There are no games in the season after the Grand Final, there are after the CC and the desire to right a wrong is what (I hope) will strengthen the team.

Go n watch their second try again, sandow was not in a position to contest he had his man. Who if had kept the ball sandow would have made the tackle don't see how he could have stopped that try whatsoever and certainly no more at fault than anyone else

I just don't like the micro analysing individual incidents, we should not have been In the position that they were able to win with two converted trys with 20 to go.

Did anybody actually feel comfortable at ten nil?? And at ten six who believed we would win it? Our inability to get thru the adversity of players going off in a big game is a factor to our loss as much as any individual mistake our ability to be winning a game n then just stop n allow teams back into it again is an issue.

Sandow had an ok game and lead the way when we were playing well and with his kick chases i don't see what more he could have realistically done to win the game single handedly?

Great first half, poor kicking game second half.

Just watched the tv version of the match & i can't see that Sandow did anything wrong & the whole team including Toby King were magnificent. Curry was unlucky with the last effort because Houghton had done the right thing & managed to dislodge the ball from a secure grip.
If anything injuries & fatigue affected us in the last 20 minutes.

To be brutally honest Sandows was poor on the second try; he jumped out of the line for an intercept, then casually jogged back critically with his back to the play the ball which encouraged Hull to go to the short side. He then was supposed to act as a blocker but didn't commit.

Some (all?) of Sandow's attacking kicks were off the mark, either the high kicks were too deep and unpressured or too heavy running dead. I'm not sure we secured a repeat set from a kick did we?

If only Currie had held the ball in the arm away from the defender - it could have been different.

All ifs and buts. I did not expect to win and we didn't - it was Hull's year this time and well deserved.

I seem to remember Sandow getting a 40/20 early in the game.

Followed by 2 I think from Snyde!!

I dare say that if Myler or Briers would have been defending those kicks the results would have been similar.
I have not watched the whole game back but what is noticeable is that when Wilkin was on the pitch in the warm up Gidley gets Hughes, Evans and King together and gives them a pep talk. Their communication in defence was very good and it appeared that everybody knew their job.
One of the Sneyd kicks was almost in touch (IIRC) and I think it was Ratchford who challenged for it. It looked like the kind of kick that you should leave and mark up on the players because the winger would have been drilled into touch if he landed with the ball in his hands. . Instead there was a minor drop in concentration and a bit of panic.
One of the disappointing things was Ratchford not making it to the 40/20. Easy for me to say but he fields that kick and the game was over. He wasn't that far away from it. Good kick though.

I would have expected both Sandow and Gidley to run the show for us they didn't, yes Sandow got a 40/20 and an interception, but that's all, just very disappointed with the halves. It was a great spectacle and sad for one team to lose but hey onwards to OT, but only if the halves start to dominate with the ball in hand.

Gidley stays on the field and doesn't go off injured and this conversation never happens.

Would agree that he's not been as good since his injury, however.

When we look at Sandow,his size dictates that he is a half back ,but with a bit more size & a more complete tackling technique he may have made a game breaking full back. Whatever,he isn't a conventional scrum half but a maverick with flashes of brilliance & flaws that may never be ironed out.

TS has said that Chris Sandow will miss the Catalans game because of a Knee Medial strain. Also Bennie out for the season

So no Gidley or Sandow this week, that will be an interesting squad selection on Thursday.

Patton and ratchford. unless he's gonna go with patton and currie at 6

Ratch and Dec.
Penny back in.

Fullback?
Penny or Johnson?

Cox replacement for Bennie, or Philbin?

Russell
Penny
Evans
Atkins
King / johnson
Ratch
Patton

Now that news of Sandows injury has come out can I assume that his critics in this post will be issuing their apologies?

I've checked back on my posts and am content with what I posted as an accurate reflection of his performance in the final. None of my posts could be considered offensive so no need to apologise.

If he plays Currie at 6 I just don't understand the selection strategy at all. Currie is a near world class 2nd rower, why move players out of positions. Play the understudies for the injured players.

Assume all that you want Silver but, as far as I'm concerned as I'm not a trained medical practitioner I don't think that I can comment as far Sandow's health and fitness is concerned

At the start of the season Sandow was in great form. Getting involved in many attacking plays.

However he got a bad injury and occasionally enjoyed a moment or three of that period socially if rumours and pics tell a tale.

In his return he hasn't, hit the form he was in at season start. Perhaps he hadn't fully recovered from that injury?
Perhaps its psychological and he's being cautious?
Or perhaps he is revealing he's not a 80 min player?

He goes hiding for me for periods and when he is involved during that period his form is suspect, almost like he was daydreaming?

After near a year of watching him, I'm already thinking about a replacement in oppose to extension. I'd swap him for George Williams. I'd prefer a back that plays 80mins a game, every game.

He is a player I like to watch but he doesn't have a great engine and definitely fades in the second half of games. Not sure that will ever change.

And he still fails in his defensive duties.

Undecided if he is worth retaining particularly in light of the size of his contract. If we win the Grand Final that might make such a decision easier!