When buy a lottery ticket I hope that this is it, this is the day when I will finally win. I know deep down that I am not going to win, and when the balls drop I have not won I am no longer disappointed at losing. I just wait 'til next time and buy another ticket and hope that maybe, just maybe, this is the day. For me, playing Saints works pretty much the same way.
Positives (in no particular order):
Dominated Saints for the first half and start of the second.
For most of the game the defensive structure looked solid and effective.
Chris Riley looks like he is capable of making the FB spot his own (I hope so).
Our pack was immense.
Better kicking game than 2008.
Had Saints rattled to the point when Wellens was throwing tantrums and IMO Wilkin should have talked himself into a 10 minute rest.
Penny looked far more solid than at any point last season.
Negatives (again in no particular order)
Fitness? We have heard so much about how tough pre-season was and how fit we were yet, despite forcing Saints to work far harder than us it was us that appeared to run out of steam first.
Matt King carries on from where he left off last season.
Penny being made the scapegoat. PJ was left equally exposed by his centre after Penny came off. Luckily for him, Gardner cut inside instead of going for the corner. The left side problem isn't completely down to Penny (as Lowes will find out when Gleeson comes back and, I assume, Johnson finds himself outside King).
All in all I am not too disappointed. The positives outweigh the negatives and we will not play teams as devastating as Saints every week. There are signs there that we could be a force this season (though I will add that I still believe that we will be 4th-6th and do very little in the playoffs).
Positives (in no particular order):
Dominated Saints for the first half and start of the second.
For most of the game the defensive structure looked solid and effective.
Chris Riley looks like he is capable of making the FB spot his own (I hope so).
Our pack was immense.
Better kicking game than 2008.
Had Saints rattled to the point when Wellens was throwing tantrums and IMO Wilkin should have talked himself into a 10 minute rest.
Penny looked far more solid than at any point last season.
Negatives (again in no particular order)
Fitness? We have heard so much about how tough pre-season was and how fit we were yet, despite forcing Saints to work far harder than us it was us that appeared to run out of steam first.
Matt King carries on from where he left off last season.
Penny being made the scapegoat. PJ was left equally exposed by his centre after Penny came off. Luckily for him, Gardner cut inside instead of going for the corner. The left side problem isn't completely down to Penny (as Lowes will find out when Gleeson comes back and, I assume, Johnson finds himself outside King).
All in all I am not too disappointed. The positives outweigh the negatives and we will not play teams as devastating as Saints every week. There are signs there that we could be a force this season (though I will add that I still believe that we will be 4th-6th and do very little in the playoffs).