Inexperienced halves. Not enough beef up front. That combined with a below par performance from Dwyer at dummy half and a fairly solid Dewsbury display was why we lost today IMO.

Ta for that, not sure inept is the word, look at any decent club, without the leader on the park they struggle. Probably more of any issue than no props

A couple of things jumped out at me yesterday



Firstly the inabilities and inexperience of our half backs. They created nothing, they didn’t look like ever creating anything, the oppo didn’t need to think, their team mates were unsure, it’s a major problem I am afraid and needs to be addressed, as we are coming up against seasoned halves who know how to move a side around the park.



I think this lack of leadership led to Dwyer becoming a hooker come half, running across the line rather than doing what he does best , run at the oppo. His performance was diluted, probably out of frustration.



Secondly our go forward. Only Thackeray looked like breaking the line, the rest, were impotent. I liken it to cricket, we’ve got medium fast bowling attack with one quickie, but we need 4 quickies !!!!! No doubt Wallace and Everett will be better with a year under their belt, but we will not reap the rewards this year that’s for sure.



Finally, Ben Farrar, what on earth does this man contribute to the team, anyone ?

We scored all three tries down the flanks where we had a clear and demonstrable advantage in terms of pace. Unfortunately for most of the game we tried carrying the ball up close around the ruck, where Dewsbury had a clear and demonstrable advantage in terms of bulk and savvy.



The decision making in the half backs was non-existent. They seemed to think that Lovegrove was the only option, bless him Rhys played his heart out, but the predictability meant the Dewsbury's big lads were always waiting for him. Got really frustrated seeing the wingers waving their arms and pleading for the ball, they shouldn't need to, we should have gone wide after a couple and exploited our advantage. Get small nippy guys running a lump like Pryce around the place and he'll soon be wheezing like an old carthorse.



Had a long chat with Hendo in the bar afterwards, and his main point, that he kept returning to, was that we're a team full of kids with no old heads to guide them. Which kind of backs up the points made by others on here that we lack on-field leadership.

I really hate digging out individuals but I find myself asking the same question every time I go to the Hive!

When you look at it we lost Adamson, Cordoba and Foran. Slyney , Mathers and Bartheua are injured. I think the only one left out of the "leadership" team is Wes (not sure about Farrar?).

This will do the young lads good, getting plenty of game time/experience. I honestly think Leigh will go up this year and the division will be a little tighter next year. I just hope that we still have the financial backing of Hughes to keep the squad together (I think we will as I get the impression we are looking long term and he is backing Hendo)

Maybe we should take the Salford approach ask for postponements till we get the injured players back

No leaders. No craft at 1, 6 and 7. At the very least, let's get Naiqama and Farrar into ball-playing positions. And I know Farrar looks anonymous at left centre but he does create tries (6 assists this year) so why not put him at 6?



As it stands, it's depressing. Made more depressing by Hendo's apparent belief that he can't do much about it.

So, to recap:

Rudderless on the park. We had 8 months to recruit and we got it wrong. (again)

Players smiling in the bar afterwards. Rewards for success, but no consequences for failure.......it's cancerous in any business but double so in pro-sports

Coach unable to do anything about it. Inspirational stuff



Owner making sounds about hanging in there for a few more years. Great, because the last half dozen have been an overwhelming success.

663 fans at the game......thank god we don't rely on business acumen to survive





As a supporter, I want my team to succeed. I want them to be playing against the best opposition and I want them to be producing superstars of the game. I accept that they won't always win and that they will maybe spend a decent spell in the lower division in the coming years, but what I expect as a supporter is the club to be run properly, giving it a chance of success and being back in the top tier on merit.

Which team is that exactly?



Joey put together a team which I imagine he thought would be good enough to take a run at first time promotion. Of that team, one of the first choice halves hasn't played and one has gone home with the gaffer. Of the props, one went home, one hasn't played and one has been out most of the season. I thought his recruitment had chances, and as you'll have seen from the rest of the thread the weak points of the side are the very places we're short of bodies.



Players are professionals. When the game ends, (unlike me) they generally don't take the angst off the pitch - if they did, they'd be depressives. I'm sure that there's anger and disappointment in the dressing room, but they also have a part of the job to front up to the punters and sponsors, and go home to a life. I have bad days at the office, I don't stew about it, I decide what I need to do to stop it happening again. Watch any old NRL game and the players are smiling and joking on the pitch after a loss, they haven't even left the field of play.



Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy about losing to Dewsbury, even though on paper we're evenly matched, but I went to the pub and got some banter about the loss and went home looking forward to beating Hunslet.

Can only echo what everyone else has said deeply disappointing. in summary and this should please Jim Pooley/Gutterfax/any other aliases in use:

1. we need a half back/leader who can lead, ours currently add nothing - they may be good in the long term but are not ready

2. Why when you have a small pack keep playing one man run down the middle rugby? (the cricket analogy was spot on)

3. re points 1&2 we need to big grizzled props and one decwent half back

4. Stop laying on in the tackle to the point you give away penalty after penalty, and learn to catch the ball - surely a pre-requiste for a professional rugby player

5. develop a kicking game - we rarely get repeat sets, Dewsbury got at least 3



So overall a combination of lack of players/guile, appalling completion rate, and rotten tactics. Positives....................... we tackled reasonably well at times.............

Spot on! If I were David Hughes I would appoint you Hendo's mentor - you seem to know more than the present incumbent!