Reality Check : Fri Jul 15, 2022 9:10 pm  

We have made excellent progress this year and are streets ahead of where we were last year and i say this only in regard to the purported ambition the club has announced, that we want to become the 'wigan of old' and the 'Saints of now'. The current squad is not good enough to win things, and it worries me that if that is our ambition that we are not recruiting for next year in a number of key areas. We could not beat a Wigan team who had possibly the worst first half in a challenge cup final in memory and could not score a point against a saints side that were down to 12 men for 70 minutes of a game. We are a workmanlike side who can perform at a very consistent level, but we are not going to win anything if we persist with certain players.

Olly Russell - is a fine young player and will do a job as backup half for a top side, or as a first choice for a middle or lower SL side, but really offers very very little as his tries and assist stats clearly show, we really need another half back, I would love someone in the mould of Brodie Croft (or even he himself!, he plays for Salford after all) who offers a genuine running threat alongside Fages organisational skills.

Innes Senior - Again, a middle SL winger who does not have the quality to finish the tough chances

Toby King - Absolute turnstile, has missed three 1 on 1 tackles recently that have all led to tries, He does not look anywhere near fit and maybe a preseason with us might change that, but atm i would be sending him straight back as he is a total liability in defence.

Again i write this purely from the persepective that i don't see signings for next year, and Watson seems to think that what we have is going to be enough to win things - it is not. That was clearly shown today, Without Lolohea today we were utterly clueless and you would have thought we were in a different division to saints, being resilient and playing %'s in not going to win those games. I really hope that Watson can see the difference between a side who can get to a final and one that can win one.

[Durham Giant]

Re: Reality Check : Fri Jul 15, 2022 9:48 pm  

Out thought , out fought , out played and outclassed tonight . Tonight brought home the real weaknesses the team has .
We lack pace in the backs and lack creativity in the halves . Russell and fages are organisers and don’t offer enough variety . Without Tui we are offensively toothless. Whilst there were lots of individual errors by many players Pryce was shocking . It seemed as if his signing for the NRL has turned his head . Was he playing like a player trying to force an early release at the end of the season .?

After seeing the injury to Jerry I will be amazed if his season is not over .

McQueen was superb warrior leader competitor. Whilst I find it hard to think he is very close to being the best Aussie we have ever signed . Bearing in mind how good bodgy was that is a massive complement

Re: Reality Check : Fri Jul 15, 2022 10:30 pm  

Pryce atm is a one trick pony, step, step, tackled or scores, all sides now know it. Force him into a play and he wont execute. Of course he is really young, and has loads of development in him, but if he were to go to the NRL now, he would be spending 3 years + at jersey fleg level, and wouldn't get near a first team with his defence and decision making. He may or may not make it, time will tell, but the hype around him is nowhere near being translated into performances.

Re: Reality Check : Fri Jul 15, 2022 10:49 pm  

Hangerman2 wrote:

Pryce atm is a one trick pony, step, step, tackled or scores, all sides now know it. Force him into a play and he wont execute. Of course he is really young, and has loads of development in him, but if he were to go to the NRL now, he would be spending 3 years + at jersey fleg level, and wouldn't get near a first team with his defence and decision making. He may or may not make it, time will tell, but the hype around him is nowhere near being translated into performances.

The Aussies develop backs for fun- he is way behind them in terms of where they are, he needed to do what Dom young did, or widdop and go a couple of years ago. Young had the athleticism, the defence, the skills, it was just his decision making that he needed to hone- and of course doing that as a winger is a whole different prospect to doing it as a FB or half.

Re: Reality Check : Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:39 pm  

There are ups and downs in the season. The result was disappointing but we're in a tough run of fixtures and maybe this is our out of form patch. Either way we're still 3rd and once hill, tui and Ricky are back anything could happen

Re: Reality Check : Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:47 am  

We have had a great season, but with our first choice squad out there we are a half back, a centre and a winger away from being a side that can expect to win anything. Neither Cogger nor Russell are good enough, and don't complement Fages skill set. We need better outside backs to complement Leutele and Jerry. This is taken purely from the perspective of what Watson is saying he is trying to build, i side that can compete regularly with Saints and Wigan. If that is the intention i am disappointed with the fact that recruitment appears to be done for next year, because we are not in that bracket.

[Durham Giant]

Re: Reality Check : Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:42 am  

Hangerman2 wrote:

We have had a great season, but with our first choice squad out there we are a half back, a centre and a winger away from being a side that can expect to win anything. Neither Cogger nor Russell are good enough, and don't complement Fages skill set. We need better outside backs to complement Leutele and Jerry. This is taken purely from the perspective of what Watson is saying he is trying to build, i side that can compete regularly with Saints and Wigan. If that is the intention i am disappointed with the fact that recruitment appears to be done for next year, because we are not in that bracket.

I agree with the above completely. We have a good solid hardworking team. With players who can have glimpses of individual flair and brilliance but to me the X factor is missing ( especially if Tui is out). We need something a bit different in the halves. I would love to see Brodie Croft from Salford playing with Theo or Ollie someone who can run and creates confusion in defence

Re: Reality Check : Tue Jul 19, 2022 11:53 am  

Durham Giant wrote:

I agree with the above completely. We have a good solid hardworking team. With players who can have glimpses of individual flair and brilliance but to me the X factor is missing ( especially if Tui is out). We need something a bit different in the halves. I would love to see Brodie Croft from Salford playing with Theo or Ollie someone who can run and creates confusion in defence

Isn’t that supposed to be what pryce will bring????
He’s not as good as he’s being made out to be- YET- but he won’t get better unless he plays. We are building. It takes time.