Well after the split at 23 rounds we find ourselves not fighting for Grand Final glory, but Super League survival.

The table has told us how good we have been , it says shocking and I agree with it.

Where did it all go wrong?

Where does the responsibility rest for what is the most calamitous season in my time supporting the Wire,

Club Management
Player management and coaches
Players
Speccies
Uncontrollables, injuries, suspensions, refs, etc

For me its player management/coaches, and the players jointly.


Just hoping the middle eight table doesn't tell us the same story

I believe an aluminium container from a meat & potato pie is the silverware for finishing top of the middle 8s.

Didn't realise there was a trophy for heading up the middle 8's.



Wonder who at our club would be to step forward to receive such an honour, head coach ?

I expect it would be the captain. It's a strange one this, I expect us to win it, but they had better not celebrate winning it.

I think we might need to pull our socks up a good bit for this competition against at least 6 teams who will be more desperate than us & who have previous experience of the comp. Every team will be off scratch & it will depend on who wants it most which is something we don't seem to have a good track record with.

This season has not come as a surprise to me.

Last season was the anomaly, we overachieved. Leeds imploded, Cas and Wigan had injuries and Hull dipped after the Challenege Cup win. It wasn't that we were so good. The two pervious seasons were more the level we've become.

This season is another knock-on effect of losing a proper consistent trophy challenging team and not replacing those that left with sufficient quality. What players are better in their positions now than any of: Hodgson JMonaghan MKing Hicks Bridge Myler Briers Solomona LAnderson Harrison Grix Westwood(of that time) Morley Carvell MMonaghan Higham? Only Daz Clark and Currie, and Hill and Ratchford (who were here with those players) are of comparable quality to those players. Maybe include Atkins (who was here with those players) and Westerman can get a shout too. But that's, what?, 6 players compared to a whole squad's worth.

Other than that we firmly have mid table quality players and a stale way of playing and therefore we finished in low midtable/high bottom of table. It's not a shock to me. It's just that the team above made us raise our expectations but we just aren't that good anymore.

The season has come as a surprise to so many. The bookies and the majority of rugby league pundits had us down for being at or very near to the top. Most thought that we had recruited well in the forwards. So it's a bit odd that we have so many on this forum appear to have seen this coming. Is it with the benefit of hindsight or is it that we have such unprecedented understanding of the game. It would be interesting to read pre-season and post Brisbane comments to see who was actually wise prior to our horrible season.

I suppose there was a Pro-Brown and Anti-Brown divide and considering he was brought in to replace the mercurial talent Sandow, he didn't have the same impact.

Coming in on a high transfer fee half way through pre season, everything seemed rushed.

Noticeable that the top 8 are largely not overseas coaches.
Jury out yet on Holbrook at Saints

It certainly surprised me, I don't think we were incredible last season but really thought we had strengthened for this season overall especially in the forwards.

Our forwards had been useful last year and I thought Cooper/Savelio/Crosby were much better than who we had let go. Sandow was a blow but I thought Brown was a good passer of a ball and we'd be OK.

We have missed having Crosby in the team this year. A lot of pressure has fallen on Hill and Philbin.