Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 7:32 am  

Gallanteer wrote:

It wasn't great and too many individual errors but the fact they beat us at home last season and not being at full strength yet this season, today was slight progress.

With five players out, including two vital players from our 'spine', in what would be Rovers strongest line up and Greenwood's injury playing havoc regards substitutions and a game played in a gale errors were inevitable, as they were in the Wigan game played in similar conditions. BC knockers conveniently forget he also put JM in for both his tries and saved a try with a very good tackle on the Rovers line.

Progress made, more needed. Draw a fair result IMO.

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 8:34 am  

SirStan wrote:

A draw was absolutely the fairest outcome. You can quite rightly point to your bombed chances, but we bombed just as many, plus we coughed up possession deep in our own half for both your 2nd half scores, something that we clearly could have avoided.
Both sides were missing key personnel, and both lost a player each in the 1st half ( just seen Shenton's injury on the YouTube highlights and how Powell thinks Boudebza did owt wrong is beyond me!). All in all, a below par performance from both sides and a draw was the right result.

Cas will improve no doubt. I hope we do.

Fair summary, we should have been well up at half time but did the usual Rovers trait of not being patient enough and tried to push the pass instead of building pressure.
Once Cas got a foothold I thought there was only one winner but they certainly tired late in the game and the kick from Mantellato deserved to win the game, I personally thought it was unkickable in those conditions.

Donno was clear MoM, Lawler went well and controversially I thought Tilse had a very good last stint defensively.

The allgood yellow was a joke, he got a punch to the top of the head when he was trying to get up and play the ball, this was totally ignored by the officials and then he stupidly reacted, how that was a Cas penalty is beyond me.

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 9:47 am  

bishops finger wrote:

It was like a first preseason friendly, we looked really rusty at times. So to come away with a point after not playing well at all is pleasing. we showed a lot of fighting spirit

Dane Tilse is still garbage too, Mulhern got dominated nearly every time he took it in, Thornley was going for a knock on record, Minns looked solid, Clarkson solid.

I agree! How was he in the running for MOM? Great point and finish tho, felt like a win

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 10:22 am  

It was a full-on eighty minutes from Rovers and TBH it is exactly what we want to see every week.

A marked improvement in intensity and aggression and a good platform to work from although it is still messy aroun the PTB.

Execution was overall lacking with the wrong player delivering what ought to have been two walk in tries but that is Ben - never a FB which refelcted in his overall performance. Cas must be kicking themselves for not capitalising on his poor positional play and his error rate.

Three major pluses for me were the front row, Blair & Donaldson. I thought the front row stood its ground with Green once again the stand out player and we got a glimpse of Allgood returning to form. Blair kept the team ticking over in the wet and windy conditions and had to deal with some very poor passing from PTB, but as first receiver he looked very comfortable. Donaldson had a cracking game in both defence and attack, and showed what a good aquisition he is. thoroughly deserved the try and we need to see more of this from now on.

The main negative was seeing too many players on the ground at the PTB (Horne being the main culprit) which for me is bordering on criminal, but thankfully Cas didn't exploit it. If it happens next week Clark will destroy Rovers down the middle.

Overall it gets a 5/10 from me. Mantomato should have got MOM, never understood why it is announced with five minutes to go, as we saw lots can happen in five minutes.

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 1:01 pm  

We fronted up well overall, esp considering we lost Greenwood early on. The clearing work done from the backs in the last 20 mins or so was excellent. Time and again they managed to punch holes and gain ground. To which something Cas in opposite circumstances struggled to do without our assistance, be it discipline or bad errors.

You can argue about the merits of the draw but Cas literally had so many opportunities to go for a drop goal, you get what you deserve through incompetence/arrogance by not doing so.

Our attacking play by in large was a poor standard. I'm not going to get at Cockayne for a part of the game he doesn't have. Had he possessed a passing game, I'm sure he would've moved to the halves rather than the wing. So it's no surprise when in difficult conditions he was found lacking. That been said, Albert Kelly was far from anything other than average. He wasn't helped by the slow service his way (how many times was tackled whilst kicking?). I'm sure if Marsh was playing, the pitchforks would've been out. Also thought Kelly looked a little heavy ...

Mantellato's finishes were of the highest order and I almost doubt I'll ever see a better kick @ CP again than that effort. I think it's a game to look back on for the positives. To continue to the end and scrape a draw, certainly should give everyone a big lift. It was almost like the legacy of the Wembley dissapointment and other general negative tones lifted at that moment and the team/crowd were back as one. Here's hoping ...

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 2:23 pm  

I've never understood how pro rugby players find it hard to pass or can only pass one way it's easy to pass to someone 6 yards away even in poor conditions its bordering on criminal

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 6:14 pm  

Well your French hooker has been charged initially so I don't think Powell will be apologising for criticising the tackle that led to our captain going off and not returning. That said, his replacement and your old boy Jake Webster show some quality when brought on. Overall a draw was fair but the manner probably makes it feel like a loss for us. We were never behind but never put enough pressure on to extend a 6 point lead. I was screaming for a drop goal but I guess the conditions wouldn't have made it easy. Thought once again kelly showed up well on a day when half backs were never gonna thrive. Think you lot were a touch smarter then us and possibly had a bit more fight then us. Saying that, if we win 16 14 I'd imagine most Cas fans would be chuffed. Also we were not at full strength either, lynch massey mariano would all get in our starting lineup when fit. Good luck for the rest of the season!

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 7:06 pm  

Towns88 wrote:

Well your French hooker has been charged initially so I don't think Powell will be apologising for criticising the tackle that led to our captain going off and not returning. That said, his replacement and your old boy Jake Webster show some quality when brought on. Overall a draw was fair but the manner probably makes it feel like a loss for us. We were never behind but never put enough pressure on to extend a 6 point lead. I was screaming for a drop goal but I guess the conditions wouldn't have made it easy. Thought once again kelly showed up well on a day when half backs were never gonna thrive. Think you lot were a touch smarter then us and possibly had a bit more fight then us. Saying that, if we win 16 14 I'd imagine most Cas fans would be chuffed. Also we were not at full strength either, lynch massey mariano would all get in our starting lineup when fit. Good luck for the rest of the season!

Good luck yourselves.
Be amazed if Boudebza gets anything other than exonerated. He made no malicious contact. No players re acted. Have a look on the sky website

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 7:40 pm  

Burtons Forearm wrote:

Good luck yourselves.
Be amazed if Boudebza gets anything other than exonerated. He made no malicious contact. No players re acted. Have a look on the sky website

He's been called before the disciplinary on a dangerous contact charge

Re: Opener versus Cas Tigers : Mon Feb 08, 2016 8:05 pm  

defo ban 12 matches, no in all seriousness cant see out wrong imo he just seemed to fall badly