The last full game I watched was last years Million Pound game. Since then due to COVID related work I've not had the time, rarely been able to even come on here.



I saw the highlights of the Hull and the Wigan game, unlucky in both but sadly second best I suspect.



I was never going to watch my recording of last weeks game for obvious reasons, so no comments.



So yesterday was my first game in nearly a year!



It wasn't as bad as I expected and I could see we were missing some key players, most notably in the backs.



However, it was nothing like the team of 18 months ago and played nowhere near as well as I know they can or could.



I'll tell you what they reminded me of, the team CC took over in 2016. Beaten before they began, no self-belief and a lot of going through the motions by some players. They looked like a team that had never met, a hallmark of the Smith days.



I might be oversimplifying here, though in my experience the simple answer is usually the right one. All CC needs to do is whatever he did the first time in 2016. Drop whatever system he thinks he's devised, swallow his pride and go back to stage one and start again.



Big ask? No not really, not if you want to carry on coaching a SL team. I may be wrong but that's how it struck me.

The trouble is the team C C took over was a lot young younger ,and wanted tweking at the end of each season he as just kept buying older players so now the forwards are a dad's army

It's not the same team that played last time you watched. That's the main issue.

To a degree. Green, Westerman and Brough were all mistakes IMHO. The others have been ok though. I think its more a case that the likes of Batch, Jowitt and Crowther simply have not been allowed to move on. They should all be first on the sheet IMHO, People go on about Kear but that was his big failure so maybe CC needs to go back to his pre-Kear days, just a thought.



Let the youth loose (I don't mean the likes of Aydin etc) but the youth who are now proven. Let's build the team around them instead of importing past it players with bad habits.

It's not far off PT in terms of individuals. However the whole point of a squad system is that it can keep its shape regardless of changes, Obviously, 2019 pushed it to the limits but this year it's less of an excuse tbh.

For me the problem is the motivation of the players that is sadly lacking from our games at this present time .We have struggled with consistency for as long as I’ve watched them but teams I’ve watched over those years with far less ability than the present squad have dug In and played there guts out wether it ended in a win or a loss I went away happy knowing they’d give their all .As I’ve said many times it’s not the losing that’s ever bothered me it’s the manner of the loss that kills me every time .As seen over the weekend the effort was creeping back into our game and hopefully will continue into next weekend .

So we should play Batch, Jowitt and Crowther even if they are not the best players in their position?

I don't agree about Westerman. He was one of if not the best player before lockdown. Brough was a risk and injury meant he couldn't fill the gap we wanted him to. When he and Miller were both fit we look very dangerous and we're winning games.

I agree we need to build, as I'm sure Chester does but it needs to be around platers that are capable.

Batch hasn't played mainly through injury. Crowther has had some injuries but is in a busy position to take a first team spot. But played at the weekend. Jowitt hasn't locked down his spot because other young players are also aiming to take their chance.

Why do you not think they are the best players? I do. Ashusr is bust, Tanganoia has hands made from butter, Kirmo has gone, who exactly is better?

I think Chester had an advantage in that the team he took over were fit and well drilled . Yes the players were supposedly opposed to Smiths strict regime but it was easy for Chester to then get the best out of them ..

Tbh there was nothing in batchelors performances last year to make you think he was kicking on, of all our players coming though he was the one I had the greatest hopes for. Not quite sure what’s happened, crowther for me is the archetypical club man and does what he’s able to do and he reasonable level of opportunity, the one I don’t get is jowitt who always impresses and yet has been picked over at full back again by gigot, and then displaced by Hampshire this week - fail to see why as Hampshire was probably the worst player on the pitch against Catalan part 1 and actually jowitt planting behind a totally trounced pack did ok. Re past it players I agree but you can’t build a team around our three or 4 first. Team locale

I don't think Ashurst is bust at all. And as Batch has been in treatment room for ages, he's still making it on the field which is a step on from Batch.

For the record, Ashurst made 35 tackles with no misses against Catalan in the super league game where we lost 58-0. He made an average gain of 8 metres per carry and made 2 off loads with one error. Doesn't sound like a busted player to me.



Tanginoa is clearly oe of our most destructive runners. He dropped the ball a couple of times. Not good at all but he is still our biggest hitter with and without the ball. It was bad weather too.



Kirmo is clearly on his way out and Pitts is there to replace him. I'm very happy with Pitts. He'd be my captain right now.



Crowther I've got a lot of time for and he'll get better over time but he isn't perfect so doesn't get an automatic place.

Batch has great potential but doesn't play with the maturity I think he needs (Crowther does). And he's not quite showing the fitness to play weekly super league yet.



Jowitt is behind Walker at fullback for me. Can't decide on Gigot. I'd play him at 7 but he isn't the 7 that is going to take us forward. I prefer him to Hampshire on current form but clearly Hampshire brings an athleticism few others have and a goal kicking game we really need.

Funny how we see things differently. I've yet to see anything in Walker that convinces me he's any better, if as good, as Jowitt at FB. I know he's had injuries but now he's back perhaps he'll be given the chance to make the FB spot his own - which is what Jowitt, IMO has never been given.

Regardless, MJ has a lot to offer the team, and would be one of the first names on the team sheet for me

I totally agree with the mistakes you refer to and il add my bit in what I think. Green, where is he, injured, furlough, wages dispute, who knows but he’s not on the field.

Westerman quite simply does not look after himself

Tangata no better than we had

Pitts pick of the bunch for me

Naveratte steady away

Collectively all of them signing were mistakes because they are still not doing the job and winning the forward battle.

We’ve got George king on the sidelines who probably won’t now feature since he has signed for someone else who I thought could of done a 80 minute job for us if got fit.

I also agree with your assessment on ashurst that he looks bust, probably getting all the murder balls off miller over the year.

This group of forwards don’t look fit are getting older and look like they’ve got a soft underbelly to me, no heart for the battle to go from minute one and knock someone’s teeth out. Cas know we’re soft they give us it and roll us over. We needed some rough young hungry lads willing to take it up 3 times a set do as many tackles as possible and not want to come off, similar to the Wigan pack probably one of the youngest and inexperienced forward line ups they have had but with the correct attitude to rip in. Do people think Micky Mac will stop ruffing us up if we don’t stand our ground.

Atkins no idea what’s up with him he’s done what he’s had to in the game, as he still the motivation another silly signing

Let’s move on to brough, THE FINAL PIECE OF THE JIGSAW, we bring him in he’s had a good career been a good player coming to the end. He signed his legs had gone so I thought when we had fafita, Pauli, king, copcheck, tanginoa we put a big pack round and get him in to positions to suit Danny brough like in the opposition ten so he could use his kicks but no we play the same way get brough no where near the line and basically he’s a passenger, a mistake by the coaches.

So we’ve got a position with two good full backs so decide to sign another two which we’re simply not needed and can’t touch jowitt or rocky. When the pack was up against most of last year they always had a get out in rocky who was making breaks for fun, look at the highlights on you tube if you like. So we now are still getting biffed in the pack but also shut that avenue of escape off by putting someone slower there who quite simply can’t make the breaks, he’s positionally all over doesn’t hit the line and when they spin him returns slow and gets battered, baffling to say the least.

Gigot is just a fair weather player you might get one good game in ten from him and only when the team is on top rest of time he can’t be bothered. Walker and gigot stupid signings.

The backs take more ball in the pack and get smashed up.

I had a good look at Croft on Saturday who I thought looked promising on attack last year but a bit lost defensively and his body shape in twelve months doesn’t seem to have changed at all I thought he’d be a right unit.

I’d like to see crowther and batchelor got fit enough to last the 80’and see how they go there’s no relegation so give them a go.

Out of interest in the last 18 months which players do you think have improved, IMO none some have got older some have stagnated but one thing is clear if we’re not going forwards there’s only one way we are going backwards I’m afraid.

Spot on Mopsey .Short version is we have wasted a lot of money

Our forwards look really jaded and will get dominated week in week out. Do we even have any young promising props coming through the academy? No players have significantly improved within the last 18 months in my eyes which is really poor to see as I’d love to see batch, Crowther and Jowitt properly cement down places as all 3 actually play with pride and rip in, is this a coaching issue as to why they aren’t??

One forward who I thought we wasted his potential was Annakin. The lad was an absolute monster in the academy at lose forward and looked as tough as the devils toe nails.

The thing that’s missing for me in the forwards is the effort to try and get up for a quick ptb...that’s what we need to get on the front foot...they need to be making a visual effort to shake the defenders off to try and get up quickly because that’s where the set restarts come into play...



When we’re on the front foot we can still be a good side and cause any team problems...that’s the one main thing I’d be focussing on in training. Run hard in the first place...win the collision and get a quick ptb...don’t win the collision but make a real effort to get up quick...



For me we have four players who does this regularly and that’s Johnstone, Tupou, Lyne and Fifita and it’s no coincidence they’re regularly our top metre makers...



Walker I could understand the signing because he looked promising at London and at the time Rocky was stalling on signing a new deal...the one that doesn’t make sense is Gigot...maybe that came through pressure and everyone saying we needed a new half back when Chester was already on record saying he would give Rocky and Jowitt their chances in the halves.



Me personally I’d go with



1) Jowitt



6) Miller

7) Hampshire



And stick to it and give them a prolonged run in the team...it won’t happen though because of the Gigot signing..

Pity we didn't get more out of Annakin. Hard, strong running forward who rarely had a bad game. One of our best forwards a season or two ago.

Westerman is a good example of why we as a league are always way behind the NRL in quality, in that a player can not look after himself properly, bearing in mind he is supposed to be a full-time professional athlete, yet still get a gig in the top flight, knowing he is just about good enough to get picked. Not enough depth of quality to demand higher standards.



One thing noticeable about Pitts is that he is in very good physical shape, and the rest of the London squad were last year, which is why they competed. I've long been a fan of the mantra that if you can't be the best, be the fittest, and you'll give yourself a fighting chance. If you are neither the best nor the fittest, you're always going to struggle.



I'm prepared to write off this season though, with no crowds and no relegation, but we have plenty of time to plan for next season and the future, which should be about refreshing the pack with some young and hungry players eager to make a mark, and an organising half-back or hooker. Brough was great until his injury.

How can we strengthen the lack how many of the over the hill forwards are leaving next year