We made too many mistakes, that’s for sure, but we lack size and pace when playing teams like Wakey and Fev.
A common theme is that we regularly get dumped on our backs when tackled, the opponents get quicker ruck speed due to winning the wrestle. This saps energy. We looked jaded in the second half and couldn’t keep up. Maybe last week’s game took its toll and was a contributory factor to our second half performance today?
We look clunky in attack – maybe because we use up so much energy when defending. There are insufficient dummy runners and we look predictable. Apart from Pauli Pauli, we don’t seem to have many threats when we’re near the opponent’s line.
The only positive from today’s game was Craig Hall’s performance.
I was particularly disappointed as I thought we might run Fev close.
Stepping back and looking at the bigger picture, having played Sheffield, York, Wakey and Fev, anything more than one win would have been a bonus. Okay, our bubble may have been burst as our limitations have been exposed but where we finish this season will depend on how we play against the bottom six teams, not the top six sides.
The big battles are the games against Barrow, Dewsbury, Swinton, Whitehaven, Batley and York. In our next six fixtures, we’re playing Barrow (A), Dewsbury (H), Batley (H) and Whitehaven (H). I would suggest we need to win three of these or a relegation scrap could be ominous.
What we know is that we’re not going to win the league, what we don’t know is where we rank against the teams that are likely to finish around us. The important stage of our season is just about to begin.
It’s too early to panic but I do have concerns. Our pack isn’t big enough, the second row is much weaker without Alex Sutcliffe and our backs have lacked a cutting edge.
Barrow beat Dewsbury 27-20 today. Those two teams seem quite evenly matched. York lost to Wakey by more than us. Batley won their first game of the season at Whitehaven 25-12 with Swinton losing 22-4 at home to Sheffield. Swinton lost by more than we did when we played Sheffield.
My gut instinct is that we’re not going to get relegated but we can’t afford to pile pressure on ourselves by not winning home games against our biggest rivals. Hopefully, after 10 games played we’ll have 8 points in the bank.
