As you've stated, the Cougars will be up for this one. I can see this being a tough game with conditions playing a part. After a successful pre-season and mini Cup run, this is a potential banana skin for the club. Keighley have been steadily improving during 2024. They were nilled against Cas, narrowly beaten by Halifax and comprehensively dismantled Dewsbury in the 1985 Cup and knocked Hunslet out of the Challenge Cup last weekend.
The debacle from last season was one of the worst Bulls performances of the modern era. We didn't get off the bus that day and Keighley put us to the sword. In the games that we actually turned up to play we battered them on both occasions.
Chisholm and Gale had a field day and created chance after chance down the left side of the field. I feel that we are a better team now (without a bunch of DR players called in last minute) than we were in 2023. As long as we go in with the right mindset and with enough go forward, I think we should have enough to see us home against an improving Cougars outfit.
Agreed with above, this will be a tough game and one that we need in all honesty as we edge closer to the championship opener against Wakey.
We need to see how we react when we're under pressure, things aren't going our way, a refs decision goes against us etc pre-season is pre-season and the Dewsbury & Crusaders we haven't had to get out of second gear. So the next two games will be good tests for us.
I personally don't expect a situation like last season when it all went horribly wrong at Cougar Park. For a start the home side had much more quality on the field that day than they have now. They also had a lot of old boys wanting to prove a point in front of a big away following.
This time around its a much weaker team and there doesn't seem as much bad blood either. I expect it to be close but confident of the win.
I know the team has got quite a bit of stick off the back of the last two performances, but for me I'd prefer to look at it as a positive.
If we can score 88 points in two games and only concede 6 points when playing so badly and ill disciplined, what are we going to be like when we start to put decent performances together?
I'm willing to give EOC more time to stamp his authority and style on the team. However, for me I think he would make much quicker progress, especially in terms of discipline if he didn't have Hallas and Flanagan in the team.
Don't think i'm biased...
...i'm just very narrow minded!!!!!!!
Im expecting a comfortable victory, cougars will make it a contest for 20 mins but I expect us to pull away after that. Like has been said they are not the side they were at the beginning of last season and neither are we. I’ve seen a toughness in our play, EOC is keen to see strong carries and win the collisions, we’ve score a lot of tries from 1st receiver carries,1 pass out from dummy half, a certain new hooker is big difference there with his distribution. I’ve been quite content with what we’ve served up so far, with much tougher hurdles to come yet. 13 is an area we will need to strengthen moving forward.
Joined: Dec 22 2001 Posts: 32114 Location: The Corridor of Uncertainty
We go into the game as favourites but we need to avoid the complacency we showed in the first 20mins vs Crusaders. Keighley may not have the names they had this time last year but they're a tougher proposition than they were when we put 70pts on them at Odsal.
On the no 13 debate I think Baldwinson will take that place when he's fit and swap with Appo. That'll leave Hallas as backup hopefully which is about right. I'm also sure that Souter could do 80mins at this level so do we always need to pick Flanagan in the 17? I'd prefer to see Barraclough get a chance anyway as we need to think about who's going to succeed Flanagan as he can't have much longer surely?
"If you start listening to the fans it won't be long before you're sitting with them," - Wayne Bennett.
Joined: Dec 22 2001 Posts: 32114 Location: The Corridor of Uncertainty
Agreed. He's too good to be third choice at Leeds and not getting any game-time. He'd provide a bit of cover for halfback too if he was on our bench as impact hooker as well as keeping pressure on Souter to maintain his already high standards.
"If you start listening to the fans it won't be long before you're sitting with them," - Wayne Bennett.
Joined: Nov 28 2009 Posts: 2051 Location: Mirfield
Championship budgets only stretch so far, you take a loan and hope Leeds don’t have an injury in this position. That’s the gamble you have to take, if we don’t take this gamble we stay with the two hookers we’ve got now and an untried kid
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