Crikey! Vultures down the A62, talk about what goes around comes around. I can't speik! Lol.

Ah, the old "I've been stood on the terraces since the 60's" line... bad me for only being born in the 1980's as I could be as good a fan as you







In all seriousness and joking aside (and I was joking above... honestly), your response is a bit clearer now in the fact you were talking about the run of games. And I don't disagree with your statement about the brand of rugby. I won't ever complain about losing a game if we give it a good go.

That said, there is an awful lot on here who do think we should be challenging higher up against teams with better squads and bigger budgets. I like the stability that mid table is bringing and maybe that's what we can build from next year.

Vultures will always circle when we are down a division but its better now IMO than the boom or bust game the previous owners played.

Why, who did we swoop on from the Giants? Cos I can't seriously remember you having anyone worth poaching in the first place

Allowing McNally to leave at Xmas was the morally correct thing to do, but it's impact has been significant. Too late to replace him properly, our attack was immediately hampered, requiring adjustments. The halves situation also has been problematic, also requiring adjustment. And then 2 of our better strike players with SL experience, also both out for 4-6months.

I'm basically happy our defence is generally effective, as JK has had one arm tied behind his back, trying to improve our cutting edge.

Echo what others have said for the most part, we are boring to watch and it does become a chore at times.

Halifax where far the better team and wanted it more than us, stupid penalities cost us, and when we get dragged into an arm wrestle we lose our cool and give them what they want, thought Webster swinging arm in to a tackled player was the epitome of this we gifted them 30m to escape there where going anywhere.

Our D line speed is poor like said, we advance a couple of yards then stand and wait, the last 10mins of the match we actually bothered and where all over them, similar to last year we look tired, I know we have had 2 hard games in 2 weeks prior but we where like this at the start of the year.

The last tackle option is easy to defend against why can't we put some grubbers through, tried it once on sat and came away with a drop out.

Very one dimensional in attack when Fax came they had multiple runners to choose from and support we bundle up field then run sideways when stuck, have an idea what will happen next before it does we are easy to read.

Start of the season I'd be happy with anything from 8 up and still would just wish we where more inventive, even if this meant losing.

Kear is the right man to steady the ship and get the defence right but it isn't fun to watch like the Big Sam of RL.

That said I do expect us to beat fax in a couple of weeks.

Pre-season who would have taken a top 7 finish and a cup quarter (if not semi) appearance?

I'd have bitten your hand off and it isn't an unlikely scenario

We aren't playing amazing attacking rugby, but we a building a club from the bottom up here guys and given where we have been; slow and steady defo wins the race.

I expect a stronger team to be assembled for 2020 and a real push for the top 5

In my view we’re going very well and considering where we’ve come from as the 2nd best side in L1 last year some people on here need to manage their expectations. We are in the mix for the top 5 with plenty of rugby to play. Sure, we’ve got a big budget but we’re a club that’s been rebuilt from nothing and it takes time.

The style of play is pretty conservative and anyone can see that we have issues with our last tackle options. We do line up too flat and we don’t offload enough or support the ball carrier enough.
However, we have two very young halfbacks and they’re learning the game. Many of the rest of the side are very young too. In many ways this is the ideal season to get those kids we’ve invested in up to speed. We’re not seriously in the mix to get promoted with Toronto streets ahead. Does a fancy style of rugby attract more fans? I’m not sure of the evidence of that. I’d say winning rugby is more important and we are a difficult side to beat. I’d sooner have this side that gives 100% over the fancy dan side we had under Rohan Smith that couldn’t perform under pressure. Remember that play off game at Fev in 2016 when we had a great team on paper but got nilled?

This season we’ve seen amazing games away at Fax and at home to Fev and Leeds in the cup. It’s been superb entertainment and better than anything we’ve had in years. It’s going to take time to get the casual supporters back and it won’t happen overnight. Kear is building a foundation of players that can perform consistently at Championship level. I’d certainly take a top 8 finish. Top 5 would be very good indeed but it is a very tough division and I think really it’s beyond us this year. Next year perhaps with some astute recruitment?

In the meantime I’m loving the rugby this season.

Fax were far the better team? Really? Don't get me wrong they were worthy winners and performed better than us but I actually thought it was a very close game performance wise. If we hadn't have taken a few poor options we could easily of been on the right side result wise.

I think we are doing pretty well so far this year and I will always take the a winning result before performance. What is the point in playing expansive rugby but losing? I said this year would be deemed a success if we were there or thereabouts for a top 5 finish. We are still well in the mix for that and have the chance of making a CC semi final if we can gain revenge on Fax next weekend. Let's see what the next few weeks bring..

Last 2 posts spot on.

Fax were certainly the better side on Saturday IMO. However we were going set for set with them for long enough. It was only their more clinical kicking game and a few bits of ill discipline by us that was the difference IMO. There’s no reason to suggest that our next game won’t be as close. They have improved since they got rid of Marshall but we will be better too with Peltier’s go-forward and hopefully a bit more quality at the end of sets.

^^^
This!

Before the season started, I pointed out this would be effectively only Year 2 of our rebuilding from zero, and Y1 we actually got promoted. So for a Y2 we are in a very hard school.

It takes several years to build up a collection of players into a very good team and there is no guarantee you ever will, but surely, we must have matched or exceeded almost everyone's expectations so far in 2019?

The style of rugby we need to play right now is to win games, not Harlem Globetrotters. We don't have the personnel for that anyway, and you build from the base, not from the top. I have really enjoyed this season, I mean properly enjoyed, just like bullseye said, which has made a great change. We are overall a very tough nut to crack and have had many spells where we have actually played very well indeed and shown some excellent attacking rugby - at the right times.

Some have gone on about Halifax's pace and moves, but that didn't win them the game, did it? In fact, those who complain about our attack need to work out how it was that we so often and for such long periods managed to put pressure on their line. If it was not our "boring attack" that kept getting us there, then what was it? And that was done without Peltier, whi we missed a lot.

The difference between the teams on the day was down to a bit of luck, and some poor discipline at crucial stages. Not any gulf between the teams. I am certain that if in that spell of sustained pressure we had managed to score, we would have gone on to win. If Crossley is ruled a try, we go on to win.

I was disappointed in the way we lost, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment overall of the show we put up. The issues have been already mentioned, and it's highly likely that more skill and variety on last tackle plays and kicks would have killed them off, and we are too often lacking in that department. but I think we are still heading the right way and doing it sensibly.

I don't why it is but we seem to give Murrell the run of the park whenever we play Halifax. It's no secret that he always plays well against us, yet once again on Saturday we never put him under any kind of pressure

I'm not suggesting thuggery - but maybe we need to stop letting him do exactly as he pleases, and 'get in his face' a bit more?

Wouldn't disagree, in addition make him complete a tackle every set we have the ball, tire him out

You show me somebody who enjoyed those home games against York, Dewbsury and Barrow and I'll show you a liar.

I'm not expecting top 5 and I'm not wanting harlem globetrotters, but we can't even do the basics!
I refuse to believe that these players are unable to offload the ball, or draw a man before they pass, or run some attacking lines, or vary their kick selection a little.

Yeah, Crossley and Peltier need to be picking him out and running straight at him at every opportunity

If you manage to do that then you manage to do something that most teams in this division struggle with. Hes a quality player but the way to stop Murrell playing well is to stop our pack playing well, just like any halfback, and on Saturday the Bulls didn't do that.

It would be a strange game plan to have your props running out towards the wing.

Joking aside the way to tire him out would be to get him isolated against quick players, running big players at him he is just going to love, he is one of the best and biggest hitters at this level but is short of pace and despite the portly shape is not short of fitness.

I think maybe you're exaggerating a bit. I agree we were poor in attack in those games you mentioned.

However, we showed in the games versus Fax (away), the comeback versus Fev and the win against Leeds we can offload, draw a man and run a line. The kicking wasn't that bad either.

I think it's a matter of being consistent and improving. It's a young side. If we're still as bad by the end of the season I'll be more concerned but as it looks we're staying up and consolidating and I'm happy with that for the moment.

You missed Toulouse at home, hopefully the low point of the season - a cold, wet and miserable day.

Nobody was going to play champagne rugby on a day like that.

Absolutely correct.

For whatever reason the Bulls were never really at the races last Saturday and the best team won, as is usually the case. We all have ups and downs through a season though, so the last game has little or no bearing on the next, bring it on.

We lost to a team playing very well, to late breakaway try after a whole load of pressure on their line. We couldn't score a winner and sure we weren't at our best, but how is that never being at the races?

Indeed. We went set for set in the second half. They just had a more composed end to theirs and a bit more energy. There's hardly anything between the two sides.

Perhaps it's slightly unfair as we actually defended well (as is the norm, this season) but without any discernible plan to 'crack' the Fax defence, it always looked unlikely. If we'd only tried some off-loads or even had runners when we made breaks it may well have been a different story. But we didn't, and we rarely got decent field position late on because of it, then once Fax went ahead at the back end a win never really looked likely, much as they tried hard.

Not at the races, too many individuals a bit jaded, game plan perhaps not the best - call it what you will.

Brandon Costin? haha