables going against our favour to pin point certain players for lack of pride. The last team I saw play without any pride was Frank Endacott's side of 2005, now that squad lacked pride.
Our young pack matched Halifax's for much of that game and if it weren't for stupid mistakes, 1 or 2 decisions going against us and being a little more creative and clinical in attack, especially when we dominated their line for so much of the 2nd half, we could have won that game. As it happens, Halifax just had too much in defence and are the side to beat in this competition.
We are going through a transition and we are moving in the right direction. We've got a much stronger squad than last season and when you take into account all our recent troubles and restructuring we've come a very long way in a short space of time.
That was the big thing for me, not even a bit worried at the end of the game. We dominated with a small and light pack and had them on the back the foot the whole of the second half. Give it another month and watch us go.
-VIKINGMAN- wrote:That was the big thing for me, not even a bit worried at the end of the game. We dominated with a small and light pack and had them on the back the foot the whole of the second half. Give it another month and watch us go.
Ive watched the game 3 times now and if you think your forwards were on top of ours then you are truly deluded. If you watch how many yards our pack made compared to yours then i can only assume its something else you basing this on. Terry O`connor just about said the same. The only reason you had so much ball in the second half was through our mistakes. Luckily for us your attack didnt look like it could break a paper bad, i mean did you even make a clean break?
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."― Albert Einstein "Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense." ― Gertrude Stein "Don't believe everything you read on the internet" ― Abraham Lincoln
Joined: Oct 16 2003 Posts: 3575 Location: Keeping my head down the wrong side of Fiddlers Ferry..
Greg Florimos Boots wrote:Ive watched the game 3 times now and if you think your forwards were on top of ours then you are truly deluded. If you watch how many yards our pack made compared to yours then i can only assume its something else you basing this on. Terry O`connor just about said the same. The only reason you had so much ball in the second half was through our mistakes. Luckily for us your attack didnt look like it could break a paper bad, i mean did you even make a clean break?
Yep we made a couple.. Paddy Flynn most noticeable who just stepped the wrong way at the very end otherwise that would have been a terrific score.. Doddy made a nice break too and there was a beak at the far end that ended with Grady dropping the ball.
Joined: May 29 2005 Posts: 16474 Location: Select Security Stadium
Greg Florimos Boots wrote:Ive watched the game 3 times now and if you think your forwards were on top of ours then you are truly deluded. If you watch how many yards our pack made compared to yours then i can only assume its something else you basing this on. Terry O`connor just about said the same. The only reason you had so much ball in the second half was through our mistakes. Luckily for us your attack didnt look like it could break a paper bad, i mean did you even make a clean break?
Come the end of the season widnes will have appeared in at least 1 final
Our pack more than held it's own considering how small it was and paddy Flynn ripped you through the middle if I'm not mistaken.
How many finals have you been to in the last couple of years? Experience counts at this level.
Joined: Oct 16 2003 Posts: 3575 Location: Keeping my head down the wrong side of Fiddlers Ferry..
I've got to agree slightly about Gannon...
He is terrific at quick ptb and has also been responsible for some great offloads... but a lot of this depends on the opposition and if they want to stop him then they very often can.
In some games he has been completely ineffectual and I personally go into games wondering how he will be allowed to play. Teams that don't quite handle him normally pay as a result but the smarter teams normally have him sussed.
He is an option and something different but we still need the Fellous or Wilkes factor that we had in recent years.
Joined: Nov 08 2005 Posts: 5435 Location: Back Where We Belong
Greg Florimos Boots wrote:Ive watched the game 3 times now and if you think your forwards were on top of ours then you are truly deluded. If you watch how many yards our pack made compared to yours then i can only assume its something else you basing this on. Terry O`connor just about said the same. The only reason you had so much ball in the second half was through our mistakes. Luckily for us your attack didnt look like it could break a paper bad, i mean did you even make a clean break?
How then did we stay on your line for so much of the 2nd half if our pack was never on top? You may have made more yards with your forwards but we maintained pressure on your line for long periods of time. Yes your defence was superb and yes our attack and finishing moves lacked creativity but, your pack did not keep us as a team contained as many expected.
bUsTiNyAbALLs wrote:How then did we stay on your line for so much of the 2nd half if our pack was never on top? You may have made more yards with your forwards but we maintained pressure on your line for long periods of time. Yes your defence was superb and yes our attack and finishing moves lacked creativity but, your pack did not keep us as a team contained as many expected.
How did you stay on our line? I reckon it was to do with us handing you the ball on the 2nd and 3rd tackles in our own half on at least 3 occasions. I would expect any team in this league to make the oppositions line when they have the ball 30 yards out. Anyway all in all it was a pretty good game and one that was worthy of a tv slot unlike the one before. I for one will not be dissapointed if we get to see at least rounds 4 5 and 6 because im pretty sure that will mean we have made at least one final because even though we are favorites ive just got a sneaky suspicion that we are very capable of blowing it ala last season.
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."― Albert Einstein "Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense." ― Gertrude Stein "Don't believe everything you read on the internet" ― Abraham Lincoln
Joined: Jul 28 2006 Posts: 398 Location: Isle of Man
OK - a couple of points. We did have a fifteen minute spell when our pack was on top. Fax tired, a problem for them.
BUT, as many have said, Gannon is not a piledriving type of forward, so we can't criticise him for something he isn't (ithought he played well actually). What many have been saying is we do need one, preferably two prop forwards, that are that type (one on the bench, one to start) to complement Gannon's style. Morrison, at prop, is a similar type of player.
Oh and for goodness sake, let's get some support players round him!
But Fax deserved their win for what bustinyaballs said - more balanced line-up.
In EnemyTerritory wrote:I've got to agree slightly about Gannon... He is terrific at quick ptb and has also been responsible for some great offloads... but a lot of this depends on the opposition and if they want to stop him then they very often can.
In some games he has been completely ineffectual and I personally go into games wondering how he will be allowed to play. Teams that don't quite handle him normally pay as a result but the smarter teams normally have him sussed.
He is an option and something different but we still need the Fellous or Wilkes factor that we had in recent years.
100% agree with you there
definatly another player like ostick
strong hard runner
but hopefully can last longer than Fellous he got shattered after 1 run
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