Early doors yet. Not getting carried away, but I have seen a confident and assured first HKR performance of 2017 delivered. Although I didn't go yesterday, I have watched the full highlights today on Hull KR.TV.



Below some key positive improvements noted.



- Impressive and consistent defensive line speed

- Defensive intensity

- Desire

- Attacking support play

- Running the ball hard at first receiver

- Excellent kicking game

- Good game management

- Imaginative attacking play

- Fitness and conditioning

- Good performances from everybody but especially all the new debutants. Addy looks the part.

- Pace in the backs



Despite the mediocre opposition, it's been a while since I've witnessed all the above components from a Rovers team at the same time and so early in a season. Reasons to be cheerful.

An accurate appraisal. My only worry is the lack of a recognised goal kicker. It probably won't be such a problem in the league games but come the middle eights against super league opposition it might just make all the difference.

Jamie Ellis 3 from 3; Ryan Shaw 1 from 4 and Jordan Abdull a great impression of Don Fox. Suggest we continue with Ellis for now.

The obvious improvement is they appear very well coached. It appeared a highly technical high intensity game executed by enthusiastic players.

We won rucks and the defence was much better organised. I can't recall them making a break. They kicked better than us. We kicked cleverly but executed the kicks badly. Lots of deception. Ellis went very well under no pressure. Addy was the pick of the back rows.

Quinlan looks a bag of tricks. Abdul promising. Lunt excellent again. Never seen a recent Rovers side move the ball so much and so efficiently.

Sheens looks like he can get 30% more from players and the team looks a far more energetic serious threat to others.

Looking forward to seeing more

Looking forward to watching it back. Impressed that Sheens had put some thought into the new rules. I'll be looking out for whether anybody tried to put the ball dead as if the old rules were still in force - the sort of dumb ass play that had become so familiar in the last couple of seasons.



The brief highlights looked very promising - but that Hull FC team contained quite a few unheralded youngsters. Given that heralding youngsters has been something of a theme on the Hull board in recent times, that says a lot.



Anything better than catastrophe feels like progress for now though!

What are the new rule?



Not that I've ever known what the old rules are.

A very good assessment, and accurate, the most important one for me and most fans I talk to is the desire one. Ive watched Rovers for long enough now so really appreciate it when the team play with desire, it is evident when this happens, on Sunday when we played with desire FC dropped ball, kicked badly and missed tackles, this because we hunted in packs and it looked like they were playing for each other.



Really looking forward to every game this season. I think it`ll be like the season we finished 4th, plenty to look forward to!!

What did you make of the Leeds game, now playing against a full strength super league side?

Thought we did ok we bombed a few tries we matched them for long periods losing Abdul didn't help but we will get better

Score line didn't reflect the performance Tim says?

It didn't really they scored 3 tries either side of half time but the fact is they did it was a good test and we can only improve

The Leeds game means nothing. They may be back on form this season after last season's blip. Can't judge anything from the final scoreline. Only thing Tim can take from it is seeing where we still need to improve.



Our season starts in two weeks time. I'll worry about the results from then onwards.