We should have played him at 7.

You mean 6 because yet again the most overrated player in SL history went missing in a big game

He was the poorest of the halves tonight. If all Austin is going to do is kick for touch...he may as well just put the ball on the floor and give them possession.
He can drop out 55-60 metres...yet there isn't a 40/20 attacking kick in him.

What's with all the hate for Dec Patton? I thought he was the better of your halfbacks. It's a combo that SHOULD work really well. Patton did his job today IMO, organising and putting in the kicks. His general positional kicking was excellent, pinning Saints back several times with quality long kicks that held in the field of play. Austin was the weaker of the two, he is there to create chances and worry teams and create space for others just because he's there. But today he did nothing of note, getting splattered by Bentley on the one half break he did make.

I wish you'd stop confusing the Patton knockers with fact! One error of judgement in the whole match,the early kick through,and it's enough to make him the scapegoat again

And the easy missed goal which meant we couldn't even play for extra time. He's not a scapegoat he's just ineffectual.

no it didn't. We were 3 behind not 2. I'd have elected not to take the kick at all.
That wasted 2 min.

...and there we have it, in a nutshell.
He's not a scapegoat. He just isn't at the level we require. He doesn't beat men. He rarely throws out a tryscoring pass. He simply goes through the motions.

I'm tired of the lad, now. I don't dislike him at all. He's simply not good enough.
It's coming to something, when we REALLY NEED Kevin Brown back, asap, just for something different.

That kick should have was taken from what should have been well within pattons 100%zone. I've been patient with patton but when ratchford comes back I want him in the halves with Austin. Even if just for a couple of weeks to see how it works.

If we had made the conversion we would have been 1 point behind with a few minutes left on the clock, meaning a drop goal would put the game into extra time. But he lacked the composure and then Saints came down to our our and scored with a sucker punch.