I'm really happy. I would have bitten your hand off to be in the position we are now before the season started. You can anchor yourself with negativity, obviously, but it will get heavy and pull you under. Supporting a team is a pass time with highs and lows but ultimately to enjoy, otherwise what's the point? Been some great moments this season already, we don't have the luxury of benefactors or marquee signings so in that context we're doing OK. Wallowing in dissatisfaction is a life choice but not one for me happily.

Saints have recruited much better than us, they lost Barba,but brought in 3 top NRL players, they also have a much better youth system than us, players like Thompson, Lee's and Knowles are streets ahead of our players of a similar age.

I'm confident we will get closer to them next season if our rumoured signings come off.

I'd be amazed if they don't win the lot this year.

I think Hull’s current position gives the lie to the claim that the key to success is consistency of performance.

While I’m sure it is frustrating that you can be excellent one week and rubbish the next, at least the variation, extreme as it is, is around a good notional average.

A worry I have is that Rovers think they can improve by being more consistent, and thus will sign a steady, consistent player like Hadley. In fact, what we desperately need, imo, is to sign better players who offer some threat. Players like Hadley have their place, absolutely - but a squad stacked with them will struggle, despite likely being consistent.

It’s semantics, I suppose. People mean consistently good/better (as you have said specifically, this is more a response to the Sky pundits than your post, tbh - consistency is a bit of a trigger word for me) when they say consistent. Maybe saying ‘we need to be better’ feels like a statement of the obvious, whereas ‘we need to be more consistent’ can be passed off as an insight.

I suppose everyone deals with disappointment differently. I'm worried about the level of inconsistency at our club and the fact our head coach openly admits he doesn't know why and cannot do anything about it. I don't understand how he can remain in the job if that's the case. The Cup wins have been spectacular but we are not progressing as a club.

Some of us are just a bit more emotionally invested than others and I don't mean that in a derogatory way. A bit like the players I suppose. I get very frustrated by the apathetic performances the team puts in at times particularly when they then walk off the pitch seemingly without a care in the world. It doesn't hurt them like it does us. They are paid to play. We pay for the privilege of watching. They seem to forget at times.

Last season's comments about having nothing to play for with ten or eleven games to go are typical of the 'mediocrity is ok' mindset at the club and why there is little chance of us matching the achievements of the top clubs in the competition. Salary, the club, the fans, self respect and integrity will always make those comments deplorable in my opinion.

Hadleys far from consistent, he just quietly goes under the radar when he has a poor game and hes had plenty of them lately

Got absolutley manhandled by cas other week, very average signing id say hes found his level at rovers

Weve got quite a few aging players who cannot do it week in week out your Manus and minis, mixed with players who are inconsistent paea, westerman even taylor lately

Really needs a freshen up around the pack, weve strengthened well in the second row with savelio and jones and wel see a huge difference in punch and consistency with those two, now we just need a dominant pack again. Big fit mobile forwards who can play big minutes please

Step forward

Satae
Sao

One more second row and a prop in addition to those two and il be happy

Fair enough.

Two of the things we’ve lacked in recent years is positivity and physicality.

Tony Smith seems determined to bring plenty of the former, and the additions of Tomkins and Garbutt means our pack isn’t quite as ‘mobile’ as it once was. However, it is hardly dominant (injuries and Mulhern trying to reinvent himself as a centre hasn’t helped), and not many of our backs have a shot at getting a gig endorsing Jacamo.

Hadley, Minikin and Ethan Ryan look to be cut from worryingly similar cloth.

I love the club, livevin the area and it's been part of my life since I was 4 so maybe it just matters more to me than it does you

Good post. Inconsistency is a state of mind and we clearly don't have the mental fortitude of some teams and that generally comes from club culture

But we trained well again