Chris22

Is it just me that doesn't get the hype about McIntosh? He's a decent player but is he an upgrade on what Hull already have?

We have a strong season ticket culture in the UK so I don't expect a full recovery in crowd figures this year if restrictions are lifted. Next year will be the big test (if there are no capacity limits) to see if fans return in normal numbers or some have got out of the routine. Not sure what is happening last year. Although for last Friday's match, Saints made quite the balls up in that they didn't pay for postage on a batch of tickets so many didn't arrive and were stuck in the sorting office!

Much more attacking intent from the off and a greater level of intensity from us compared to previous performances. It could have been far more on another night. Hopefully will boost our confidence, especially in our attacking structures. Hope Paasi is ok, he caused some problems. Also hope that Percival was taken off as a precaution as Woolf said and it isn't a recurrence of the same hamstring injury. Hull were off tonight. Next week will be a far sterner test when a big prize is up for grabs.

No argument that Catalans deserved their win. Made the more impressive given late disruption. Questions will be asked about Saints. This was the first time we played a top half side all year and we came up short. Our approach so far has been to soak up pressure, wait for our opponents to tire and push on. It's a tactic unlikely to work against better sides. Saying that, it was 3 tries each and one of Catalans came from an uncharacteristic error. We'll learn more about Saints in the next few weeks, as we play more top teams. As for Catalans, they clearly have the ability to mix it with the best. I suppose it's just whether they can be consistent.

Quite enjoyed that game as a (sort of) neutral. Very quick at times, good comeback and a close ending. Good first game back with fans. Huddersfield will be disappointed to have let the lead slip, but any win away at Warrington is a good win. A strong first half and taking their chances in the second was enough.

Quite a lot of clubs have a large number of players off contract this year. One theory is that club's were reluctant to extend contracts into 2022 due to unknowns regarding the TV contract. We have to manage our salary cap and as a result some of our players who would earn average salaries at Saints may command bigger salaries at other clubs. Bentley, for one, is reported to be subject of a six-figure contract offer by Leeds whereas we can't offer that amount. Fages has apparently been offered £200K by Huddersfield. I certainly won't blame players for making as much money as they can in a short career. It's a big year for us as it is likely to be our last chance to be the top team. Roby will leave or at least lessen in influence if he stays. Coote, Naiqama, Fages and Bentley are all likely to go. LMS and Amor are off contract, but even if retained will be a year old. Our recruitment will need to be spot on to keep at the top.

In football, similar litigation is planned - Forty ex-footballers set to take legal action over dementia links in 2021 | Football News | Sky Sports And whatever you think of the individuals who are suing or their representatives, the financial risk that this poses to the game is potentially very severe. No amount of criticism of those people will change that. I think we should do what we can to both reduce the financial risk to the sport and keep our best players playing for as long as possible.

Shocking anti-climax of an ending. Is a draw really that bad? Still not convinced that golden point adds anything to the sport. Should only be used when needed in knockout games.

I'm not sure on names - but this article says 40 ex players are contemplating legal action. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/40-ex-rugby-league-stars-23885898

A 2014 study found that 39% of all injuries in rugby league were related to concussion. The review found that concussion accounted for 29% of all injuries associated with illegal play, but 9% of injuries sustained in legal play. This week we have reports that a player is getting headaches and concussion like symptoms riding a bike after suffering two HIA's this year. Stevie Ward has retired very early due to concussions and continues with severe symptoms. Players are suing the sport for negligence due to concussion. Like it or not this is an issue that will not go away. Positive action to deal with it and keep our best players playing should always be welcomed.

Hope we keep him, possibly contrary to what some of our fans think. His short kicking game is crucial to us and he has mastered a high kick pinning an opponent in a corner. There are some attacking limitations and I don't think he would cut it in the NRL (but a huge defensive strength which were critical in our last 2 Grand Finals). If Roby goes this year, our spare cap room should go on a hooker instead.

Thought that was a pretty high quality match. Best Huddersfield performance I have seen for quite some time. Not much in it, but our better territory in the second half probably decided it. Thought we just about deserved it. A tough game like that in a high pressure game will serve us well going forward, especially with two subs down for large periods.

Nervous about this, even more so than before the game. If Hudds score first and extend this to 8, we're in big trouble. I can't see us overturning a 2 score lead. We will rely on our defence to win and hope to strike maybe even once. This will be tense!

On to the game itself, Thompson, Matautai, Batchelor and Makinson are all available and there were concerns they would be out. That gives me more confidence about the game. We narrowly beat Huddersfield two weeks ago and this is a banana skin. If we play to our best, we'll be fine. We cannot afford a display as indisciplined as last week though.

Defensively, an incredible coach. Our defence is as good as I have ever seen it. Shows the players have a great discipline and trust in the coach (which reflects well on Woolf). In attack, we are far more limited than we were under Holbrook. That places us at risk if we have an off day in defence because we often do not seem clinical and can revert to bludgeoning our way through rather than using skill. Woolf inherited a brilliant squad so didn't have to turn us around. Saying that, he won back to back titles, which is not often done. I doubt we would have won the Grand Final in 2020 under Holbrook as our defence would have cracked. Generally, he's doing a good job and achieving his brief, but there are concerns about our attack and we aren't as entertaining to watch as we were.

I've always wondered this too. Maybe it is to stop players just dropping the ball at the play the ball to revert to a penalty and an option to kick at goal?

Racism is a big societal issue at present. For these reasons, other sports will watch incidents such as this and it will be seen as lenient. I'll look at the full reasons for the judgement, but if 'heat of the moment' is being used as justification for a minimum recommended suspension, this is very bad. To save clogging up the whole thread with my thoughts, I'll just link to a blog I've just posted on the subject, for those interested.

Yeah fair point. As someone who is only a few years older than Williams I have probably viewed it from a different perspective - having spent too much of my working life doing a job I didn't really enjoy and wishing I made a change sooner!

I am stunned by some of the comments on here. Putting myself in Williams' shoes, would I rather be happy in the UK earning an excellent salary for a person of my age, in a dream job, or unhappy on the other side of the world with an eye-watering salary and in a higher pressure environment? I don't think we have the right to tell someone how they should live their life. I don't think we should tell someone how they should feel or that our entertainment or expectations are more important. No doubt the same people criticising, would preach about the importance of mental health too. If Williams wants to come back, he will be a big addition to Super League and I thought we would all welcome that.

With the injuries Leeds have, this was a game that was very important for Huddersfield to win. Whether it was by 1 point last second drop goal or more comfortable, the prize was the same. A relieving win for Huddersfield. Haven't seen or listened to the game but with Sezer scoring all bar 1 of the points, it shows how crucial he is.

I think what we can all agree on (I hope?) is that the remark as reported by Savelio was insulting and made reference to his ethnicity or perceived ethnicity. Savelio has taken offence at the reference to his ethnicity in the insulting alleged remark. Whether you believe it racist or not racist, the remark (as reported) is a problem because it is insulting and caused offence. We do not have the right to tell people what they should be and should not offended by, in my view. Wigan and Hull's joint statement pitched the right tone. We'll allow the RFL to investigate, and if racism is proven, would hope to see an adequate punishment.

Enjoyed that game. Hull not helped by Connor's indiscipline. Thought Hastings was excellent, best he's played in a while. Plenty of encouragement for Hull, who showed they can compete at the top. Looking forward to part 2 next week. As for the Clubb allegation, if Sky showed the incident at the end, it's unlikely that any cameras or microphones picked up any helpful evidence and unlikely any other other player (apart from Clubb or Savelio) heard what was said. It may prove difficult to charge a player with such a serious allegation and issue a severe punishment (which there of course should be for racist remarks) if the evidence is as scarce as it initially seems.

Gary Carter reporting there will be six cameras at each game next year as part of the deal. Finally we are moving into the 21st century. Also, this will mean video referees at each match.

Hopefully we won't get overawed at the Leigh Sports Village, like we did on our last visit in 2017.

Think this thread has hit the nail on the head really. Radford's achievement on back to back cup successes was big and didn't get the credit he deserved. The reason for that is probably because of the heavy defeats - some performances for Hull in the Radford era were as bad as I have seen for a Super League side (relative to quality of a squad(. Castleford must be thinking that Radford might be the man who can bring them trophies as he did to Hull. But, under Powell, Cas never had the type of performances that Radford brought to Hull FC at times, and that is the riskier side of the appointment, whether he brings that inconsistency with him.