2009 team got us to the final of the challenge cup, closest thing to winning a major trophy... was it a better squad than the current one? if so are we going backwards!?


B Hodgson
aspinwall
whatuira
lolesi
D Hodgson
Brown
Fulton
Lunt
robinson
crabtree
faiumu
griffin
raleigh
wild
finnegan
jackson
mason
korkidas
kirmond
lawrence
moore
cudjoe
mcgillvary
patrick

Was that final really 5 years ago?!

Very difficult this one - especially as I think it gets blurred by how poor we've been this season when we've basically got the same squad as 2013 and I think if you'd asked this question last season many of the replies you would have received would have been different.

However, to (sort of) answer your question, I'd have to say the 2009 & 2010 squad was stronger than this 2013 & 2014 squad but while you could say that is an indication we've gone backwards I'd say that you'd have to put this in the context of the overall quality of Super League which I also believe has declined.

i would have to say the below would slot straight into todays team obviously in their prime!

brett hodgson ahead of grix - man of steel
kev brown ahead of robinson - still quality now it brown
whatuira ahead of wardle - whatuira was a quality international all round centre
Griffin ahead of kopczak - griffin was the cornerstone of our pack when he was with us for me.
Wild ahead of taai/lawrence? hard one that but wild was brilliant

think scott moore made the dream team this season? so could put him in too! interchange with lunt

Hard for me to argue with any of that. I'd have Wild in every time - that Semi against Saints! One of my favourite games & that try!

I'd definitely have Mason or Griffin in there - I'd love to see some of that aggression in today's pack!

Combination of those 2 sides - Happy Days!!

Our 2009 squad wouldn't of won the league leaders last year. I think we have a lot younger team out learning there ways... The Challange Cup doesn't judge how good a squad is IMO.

I'm surprised how many players I'd still take in our 2014 squad though.

Ahhhh memories...

which squad was close to taking too the grand final, think we lost at saints. 2008 possibly so the 2009 had a good lot of these from 2008

the cup final in 2009 buggered us, we lost kev brown and limped out of the play offs

We're 4 points off top for goodness sake! In what world is that a poor season??

We are 6th. We finished 1st last season.

And if you dont think we have been poor this season by the standards we have set for ourselves then I can only assume you haven't been to many games this season.

i agree.

i thought we had turned the corner at half time today but went backwards again.

i think the fact that we are 6th, albeit 4 points off top spot is more frustrating than anything, considering we have probably only had 3/4 games where we you can say we played well, we know how much we are capable of.

i said it a few weeks ago but take into account the games we've thrown away, widnes,hull kr,warrington early in the season and we could be going for another hubcap!

on the positive side, we haven't played anywhere near our potential yet could still finish in the top 4, maybe even better!

The only judgement as to our season is how close to the Grand Final we get...

We havent been as consistent this season, thats undeniable

But lets be sensible

B Hodgson - Man of Steel, yeah hes better
aspinwall - Better than Murphy or Broughton, no
whatuira - World class centre on his day. Better than Wardle, not so sure - Wardle is unplayable on his day

Lolesi - Not better than any of our current back rowers

D Hodgson - Good strike rate, but Murphy is more reliable imo

Brown - Class on his day, still is.
Fulton - Had moments of genius, but so does Bailey

Griffin - If he wanted to play, he was great, shame he didnt want to play so often

Raleigh - Solid, hard working, we have better props now

Wild - Superb player, best 13 we've had

Finnegan - also ran

Jackson - great workhorse, but not better than we have now

Mason - See Griffin, I think we miss his aggression at time

Korkidas - Who?

Kirmond - criminal we let him go, but I think now we have better back rowers

Moore - lol

All in all we have a better pack now, much more consistent and the pack men we still have are better individual players now, barring Brett who was just world class, and Brown the same I think we have man for man improved out of sight

Sure we got to the CC final that season, but as this season has show its pot luck to get there anyway.

Topping the table takes relentlessly good form - something we didnt have in 2009 either.

This season we have been disappointing but are within reach still of the top 4, 4 points of top spot (IIRC at this stage we were also 4 points of top)

so 2009 v 2014?
2014 wipes the floor with 2009...

Ferres
Wardle
Murphy
Grix
Brough
Ta'Ai
Koppy
Bailey
Wood
Mulally
Kafusi
Connor

There is nothing at all wrong with our team this year and doesnt need changing, what does need changing is there priorities, last year we took every game strongly and didn't look too far ahead. This year were just looking to the play offs even broughy admitted it at start of the year that play offs is what were looking at

Playoffs is defiantly what we're looking at. Think it would be easier in playoffs finishing 5th or 6th rather than 4th or 3rd. At Home first game and no chance of having a week off which can damage a team when looking for consistency.