: Sun Jul 05, 2009 9:35 pm  

Bully_Boxer wrote:

:roll:
Are you seriously claiming that you can compare the role of a forward to a winger? How often do wingers tackle props in a RL game? A lot less than a 2nd rower/loose forward would.

But I think the coach is right to introduce youngster gradually and as and when the game dictates. That's my opinion and I do not subscribe to throw them in and let them sink or swim theory. He'll get plenty more opportunities to impress. That's all I have to say on the matter.

No Im not, I'm claiming that he has still got to mix it with the forwards none the less, and yes that includes props, second rowers and loose forwards, nowhere to hide in rugby league, not even for wingers.

The game dictated that we needed some fresh ideas and legs on the field after Deacon got walloped. Yeah, introduces young players gradually by all means, but at least give the lad a chance to get into the game, 1 run and 1 tackle will have benefited nobody, he tackles men every week at training, he could have gone on with 15 minutes to go and got his hands on the ball and and got stuck in defence and got a feel for the pace of the game, this would have benefitted the players development more than 4 poxy minutes and the team would have benefitted by having fresh legs and 1 injured player less to carry.

They are not children, they are strong young men capable of handling themselves.

: Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:44 pm  

Ewwenorfolk wrote:

I always said that I thought you'd scrape the play-offs this year, I wasn't far off.

Upto 3rd and looked strong today, how did you boys do again?

: Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:53 pm  

FLYINGPROP wrote:

:lol: Upto 3rd and looked strong today, how did you boys do again?

Anybody would think you were trying to prove something.

: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:19 am  

With regards to your chances of finishing in the top 8, in most other years you could probably have got away with your poor form and still got into the top 8 - and from there anything can happen in play off rugby (as 2005 proved!). The problem is, in past years you could pretty much rely on the top 2 or 3 teams winning virtually all games against teams in the bottom half of the table. This year, every week it seems there's at least one "unexpected" result, and this weekend we had Salford (13th) beating Saints (1st) and Catalans (at the time 11th) beating Hull K R (at the time 3rd). Results like this are making it harder and harder for Bradford to make the top 8.

Before this weekend I genuinely thought Bradford had a good chance of making it, especially after the way they'd played in patches against Leeds and Saints. However, losing to Cas, a match I had down as a definite win for you, could well be the killer blow. Now I'd say that every team from Warrington upwards is probably too far ahead of you, leaving 8th place the only realistic possibility. With Wigan & Cas 5 clear of you now, and Hull and Catalans 3 clear, even with a game in hand on 3 of those teams to pass all 4 of them is probably going to be a bridge too far. The prospect of both Wigan and yourselves both finishing below the top 8 is one I don't think anyone could have forseen in their widlest imaginations at the start of the year, and although I have a feeling Wigan might just squeeze in, does this season signify a permanent "changing of the guard"?

: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:35 am  

Toss a coin 27 times and you expect roughly 13-14 heads and 13-14 tails. But it wouldn't necessarily be HTHTHTHTHTHT etc...

The one hope remaining hinges on a patch/couple of patches of Ws over the last two months of the regular season. Could happen. Probably won't but still. We know the side are capable of decent performances, though not half the time as yet. But then heads or tails could be well ahead by round 18, yet back around level by r27.

What odds are being offered on Bulls making it/missing out?

: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:36 am  

HyperbolicRhino wrote:

Now I'd say that every team from Warrington upwards is probably too far ahead of you

I suspect that at least one side that has been well placed for most of the year will drop out off the play-offs completely. Maybe Quins, maybe Wakey, maybe even Rovers.

: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:38 am  

af wrote:

Toss a coin 27 times and you expect roughly 13-14 heads and 13-14 tails. But it wouldn't necessarily be HTHTHTHTHTHT etc...

And?

Tossing a coin is down to luck and nothing to do with ability.

[Bullseye]

: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:52 am  

af wrote:

We know the side are capable of decent performances, though not half the time as yet.

TBF this season the decent performances have been outnumbered by the poor ones and we've never seriously looked like changing that. That's the frustrating thing, time and again we make the same mistakes and show no signs of learning or improving. Every so often we pull a good performance out of the bag but then spoil it by putting in 2 or three bad ones. The pattern of the season can be seen in the space of 80min where good play is confounded by periods where the team switch off or make laughable errors.

We have a core of good professionals who are capable of better than this and who have performed consistently in the past. Trouble is we also have several players who are sub standard but nobody putting any pressure on them to perform. Meanwhile the coach seems unable to stop the rot.

I think it's time for me to predict that if we make the playoffs I'll go to the first game painted red, amber and black, change my name by deed poll to Steve McNamara, and flaunt my naked self on top of the Coral Stand to the tune of Woolly Bully.

If that doesn't get the team performing nothing will

: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:55 am  

mystic eddie wrote:

And?

Tossing a coin is down to luck and nothing to do with ability.

No, but if you had the ability to win half your games, you wouldn't necessarily go WLWLWLWLW all year.

: Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:15 am  

af wrote:

No, but if you had the ability to win half your games, you wouldn't necessarily go WLWLWLWLW all year.

Obviously.

But if you only have the ability to win half of your games you need to be taking advantage of the "easier" games at home in order to help you on the way to reaching your goal.

Two wins at home all season and losses to such quality as Castleford and the Celtic Crusaders at Odsal will hardly help.

In order to win half of our games we need to turn a 6.1.11 current record into a 13.1.13 record. Not gonna happen.