Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Fri Feb 23, 2024 8:17 pm  

I'm not sure how to read last night.

The situation at half-time was good, Donaldson's card aside. Leeds looked the better team for most of the first half despite the scoreline and I was confident we would come good.

In the second half, HKR came out strong and Leeds couldn't match it because we were a man down. When Donaldson came back we seemed to be edging ourselves back into the game, and the Handley try seemed to restore a sense we could win. Tails were up for a few minutes after that, but then the poor discipline kicked in and we became our own worst enemies.

I'm generally keen on Smith but have the following concerns:

1 - Did we learn anything from the equivalent fixture away at HKR last year when Olpherts and Hooley had a mare in the conditions and HKR ground out a win? More generally, does RS have the blueprint to win consistently in early season games when the weather is a huge leveller and we can't rely on skillful execution?

2 - Smith's reaction to the yellow cards was disappointing, in the sense of not taking responsibility. He has to accept that is the way the game is being officiated and it's his responsibility to drum this into the minds of the players. (Admittedly I didn't think the camera showed Lisone actually connecting with the head of Minchella but everyone else on Sky seemed certain of it so maybe it was just me).

3. I'm not sure the capitulation last night had so much to do with cohesion between the spine (we looked a bit more connected than against Salford), and the missing players. Individual and collective decision making, maybe played a role.

I had the sense against Salford that Leeds knew they would come out on top in the end, but the indiscipline and the conditions got the better of them against HKR.

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Fri Feb 23, 2024 8:32 pm  

Honestly if we’re going to get swathes of “for the liv of God” messages every time we lose, this is going to be a long old season.

RS will not be losing his job any time soon. Calm down and watch the games.

We’ve been patchy but okay first two games it’s not a catastrophe.

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Fri Feb 23, 2024 8:43 pm  

KaeruJim wrote:

Honestly if we’re going to get swathes of “for the liv of God” messages every time we lose, this is going to be a long old season.

RS will not be losing his job any time soon. Calm down and watch the games.

We’ve been patchy but okay first two games it’s not a catastrophe.

I get the strong impression that the ancestors of a number of our posters used to gather at the gallows with a bowl of pigs ears for snacks.

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:19 pm  

I do have some legitimate criticisms of the HKR game: RS obviously picked too small a side with Donno, Bentley and Goudemand and O’Connor all in the pack together. I said this before the game too but his selection didn’t surprise me.

Ruan played way too few minutes.

I thought Frawley’s kicking game was consistently too short and we failed to trouble their FB all match really.

I didn’t think Mom looked interested on a cold English February night in Hull on a terrible pitch. He needs to get himself more involved.

Lisone had a bad few minutes for sure.

Various other players including Bentley were giving away costly penalties and errors as usual - although as a Bentley critic I have to say he played better overall than I’ve seen for a long time.

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:06 am  

Early season clunkiness accepted. m just not seeing green shoots of potential in this team or the way they're coached and will be amazed if we're anywhere close to the top 4/5 by that 8-10 game mark.

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:07 am  

We are way too flat in attack when in the oppo 20, no better illustrated than when Edgell knocked on in the last quarter, at the point the ball reaches his hands, Martin, mom and Handley are all a good meter in front of him, even if Edgell had cought it, the move was dead, all 3 had literally taken themselves out of the game.

Early season, but that is Amature stuff, they need to be smarter and/or Smith needs to be identifying it and fixing it.

Can have all the ability in the world, but if your full left edge are getting their timing so wrong, it explains why we look inept in good ball, and why some are frustrated.

On a positive, there were a couple of times i liked the numbers advantage we created on the edges, we just took the wrong option each time.

After re watching, Donaldson cost us big time and you really have to question his value, all well and good being a character around the club, but when you are, small, pretty unathletic and offer Zero ball in hand, you need to be almost perfect in everything else to be of use, he was a long way off Thursday night with more than one stupid involvement.

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:45 am  

I suspect Donno will get a ban. Let’s see how injuries and Miller shape up this week because we need an improvement against Cats.

Very frustrating how disrupted we are with injuries still. McDonnell and Holroyd among our best last year and Fus when fit is quality. Hudson we signed injured as a project but again, why didn’t we bring in a prop who could play?

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Sat Feb 24, 2024 10:52 am  

christopher wrote:

I get the frustration but honestly, two games into the season with half a new team? In crap conditions. And we've won one of the games.

Christopher ,

I am happy to give it time , but our forward pack is not good enough , not enough go forward and definitely a lack of brains .

And please , the Salford game was a poor performance despite the win .

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Sat Feb 24, 2024 11:07 am  

ploinerrhino wrote:

Christopher ,

I am happy to give it time , but our forward pack is not good enough , not enough go forward and definitely a lack of brains .

And please , the Salford game was a poor performance despite the win .

If it was, it wasn’t down to Oledski, Martin, Smith, Ackers or Lisone who were all very good.

Re: RD 2 | Hull KR (A) : Sat Feb 24, 2024 12:08 pm  

KaeruJim wrote:

If it was, it wasn’t down to Oledski, Martin, Smith, Ackers or Lisone who were all very good.

Indeed, we made far more many metres in the middle than Salford.

We didn’t against Hull KR (well, we did in the first half ) but then two of our forwards had brain explosions.

That was the worst conditions and game to go down to 12 for half of that second half, that’s what cost us the game, not structure or anything like that.

Our completion rate has also been very high im both games, id hazard a guess that its been higher than at any point in the last two years.