Sums it up for me. All that has happened this season is that our game plan has been to use this so called massive pack to steam roller over teams and it's turned some likely close defeats into close wins. Fair enough, however it doesn't smack of a great change in our game plan to me.

I'm also at a loss to remember many occassions where we have actually been far and away better in the forwards than the opposition. To me our pack lacks pace and guille. It's all about trying to smash it up down the middle and force teh opposition into submission. It's why when we do win it's by narrow margins. This myth about our so called massive, aggressive pack is purely a myth

"So called injury to Hall"??????

Absolutely right. We've been pushed around by supposedly inferior/smaller/younger packs on many occasions and on Saturday there was only Moa winning collisions. Our forwards often just look tired to me apart from the ones we take off - Moa , Lauacki - of course who tend to be fresh!!!??

Who are the players that are going to do the off the ball running to make space by holding up the oppositions defensive line for our 3/4s though ?

Well that's for the coaches to sort out, it's not rocket science, well at least it shouldn't be.

Surely that is the first step, turn the close defeats into wins and start climbing the ladder in terms of places. Having done that this season we now have to take the next step of being able to expand on that style of play and start dominating teams and winning games more compfortably. That's the challenge to RA and the team.

If it's not rocket science then why are we 2 1/2 into agar's reign and it still isn't happening?

Agreed. How are we likely to do that with basically the same forwards we have now?

do you see him as a permanant fixture in the centre next year?i would go with that personally,we have looked better out wide with him there,just dont think agar will do this tbh......

Why do we need a 5 year plan, when it can be done much quicker by getting a real head coach?

Wigan and Warrington did it in one season!

Until, this basic facet of our attacking play is drilled into the players,
successfully, - it doesnt matter if we signed Thurston and Lockyer!!

Sorry, but Agar has had time to implement this, and is clearly unable
to deliver.

We will only improve, when we sign a better coach - not changing and chopping players season after season.

I agree its why I really like Wigan's youngsters as it is clear it has been drilled into them that they have to push up on everything. I don't think we have the mobility or work ethic for players to be willing to push up on every play which is what you see the best teams doing.

There were quite a few instances in Saturdays game when it simply went from Houghton to Long to Washbrook to Tickle to Berrigan to Lyne with no runners at all and the speed which this was done at was embarrassing to say the least.

Absolutely agree, but it sums up our whole attitude IMO. We seem to want to do just enough to scrape a win. So many examples of this, not only the high proportion of wins by slender margins, but targeting certain games (or otherwise, eg Wigan at home), switching off against Harlequins away at half time. We never go all out for 80 minutes to really thrash the opposition. Look at Saints v Rovers -if they'd got all their kicks Saints would have had 78 points that day against a top 8 side. I just can't see us with the current squad and coach having either the ability or appetite to deliver that.

Cons:
1, We are still a poor attacking side. When adding in that prior to being head coach he was supposedly our attacking coach, this looks very much like it can be laid at his door. We are at turns disorganised, disinterested, and/or stupid. We have far too few players with genuine rugby brains, a poor kicking game, and as soon as we come under any pressure revert straight back to one out rugby.
2, We have no flexibility in our approach to games. If things are not going our way we still don't/can't change anything and the game continues to drift away from us. This is a key area for winning a trophy, as all available have a knockout stage where we can't pin our hopes on fixing it for next time.

I think Agar has done very well this year he has taken the team to a play off place 6th but for the majority of the season a very respectful 4th . That is without the advantage of having a settled half back partnership . Recruitment policy needs to be questioned in my opinion as giving Long a two year contract at his age has not been a sensible option. Also signing players like Cusack are not of the same standard as really good imports like Kearney, Swain and Jasom Smith .

Berrigan , Long, Fitzgibbon, O' Mealey all have the big game experience and it should of been down to them to change the game . Long went missing big time and his kicking game was very dissapointing.

Weren't both long and horne injured for most of last season as well? May be some kind of pattern emerging here

Horne played 25 out of 28 games in 2009.

Did he?? I do him a disservice then. Hopefully he'll do the same next year

This is my biggest fear, Jake said how do we improve with the same forwards. Well it's now down to the coaching at the club. To me it's not just first grade either, the young players have to be drilled in 'the ways of the club'. The style of play has to embedded, almost like a culture.

One halfback has to play in the defensive line, not passing the ball in front of them but right in the line along with a flat runner and from there we should be able to move the ball with further runners and then it's a simple case of decision making. When a forward take a drive then one of the halves, or fullback or another forward should be pushing on his shoulder in case he frees an arm.

People say we were poor against Rovers but I don't subscribe to that, we broke them plenty of time and the difference was they took their chances. However it was our lack of support play that cost us tries. The Lauaki break should have been a try, where was Turner and Briscoe. Briscoe's break could have been a try with support play as could a couple of Berro's breaks and one by Horne. Leeds are the 3 x winners because they take their chances mainly as they are the best team in the league at supporting breaks. No matter who breaks the line, Burrow, McGuire and Webb are always on their shoulder.

Agar has to build this into the players and it has to be something player don't think about, it should come automatically. We also need to promote the ball more, apart from our own 25 it should be happening almost every play.

Yes, I was surprised when I looked it up. In addition, Thorman played 23 games.

Explains the 12th place finish then

Has Agar gone yet?

www.thisishullandeastriding.co.u ... ticle.html OK Yeamo, i'll judge it a failure based on our average boring performances all season.

www.thisishullandeastriding.co.u ... ticle.html OK Yeamo, i'll judge it a failure based on our average boring performances all season.

A "international" standard centre who plays most of the games this season and scores 9 tries highlights the short comings of our season.

and evidence of his own poor form.

ok we improved on last season which doesnt take a lot, if we had taken 1 or 2 chances in the leeds game we would have finished 4th,hopefully beaten crusaders and properly got beat by wires,i think most people would have been reasonally pleased with that improvement, think next year is a big year for us, give agar next year hopefully with an injury free season, well i am a glass half full bloke