gleeson not playing tonight, don't know if he was injured but smurph's 4th position this season was an improvement to the team in defence. really wish that matty b would take the ball in better because it really looks like he is going throught the motions only at times.

Agreed; Murphy was solid and Blaymire, as usual, half-hearted.

Furthermore, our best spell of play was when JD was off the field; if JK continues to auto-pick him, he'll join Gleeson on the scapegoat list.

I thought he was already well and truly on the list?

Cooke was getting some grief where i was stood in the second half. Told unceremonuously to go back to hull as he had done nothing for them and nothing for 'us'.

Only at Wakefield.

Cooke should have been Man of the Match, for my money anyway. You could see him start to control things on the field. This is a good thing, let's hope it lasts!

blinkered fans,
I'm not so narrow minded as not to let him have a chance, he wouldn't of been my choice but I will support him in everything he attempt to do to improve play, frustrating to hear them after two games

Cooke for me was man of the match as he took control and the team did better for it. JD looks out of sorts but the man has put his heart and soul into the club and has never took a backward step. I dont think its fair to criticise a player who has done so much for the club. Im the same age as JD and I struggle to stand on the side and watch. I love the game but would I swop him? Not in a million years. Its a tough old game and I respect all the players do for our entertainment.

He seemed frustrated last night when he dropped the ball trying to offload. Which to me shows that he still cares and still has desire. He will come good this season just when we need it



Wigan will be a tough game which I hope we win but dont expect it. The crusaders follow which I would expect to win. So by round 11 we could well be on 14 points. Cant really ask for more.

Wakefield till I Die!!!

I though Cooke controlled the game second half and kept a level head which is something Brough didn't always do.

Our defense looked very solid with smurph in the and i think Gleeson could find it difficult to get in.

I would like to mention Morto who apart from 1 drop from the high ball when under severe pressure was very solid.

Hendo was fantastic again.

Rugby League is a tough and demanding game especially at the highest level. All great players have to give it up and I really think JD has probably gone on for one season too many. Sadly this game is also very cruel and no matter how good you were in your career, you are only as good as your last game.

You wouldn't know a RL player if it got up and bit you.

I agree over Cooke, he made the difference in the second half in what was a drab game that could've easily turned the other way if one or two Cas players had decided at half time to turn on a performance.

Regarding JD, it's a tough one, but I think people should be able to be critical of his perfomances this year. Great servant, great bloke, etc, but that shouldn't really figure heavy in the equation when deciding what is best for picking a team to win. Perhaps a more selective use of him from the bench may be in order.

It's a tough decision but i think Kear could help him out alot more by resting him once in a while or using him from the bench in a couple of games. I commented at the start of the season that JD has all the will in the world but time catches up with us all and that a good leader must understand his limitations as well as his strengths.

We all want Demetriou to suceed and be the best he can but unfortunately at times you have to make hard decisions and i think he is a still a very useful player he just needs to be used correctly to get the best out of him

Cooke was very good for us last night, we have half backs/hookers who go to the line at speed, they step, weave and try to offload in a controlled but almost frantic manner. Then came Cooke who has a different style altogether, standing further out in an almost serene, laid back manner and making cold decisions with what seems like ages of time to do so.

Some will read that style as lazy, that he does'nt care or that he has no passion for task. He has a cool head and he will/does make plays which offer our attack another dimension and that's hard to read for the opposition both during the game and in preperation to play us.

As for JD, I posted a Snog, Marry Avoid thread about this time last year and suggested that another season might be one too many for JDs body. I hoped then that I was wrong as I have nothing but respect for him both on and off the pitch. He's a hero to many and when he does give the game up (as a player) he will be remembered for years to come. I hope his poor form is just that 'FORM' and that we'll see the best of him again as the season progresses, I'd hate for him to sully his own legacy by playing on for too long.

Murphy would be the first name on my team sheet every week. He's a reliable player who gives 100% in attack and defence.

Paul Cooke was the difference in us winning and losing last night. He did all the basics right and kept the team on an even keel. There's no doubt he's a class player and as already mentioned, he can look lazy at times but class players make things look so easy without really putting in the effort that lesser players have to. Moving away from Humberside will probably prove to be the best thing he's done in his career.

I thought the defence last night was excellent across the field and we got the win without having to overwork. There was a definite feeling of '2 games in 4 days' among both teams.

Thought Cooke was very good 2nd half, 1st half everyone/thing was a bit 1 dimensional ans predictable.
Did you notice that Cooke tried the short ball to f/back coming through a la Greenshields for Catalans? It didn't come off but great to see us doing something different.

can not go wrong with blaming hendo, works every time

on JD...
last year was a hell of a year for the club and JD in particular. I think the level of resposibility he took last year was beyond the call of duty. The off-season was particularly short this year and I don't know if he managed to relax but I think that what he is experiencing now is payback for all that emotional and physical effort. I believe that if he had a break away from RL for a couple of weeks he would come back refreshed and performing well again. Don't know how this can be arrranged but I feel he really needs a break.

I was critical of Matty last week, but I thought he stepped his efforts up hugely this week. Not unhappy with that performance - I reckon you'd need a different player if you wanted more out of him!

That band wagon was last week do try and keep up...

With the pitch and ball really slippy I thought Blaymire was outstanding and didnt miss a tackle or drop a ball (to the best of my knowledge) all night long. Was my m.o.m & felt he was as safe as houses. I must watch a different game sometimes.

No band-wagon jumping for me and I'm not completely anti Blaymire - he does ok under the high ball and is generally safe; I guess I would just prefer to see him return the ball with a bit more aggression and not tackle himself so readily. We are all, are we not, entitled to our opinions?

That said, I'd dearly love him to prove me wrong against Wigan tomorrow; I'll be there, so if you bring the humble pie, I'd be happy to have to scoff it!

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and everyone else is entitled to disagree with those opinions. It's got to the point with Matty where some go into the game having already decided he's not running it in hard enough. If anyone can find a better, affordable full back then fair enough but I think you'll struggle.

Booooooooooooooooooo!

Is opinion/criticism only valid if there is a suitable alternative available at any given time?

on here it is