problem is out kids aren't "experienced' enough in the dark arts and therefore will get pinged more. We need to add some grunt and the likes of thakery needs to enforce/protect the kids....even if he spends some time in the bin. We need to make sure that we are not seen as soft touches, because the impression I get is that some teams knew they could bully us into submission.



We were 4 wins off the pace this year.........we were bullied in at least 4 games. Workington away, Dewsbury away, Fev at Home and Haven away. Sheffiedl ambushed us at the start of the season too.



17 wins from 23 will see us make the middle 8's......we're going to learn a lot about how much this squad has garnered from a pretty average first season together and we need a quality half (2 would be better) and some real nasty grunt up front IMHO.

At the risk of sounding negative. I was chatting to Hendo in the summer and asked who he thought had potential in our squad. He only came out with two names, and when I asked "What about the rest?" he shook his head.

Many of our youngsters have a lot of heart, but that shake of the head suggests our coach doesn't think they'll mature into the experienced players we need.

interesting comment.

I think part of the problem may be the training regime, proof of what local lads from London can do is evident with people like Dan Sarg, he left us being a good player, Wigan turned him into an excellent player. Look at LMS as another case of what can be achieved with the right approach. Even Hull KR harnessed the talent of one of our ex boys, ok he had a nightmare at Wembley but one of the most enthusiastic blokes out there.

There are lads that have the talent, we just struggle to develop that potential

I've watched the youngsters for years and a couple of things I've noticed year on year, is poor tackling technique(mainly use of arms rather than shoulder and body) and poor last plays in the opponents red zone.

On the subject of the yoof, an academy isn't a guarantee of every one reaching the grade. Disappointing if current view is that very few are ready though the recent grading might highlight the issue. Whether the change of coaching will over time improve things needs to be seen with the current crop or those that follow.



For next season hopefully the nucleus of the team will remain rather than a wholesale change that we've had for too many seasons one can remember. A chance for some consistency in understanding between players rather than the we'll get better as the season progresses. We need to start on the front foot and then get better, not constantly be chasing the league. Hopefully a good pre-season and some bulking up.

't would be a first