Biff Tannen wrote:
After winning the cup we lost the next 3 games, including a walloping against Catalans. Perhaps shot is the wrong way of putting it, but we weren't the same team. Basically, the team led by JP and Sinfield did what it had to do to get the job done at the end, credit to them. It was obvious though we needed a proper hooker and Falloon was a dud, the lack of quality in that area (not the only area granted) has stood out like a sore thumb for most of the year till Segeyaro arrived.
Again, i'm not bagging Burrow, he is brilliant at what he does but he holds the side back now as a unit if we are forced to play him as a regular nine. Just my opinion.
And we were without many players for that period. Including Burrow. That's why we werent the same team.
We were very good rotating Burrow and Aiton, then Aiton got injured and we carried on being good, then Burrow got injured and we were crap, then Burrow came back and we beat the top 3 teams in succession.
Somehow this has been rewritten as a journeyman like Aiton being some kind of world beater and a 'proper hooker' being the missing piece of the puzzle when its clearly never been the case.
We have shown for nigh on 15 years we can win with Burrow, when we have gone with a 'proper hooker' the only time it has been successful is when we have gotten a very very good one. Thats why Millard didnt really work, its why we didnt really miss Aiton, its why Falloon was a dud. Its why Diskin did work, its why Buderus did work, and why Segeyaro has worked. The link here isnt 'a proper hooker' its that they are very very good players.
That is the problem, not Burrow holding the team back, but the fact we lost an outstanding player in Sinfield and didnt replace him, and then saw McGuire barely play. We go with Thurston and Cronk in the halves and nobody is worrying that we dont have 'a proper hooker'.