[Jemmo]

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Sun Feb 19, 2023 9:22 pm  

Oh I think we were bang average today, but I also think we're a lot better than that. That was 50% tops

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Sun Feb 19, 2023 9:31 pm  

Jemmo wrote:

Oh I think we were bang average today, but I also think we're a lot better than that. That was 50% tops

I agree. We will get better but there were some worrying aspects to our play.

The Hunslet forwards made far too much headway after contact and they seemed to put our players on their backs a lot of the time, slowing the ruck speed.

This was a problem last season and seems the same this time. One of the keys to our season will be how we cope with this against the better teams in the league.

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Mon Feb 20, 2023 2:51 pm  

Post match reaction from RH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOvjjxDxExI&t=3s

Post match reaction from RH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOvjjxDxExI&t=3s

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Mon Feb 20, 2023 3:19 pm  

That is the best and most honest I have seen him assess a game and I must admit to being won over a bit!
However, and there is always one with me, I have got to ask this...
When all this was going on...what did you deliver to the players from the stand that altered things?
If you did alter the game in some way...then please let us know how.
I only see a Sven...not a Singe in the stand.
Fiddling while Rome burns

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Mon Feb 20, 2023 4:06 pm  

Interesting to see what changes he makes for the cup tie and I thought his assessment of the the kicking game was brutal.

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Mon Feb 20, 2023 4:34 pm  

Having watched the highlights and the interviews - Elliot looks like a very good signing, worried about the lack of forward punch (the annual issue) and without Ben Johnston we seem to have very little creatively. A largely unchanged Playoff final side against a side that finished 7th last year shouldn't have been as close as this especially given our "aspirations". It's a good job Sweeting didnt have his Cougar Park boots on.

Someone made the shout to bring back Beryl on Cleggbook I think its a solid idea, play him as a 9 or a 13 gives us another pivot and someone how can make a difference also an excellent goal kicker should CR get a knock.

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Mon Feb 20, 2023 4:54 pm  

Stand-Offish wrote:

That is the best and most honest I have seen him assess a game and I must admit to being won over a bit!
However, and there is always one with me, I have got to ask this...
When all this was going on...what did you deliver to the players from the stand that altered things?
If you did alter the game in some way...then please let us know how.
I only see a Sven...not a Singe in the stand.
Fiddling while Rome burns

Agreed... the interviewer asked better questions too, compared to the pre-scripted stuff that Carl gets.

RH said they didn't do what he asked at half-time, so I suspect any words from the sidelines in the second half had the same impact.

At least RH acknowledged we were second best in the collision and in the wrestle. My worry is that this is a perennial problem that we never get sorted and an area of weakness that I suspect concerns all fans.

We'll bash up the lesser lights down the middle but when we play the better teams we're often found wanting.

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Mon Feb 20, 2023 5:04 pm  

SteveRoebuck wrote:

Having watched the highlights and the interviews - Elliot looks like a very good signing, worried about the lack of forward punch (the annual issue) and without Ben Johnston we seem to have very little creatively. A largely unchanged Playoff final side against a side that finished 7th last year shouldn't have been as close as this especially given our "aspirations". It's a good job Sweeting didnt have his Cougar Park boots on.

Someone made the shout to bring back Beryl on Cleggbook I think its a solid idea, play him as a 9 or a 13 gives us another pivot and someone how can make a difference also an excellent goal kicker should CR get a knock.

I also thought we'd win more easily but Hunslet were a different proposition to the Hunslet team from last season. Can we have their two starting props please?! We missed the Tali threat in the centre. Teams will know that if they stop Tali and Johnston, they'll have a chance against us.

We've not had a ball-playing 13 since Jordie Hedges. I don't honestly see Beryl as a 9 or 13. It's a shame he's been lost to the pro-game though as he's a quality half-back. I think we miss his organisational skills too.

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Mon Feb 20, 2023 6:57 pm  

5 years ago when RH was appointed it was well documented that our forwards wasn't big enough and lacked that punch and fast forward to now nothing has changed, how can a up and coming coach who has had 5 pre-seasons and 5 'transfer windows' not been able to rectify that? As a human being I've got alot of time for him as a coach of a rugby team he couldn't inspire me to spend a fiver in a brothel! You need a bit of fire in your belly and i just don't see that in RH, i bet his wife can't tell the difference in him on a Sunday evening whether his side have won or lost! After 5 failed seasons are we too nice of a club to find better solutions?

Re: Dons vs Hunslet Sunday 19th February 2023 3pm : Mon Feb 20, 2023 8:39 pm  

Under the stewardship of RH we've not really progressed we've been in mix for "best of the rest" but never really kicked on and "Gone for it" its been widely reported that this would change this year, but as others have mentioned the same old failings keep coming up we are short in the backs, lack creativity beyond Johnston/Tali and we have no real forward aggression tho....we do however have a huge amount of back rowers for some reason.