No worse than Fifita, although I accept Wollo's point Fifita was a much more attacking threat from the off. Still time will tell. He's on a year contract so we may not see the best of him ala Williams.

I actually thought Kendall did ok today. There were a few dubious calls but with the view I had I wouldn't be confident he was wrong. I'll be looking at the Trinity TV for both tries he consulted on though and the knock down he gave as a knock n by us when it looked them. As for not stopping the clock at the end, I don't think he has to immediately. He has to allow reasonable time for KO which in all honesty I think he did. We didn't lose because of that.

we are in big trouble now for top 8- after our impending loss to st Helens we will be level on points with 9th!

Keegan Hirst is the most underrated Wakefield player I've seen for a long time. He has been fantastic in his stints this season. He has improved no end. Massive fan. Again, I said it last week - composure and decision making. This team is as good as the best ones technically and physically. Mentally however, they are not up there with the best. But they could be. Really enjoyed the game today - AGAIN - but left gutted.

Also, Ryan Hampshire should be our starting 7. He was quality.

I'd be a little reluctant to listen to these remarks. It is easy to see a player out on 1 or 2 nights and them enjoying a fag or two for one night in a month and people to make it sound like it is some sort of normal occurrance. I enjoy a fag when I have a drink every now and then but it doesn't mean i'm some kind of totally physically unfit mess (which I am). But I doubt it means the same for a rugby player who is in the gym every day and doing fitness.

Just watched the highlights back.
Nothing wrong with the Leeds tries that some fans found such terrible decisions.
We should have stopped some though.

Absolutely no question about wanting Chester to stay, the only way we will ever succeed is by having a core of players and coaching staff who have worked together for 100+ games. 5 games we should/could have won had we been given the rub of the green and not collapsed for 20 min in the 2nd half again. I still can't see where the next win is coming from; but that doesn't mean we need to bag players or coaches

I would say we are in big trouble but we aren't going to be in the top 4 for sure as its already drifted away from us with that game yesterday, I disappointed the last five results but not the performance in general, these clubs used to walk away with in past and they aren't now, challenge cup has to be our goal as well as a top 8 finish

I never been so positive of how the team has been put together if there's every a club to been afraid of not top 8 I'd say its Hull

If we are in a bad place, how bad are Hull FC?

Assuming we win our game in hand v Widnes, Hull are below us.

Is anyone at Hull chucking teddies out and writing the season off? No.

Talk about a massive over-reaction!

Yes, it hurts to lose by such small margins, but we are still well placed to have a real crack this season.

I was impressed with Kirmond yesterday.

Thought Bill Tupou had generally an untypical poor game when he received the ball and specifically couldn't believe he didn't go for gold when he broke early doors. Passed inside to the theoretically much slower Miller.

Two years ago, we were losing them by 20 points in each game.

I seem to remember it was similar last year, with games like Warrington away. Our problem this year is maybe that we can't slip under the radar anymore, because we're seen as a genuine top eight, and possible top four side. Teams no longer switch off when they come to Belle Vue.

Its not rocket science, we have good players who are giving it their best shot, our game plan was again poor yesterday. Right from the first set we started with fancy dan football, throwing the ball about. Whose bright idea was that, Leeds were missing several props and Sutcliffe was playing at 6 on one leg, for 60 minutes we should have hammered them around the ruck, simple one out drives, plenty of scoots, play field position. Instead with our expansive style we gifted them field position and their middle men who were either filling in or young inexperienced players were not pressured. We need to go to basics

But people were royally entertained. Is rugby league in the entertainment business or winning business? It's a moot point.

Obviously we go down to Belle Vue to be entertained but how long will that last if we are relegated? #thinkinglikeboj

Sorry but although i like to see a great brand of rugby i would take an ugly 2 points any day. At times Wigan are god awful to watch, they slow the game down at the ruck, they are anti offload (even when its on) there set plays can be seen in the amateur game and they spend there time grinding down there opponents until they break... every now and then they throw the ball out to the flanks on an overlap and score a try that is pleasing to the eye.

To answer your question, this is a results business and whatever style of play makes us a hard team to beat is what we should be going with.

Despite some shocking calls from Kendal.
Penalising Pauli for grabbing both shoulders of the Leeds player and yet nothing given to Trinity for headshots on 3 of our players ??
The knock on AND offside by Leeds ruled play on ??
And Leeds knocking the ball forward and dead, ruled as a drop out for Trinity.
There were plenty of other calls which appeared to go against us.

Having said that, our leftside defence just looked kanckered for much of the second half which gave Leeds very easy metres.

Great comeback and Lyne, who was superb all afternoon, very nearly set up a winner. Although, tbf, Leeds looked well in control for much of the second half.

Hampshire looked realyl sharp and Lyne was my MoM but, Leeds were there for the taking yestreday and it was ultimately disappointing that we came second.

Keeps happening against the quality sides doesn't it? Makes the early season talk of top 4 look distinctly premature - our retention is positive, recruitment a mixed bag (Horo is far from what his showreel promised and Pauli is taking a good while to get up to speed) and all round, we're probably pretty much where we were last season in terms of on-field quality - which means we'll probably make the 8's, but come a cropper when we face the decent sides; likewise CC - we'll have a run if we get some favourable draws early on, but stumble against the likes of Cas, Wigan, Saints etc.

I fundamentally disagree with Slugger's suggestion that entertainment trumps wins - ideally you want both, but I think most fans would take an ugly win over a classy defeat any day of the week.

Have to agree.
As a neutral, an entertaining game trumps the result but, as Trinity fans, a win comes above all else.

FWIW, I think we will still keep winning the games that we "should" win, which hasn't happened for many a season but, it will eventually come down to beating some of the "top" sides.
Maybe it's a mental thing and we're not yet confident enough to have a real go and believe that we can beat them or, a bit of naivety but, each of our defeats has followed pretty much the same pattern. In front at HT and not able to cope with the "fire" in the opening 15 minutes of the second half.
Perhaps we should wipe the scoreboard blank and tell the players that it's been an intense warm up.
It is getting bloody frustrating though as we ARE good enough to beat these sides, we just havent managed it yet.

So true. Sometimes you have to come out in the second half and play as if your ten points down.

Is every call that goes against Wakefield wrong and every call in their favour correct? You'd think Wakefield go 80 mins every week without any foul play.

No of course not, but even as a Leeds fan you must have thought for a couple of calls the gods were with Leeds.
For instance the penalty on Pauli for the tackle was ridiculous.

No, clearly not but, those mentioned were all pretty big calls and when they lead directly to an opposition score or, prevent your side from scoring, then, perhaps it's worth a mention on your clubs forum.
We had a Leeds fan stood with us yesterday and on a couple of occasions, he couldn't defend or explain what Kendal had done.

The Paupli incident, which was penalised, followed by the numerous head shots from Leeds (and one from Wakefield) was just wrong.

Huh, every time we threw the ball about was when we troubled Leeds... we weren't matching them down the middle imo they were quicker around the ruck and stronger down the middle. Thought Kendall was very lenient in the ruck area.

Agree with this, first half when we were more expansive we seemed to be making meters for fun, I don't think we had to kick from deep once.

my first ever Leeds wakefield game was at bell vue in 1986, Leeds have never ever beaten wakefield without it being entirely the refs fault, they have never been just better than wakefield its always wakefield were somehow cheated, there has been a couple of occasions where the best side lost and leeds sneaked/stole a win they did not deserve, Karl pratts and scott donalds last minute tries for instance, its a bit long in the tooth now, i now we all like to moan about the ref but come on.