More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:40 am  

I'm not even thinking about winning, I still think that's a bit of a dream, not impossible it never is but on recent history unlikely.

What I'm more interested in is the pattern of the game and the attitude of the players.

Truth is Cas make us look like wally's in a way no other team does. We either lose the entire game in the first ten minutes or we huff and puff only to implode in the last ten minutes. We continually play like schoolboys against them, to use Stevo's pet expression 'we totally lack composure' when playing them.

I don't so much mind the fact that we have not beaten them since 2015 since then they have consistently been a better SL team than us, no doubt about that, though it still stings a bit. However, they have not been 12 games undefeated better than us in that time. We've seen off Saints and numerous other top teams off in that time, Cas are not superhuman, though you'd think they were if you only ever watched them play us.

If on Friday we can just play as well as we did yesterday, ie do the blooming basics right I'll be happy. Probably won't get us a win but at least I won't feel embarrassed.

For the unwary:- If we go for some stupid suicide kick or pass in our own 25 in the first ten minutes we will lose. If we press their line for 60 minutes but fail to score enough points we will lose. If we go thirty down and then stage a come back in the last 20 mins we will lose. Doesn't leave many options but there you go

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 12:00 pm  

Fishermanscap wrote:

I'm not even thinking about winning, I still think that's a bit of a dream, not impossible it never is but on recent history unlikely.

What I'm more interested in is the pattern of the game and the attitude of the players.

Truth is Cas make us look like wally's in a way no other team does. We either lose the entire game in the first ten minutes or we huff and puff only to implode in the last ten minutes. We continually play like schoolboys against them, to use Stevo's pet expression 'we totally lack composure' when playing them.

I don't so much mind the fact that we have not beaten them since 2015 since then they have consistently been a better SL team than us, no doubt about that, though it still stings a bit. However, they have not been 12 games undefeated better than us in that time. We've seen off Saints and numerous other top teams off in that time, Cas are not superhuman, though you'd think they were if you only ever watched them play us.

If on Friday we can just play as well as we did yesterday, ie do the blooming basics right I'll be happy. Probably won't get us a win but at least I won't feel embarrassed.

Cats found a way to beat Cas' convincingly as well.
Can sum up the way to win in your penultimate sentence 'play as we did yesterday'

For the unwary:- If we go for some stupid suicide kick or pass in our own 25 in the first ten minutes we will lose. If we press their line for 60 minutes but fail to score enough points we will lose. If we go thirty down and then stage a come back in the last 20 mins we will lose. Doesn't leave many options but there you go

It's a mental thing with Cas, they're not invincible - Cats did it! The key to a win is in your penultimate sentence 'play as we did yesterday'

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 12:06 pm  

As a team, I would have Wire ahead of Cas this season but, as our opening 2 games have showed, it's all about performance on the day.
Having said that, I thought Cas would get past Catalan at the weekend so, there is definitely hope and we are certainly due a win.

Defend as we did yesterday and find a bit more cohesion with ball in hand and we have a chance but, we go expecting nothing and it worked a treat yesterday

Come on Trin !

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 12:16 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

As a team, I would have Wire ahead of Cas this season but, as our opening 2 games have showed, it's all about performance on the day.
Having said that, I thought Cas would get past Catalan at the weekend so, there is definitely hope and we are certainly due a win.

Defend as we did yesterday and find a bit more cohesion with ball in hand and we have a chance but, we go expecting nothing and it worked a treat yesterday

Come on Trin !

and improve our kicking game.

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 12:46 pm  

phe13 wrote:

and improve our kicking game.

Yeah, I noticed a couple of times Hampshire getting a bit of a rollocking from his teammates for his shall we say less than brilliant kicking, to be fair he put his hand up every time, its a part of his game that does need to improve.

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 1:23 pm  

Fishermanscap wrote:

Yeah, I noticed a couple of times Hampshire getting a bit of a rollocking from his teammates for his shall we say less than brilliant kicking, to be fair he put his hand up every time, its a part of his game that does need to improve.

Well he has the chance now to do it for a few weeks at least......

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 1:33 pm  

BarnsleyGull wrote:

Well he has the chance now to do it for a few weeks at least......

There are many parts of Hampshires and Miller's game that I admire but kicking has never been one. I don't actually think Brough is brilliants, he has great games but he has a few stinkers in that department. All the same, he's head and shoulders above the other two IMHO. If he's to take Boroughs spot I'd imagine that is where CC is looking for the biggest improvement, ditto Miller for that matter. Personally I see Hampshire as more of a thread to Miller, as players who he shares a far greater similarity too imo.

[PopTart]

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 1:40 pm  

We were far from error free against Warrington.
What we did do though was cover each other.
There were a lot of missed tackles on the stats but I don't recall them breaking through because there was always someone else to get stuck in.
Both half backs defended well.

Unfortunately the Cas half backs are capable of making us look silly. We need to be on them. We have the speed to do that.
I do really want Westerman playing but only if he is fit.

Can I also request some new hair styles.
I can't tell Kopi from Westerman or Tanginoa and Tangata when they play is down the other end.
Hampshire and Wood too in poor light.

Wood and Wood are easy to tell apart. A few more gingers please.

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 1:57 pm  

[quote="PopTart"
A few more gingers please.[/quote]

Not something that you hear very often but, I'm good with that !
It wont be as hard to pick out the players at Cas, the terracing is nice and close to the pitch and it's not too far to the other end

Re: More of a test on friday : Mon Feb 17, 2020 2:15 pm  

We went very close last season if I seem to remember! All it needed was a bit of composure from BJB and we’d probably have taken the two points!

The gap has closed over the last couple of seasons though...a couple of seasons they were light years ahead of us...with the Gale, Hardaker, Shenton, Eden combination ripping teams apart and the likes of Millington and Moors causing havoc every week in the middle. They’re not that side anymore...they’re still good, no question about that but I don’t think there’s the fear of playing them like there was that team.

What we must do is play for each other like we did yesterday and get up in their faces...if we can snuff out Austin, Widdop and Clarke like we did there’s no reason we can’t do the same with Trueman, Richardson and McShane. If we stop those three it will go a long way to see us winning...what we can’t do is stand off and give them time and space otherwise they’ll kick us to death.

We’ve got to get the big men running at Richardson too...make him work for the full 80 as that’s definitely his weak side...

If we’ve two or three fully fit forwards I’d bring them in to freshen the pack up with it being a 5 day turnaround and how tough conditions were yesterday...that’s how you succeed these days...use the squad correctly and you’ll cut down on injuries...no other changes need to be made...the back 5 were great yesterday...solid defensively and all made good, hard yards early in the tackle count to help the forwards out and Max was solid at FB...

I go there with hope more than expectation!