: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:13 pm
sally cinnamon wrote:
On the issue of injuries, how much difference is there between the performances when the team has a near full strength team, like the last 2 weeks, and the performances when we are saddled by injuries and have to field the youngsters.
Part of the myth that sustained Cullen for so long, and gave Lowes the benefit of the doubt, is that "if only the first teamers were fit, we'd be right up the top of the table"
Catalans came into this game having lost Raguin before the season and their main off season signing Jason Ryles to long term injury, they then lost Carlaw early in the game, yet when they had a man sinbinned and were playing 12 v 13, they rallied and turned us over.
Some teams can deal with injuries and adversity (see next weeks opponents for starters), we can't.
I thought that last night, add to that McGuire was missing, they had Baile at hooker who's a centre by trade, I think playing in his first SL game, if not his first, he's not played many.
I've not really posted many post match thoughts this week, I can't really be bothered, and also, there's so many threads, knowing where to post them is a tough one. For me, at 18-6 we had them on the rack, they looked tired & second best, we invited thm back into the game, we had good field position 90 seconds from HT, spurned it, as we did countless other times and they got two penalties to take them upfield, and scored on the stroke. At exactly that point I thought, Saints would have finished this game by HT, it'd be 26-6 or something like that, Catalans would go in, after a big defeat last week, heads down, Instead, they get in, and Walters must say "Penalty count is 6-2 against, tighten that up, your still in this game, they tired las tweek, they'll cough up cheap ball, give you field position and that's where they are at their weakest, on their own line, now go out an put it right", and they did.
Until we are ruthless when we are on top in games we'll struggle, we're not good enough defensively to keep inviting teams onto us, and back into the game.
I also maintain, there's something wrong fitness wise, clearly. 26 pts in 29 mins at Saints in the second half (could have been 38 but for poor GK), 34 points in 41 minutes yesterday, it's not good enough.
Maybe we did make two shrewd signings, but it's no good if we also lost a big one in Stridgeon. Whatever happened last year fine, but it was never through lack of fitness.