Same script, different cast, predictable outcome.

Half hearted effort, no line speed, crap around the ruck, sloppy in contact, no kicking game, ball watching on the edges, zero creativity in attack and appalling lack of composure on the final ball.

The only positives - a half decent turnout for Hodgy and thankfully it was a pre season game. If it wasn't a testimonial, I'd be asking for my money back.

Matty Marsh was crap yet again, Albo had a poor game and the Huddersfield half backs and back line were different class.

Albert needs game time after a long lay off. Marsh has no assertiveness about him. So far he hasn't controlled a set never mind a game. Has ability but needs a character now.
Green went well. If he gets assertive he could be our best forward.

I agree 100% with this.

Everyone keeps saying what a nice kid Matty Marsh is, but to me he just looks like he's happy being in the team, going through the motions and making up the numbers.

He is totally anonymous and lacks a plan B to his game. Last season, he was overshadowed and outperformed by Dane Chisholm in the middle 8s. Could be his age, but he is not taking his opportunity. At the moment, I blame the coaches. Needs to step up or else he's toast. Shades of Keal Carlile. I hope I'm wrong.

James Green has developed an edge, lots of self belief and a level of intensity by contrast. He will make a real impact for us this season.

Wow it got worse.
Can anyone explain moving Sio to centre when Minns got injured....
Sio fantastic winger, looks an exciting full back so far but a terrible centre when he's played there. Moves him to centre (when shaw could have moved straight there) and Cudjoe breezes passed him 2 mins later.....
Is Sio going to be full back this year? If he is he needs as much game time there as possible.
Apparently this game we approached with super league intensity according to the coach....

Symbolic defence? That's a new one.

I think you mean yours, Rolfie.

Exactly right, albeit by accident.

Definition of symbolic defence is - "A new style of Rugby League underperformance as perfected by the Hull KR sides of coach Sandercock and continued by his understudy coach Chester."

The key differentiator between this defensive alignment and those deployed by other SL teams is that it usually allows 3 opposition tries per half minimum without response from the Hull KR attack. This form of defence allows the Hull KR team to assess the speed and intensity of the game, before they begin belatedly to up their game and play to somewhere near their potential.

Not to be confused with shambolic defence, which most commentators and spectators would also associate with the same team.

That's a very good description PR. Unfortunately very close to the mark.
This really isn't panic time yet, but boy you can understand why people are. If it was a different form of crap then at least they worked on something new in the off season.
To find the same problems but seemingly even worse this pre-season, fans are understandably worried.

got to say looking at your recruits I can not see them improving your defence all good young signings with promise but if they where that good would Leeds have let them go it appears like Peacock giving jobs to the Boys, you seem to lack grunt up front and any real line breaking back rows your half's are quality that's your only real strength interesting that league express predicts you will finish bottom surly its not looking that bleak ?

Don't worry yourself.

I wont



you can do it for me

Whatever.

I was very impressed with the Danny Brough show; he dominated the middle of the park and made it look all too easy.

Pity about Larroyers injury he doesn't have much luck in the trials does he.

Plenty to work on but thats why trial games are played, but have to agree with the consensus on here - poor defence is a real concern.

Reading all the threads on hear because were i live i would never go to a friendly I think its down to the coaching staff when we gave Chester the job I thought it was a mistake still do

Its a real difficult one for me, I'm telling myself its only a friendly and the team aren't up to speed yet but, ands its a Kim Kardashian sized but, this game looked like it could have been played a week after the regular season. Same failings and same team shape.

It does make you wonder that if we all, and it really is us all, can see that the 2nd row is light, we need an impact prop and we need to add more steel in defence then how come nothing seems to have been done about it.

Although I hate to agree with a B&W, the guy who posted above hit the nail on the head with the new signings not adding to the defence. Non of these are known to be hard hitting defenders. Long season ahead I'm afraid.

Thought green was outstanding,greenwood,walker and mulhearn played pretty well but they were the only plus points for me.I think the performance of marsh just enforces my point that without campese pulling the strings we are clueless.Even more reason for us to have done something about the halfback situation.Finally I know it was only a friendly but to conceed that many points again makes me wonder how willie poching kept his job as defensive coach,our defence is pathetic and I dont see who or what is going to change it.

Bang on BR. This is the crux of the problem for me. We looked like a Middle 8 team going through the motions and a better imitation of last year's side than I honestly thought possible. The mood in the stadium was sombre, bordering on anger and dismay at times and without immediate improvement, we face another long and disappointing season.

Chezzie said in various media soundbites beforehand words like "real competition for places in the squad" and "strength in depth" and "trained the house down" and "can't wait to get out there and compete and blow the cobwebs off" and "Matty Marsh is maturing in to a good player by taking on the line more and developing a good kicking Game" and best of all "I'm less concerned about the result, but more focused on the performance."

After the game, he says - "we were flat from minute 1" and "we didn't compete" and "we were soft in the tackle" and "there's plenty to work on next week" and "Huddersfield bossed it".

These are frighteningly familiar noises. I think the enormity of the task has just dawned on him and he is beginning to realise that there is a whole gulf in class and approach between top 4 and bottom 4 in SL at the mo.

Any team needs to put down a performance marker for the season, for the fans and for the coach in terms of where they are on the transition scale, whether in a preseason friendly or not. On the basis of yesterday's game that marker was clearly flying 6 bloody enormous banners stating, NO LEADERSHIP, NO SECOND ROW, NO DEFENCE, NO INTENSITY, NO CREATIVITY, NO DESIRE.

Get it up on the walls of our changing room, Chezzie and get it sorted out or foxtrot oscar and let someone else get stuck in.

Poching should have gone with the end of season clear out of back room staff Chester for me only kept his job because he got us to Wembley the only positive I can think of is Warrington beat us 40-0 last season in a friendly and we turned them over twice in the season so that's my straw clutching done

Was a programme or testimonial brochure issued for the game?

I, like many have been worried for some time about our lack of punch in the back row, other SL sides seem to be recruiting big, bruising runners who can also tackle while we have recruited Clarkson. I think we have some good props, but I seriously worry that we are going to get battered all over the place in the 2nd row, none of them will be able to cope with the defence required.

I don't see us being out of the bottom 4 to be honest.

to be fair that's a great point lets not forget these are friendly games better to get a bad performance out the way now than later this could well be the kick up the arris some players needed

I might be delirious but after yesterday's game I wish we had radford in charge. The team would still be locked in the changing room now.
I can't think that Chester has the balls to drop or call a player out.

If you could see any technical improvement at the ruck I would be more confident but there was zero evidence of it yesterday. Quick play the balls sucked players into the middle leaving the fringe a mess. Our coaches have not fixed this in a year.....
We look weaker than in the super 8s with no Chisolm(sorry Sandra he pulled off some great plays to change games last year). In fact we were a shambles in beating semi pro teams on occasion.
I really fear for us and did before yesterday.
Our best hope is Campese but reading between the lines he's a month off at best. By then he'll have missed Cas Wakefield etc. We're hoping others suffer injuries and fall outs to save us. Only Widnes haven't made obvious improvements.

Shouldnt worry too much about Chester can see Peacock in charge after six games