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The Blues Ox

Coach
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Posts posted by The Blues Ox

  1. 6 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

    I would suggest with the amoung of coaches that Hull FC have had in recent years the job is poison chalice.

    This along with a very average junior set up and the fact that agents will push the prices up of their players knowing Hull will have to pay over the odds for quality and it all adds to the time any rebuild will take. Like I said above other teams mentioned all had things to work with, either a couple of strong current players or terrific junior set up, where as Hull really have nothing at this point.

    Who would be the player/players that Hull could try and build a team round? Because they are such a mess having to overpay to get a marquee signing or two ends up hampering them even further especially when a lot of the teams around them have exemptions allowing them to over spend the cap.

    • Like 1
  2. I'd have the captains challenge in the game but to try and cut down on any shenanigans you could take away a substitution if it is wrong. With the number of substitutions allowed coming down I think that just about gives the captains a bit of a dillema because it could effect them tactically later in the game.

  3. 2 hours ago, Damien said:

    When has a full rebuild in RL took a decade? Various big clubs have done it in a fraction of that time. Obviously the money and backing has to be there,  which would be the case if the investment that has been alluded to happens.

    Which big clubs have had to do a rebuild on this sort of scale? They literally have nothing to build around. They remind me so much of the Fax relegation team, most of the talent has gone now, they are left with players who used to be good but have not got long enough left in the tank to be part of the rebuild, and academy players that realistically are nowhere near good enough to be playing at this level. 

    It isn't just a case of here is a load of money go and splash it about, how often has that worked in the past without the rest of the infrastructure?

    Edit: Just saw the Wigan reference and I guess that could be used as an example as that took maybe 4/5 years but the difference were that they had some serious qaulity of talent coming through their junior ranks and they made up a decent chunk of that squad. For Hull they are not close to that and again that is not simply an overnight fix and does involve a little bit of luck as well.

  4. Good on Rowley. It made no sense what so ever to take the Hull job. Its not a case of adding one or two players to get competitive, its a full rebuild they type of thing that could take close to a decade and whoever is the next coach will only make a start on the job. If Rowley were to leave Salford then it will be to a team that maybe only needs those one or two players to push on.

  5. 18 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

    There was a lot more to that video than just lifting a leg.  That was commented on to get the Ref to call ‘held’ and the tackle was complete.  Think you’ve picked one item to suit your gripe Oxy

    Yes of course there is a lot more to that video than just one aspect but it was that part that was relevant to the discussion. Also I wouldn't say its a gripe, more a genuine concern about if we should be encouraging that sort of tackle technique due to the potential for injury.

    Edit: Probably worth adding as well that yes a ref should be calling held with the defender on one leg but any coach worth his salt will be encouraging players to try and time taking the attacker to ground on or very close to the refs held call.

  6. 2 hours ago, Dunbar said:

    I don't mean to get into a long circular argument again but last week a player was banned for putting pressure on another player and yet here a player (and his team mates) is not charged for when the opponent is being tackled in the upper body by two of player’s team mate and is twisted round and lands on his neck and shoulder.

    Why is this not applying pressure to the limb or limbs of an opposing player in a way that involves an unacceptable risk of injury to that player?

    At a guess here but the RFL put out a new Tackle Safe video a few weeks back which encourages players to lift a leg of their opponents from juniors upwards which could clearly lead to pressure been placed on the mid-lower part of the standing leg of the attacker, they simply can't start banning people for a tackle that they are actively encouraging.

    Im undecided if it is a tackling technique that we should be pushing especially at junior level and I feel it has a lot of potential to go wrong especially in less experienced junior players. I were part of a session recently where we were going through some of these techniques with players and had one where two players made contact and both then decided to grab a different leg. Obviously we were able to quickly call a halt at that point but if that happens in a game we could be increasing the risk of spine and nexk injuries in my opinion.

  7. Rowley would be mad to take on Hull, they are a total mess on the field and its going to take at least 3 or 4 years to just get them settled nevermind anywhere near decent. No coach is going to be given that time and considering the logistics of him going there I just can't see it happening. He can probably hold on and get a much bigger gig than Hull over the next few months or year or so.

  8. On 20/04/2024 at 08:47, Mumby Magic said:

    I think you'll win this weekend mate.

    Please refrain from predicting us to win in future weeks. 🤣

    Didn't go so can't comment too much. Can't say Im too shocked at Sheffield winning but that is a good hiding. Finn can't really make any big changes either when we only have 18 players to pick from each week. Going to be a long season for us this one and we may end up in the relegation mix.

    • Haha 1
  9. 23 hours ago, Mumby Magic said:

    I think you'll win this weekend mate.

    You know it really would not surprise me. When our fans are on a downer we do seem to have a habit of pulling out a win from nowhere, similar when things seem to be going well we have a habit of self destructing. Going on form though I just can't see it, I put Sheffield up there with Bradford in the race for second and they will take some beating.

  10. Ive seen a lot of amateur games this season and can confirm a lot of the same above. Really not much change but 2 things stand out. Collar grabs are given as penalties everytime which we obviously have not had before and quite often I have seen ref's signal that a tackle was shoulder height which makes no sense as those should now be pinged. I think things will be watched with a lot more scrutiny in the pro game though especially with every game on TV. I still expect the first few weeks to be a mess.

  11. Leeds v Huddersfield Leeds by 74

    Wigan v Barrow Wigan by 36

    Warrington v Fev Warrington by 6

    York v Saints York by 8

    Like Richard mentions with the Sky cameras been at Leeds its a shame that the game couldn't be televised somewhere but with the likely big score you can see why. Got the feeling Leeds will want to put on a show with it been a double header. Warrington game should be interesting, the Fev squad has a few new faces in that I'm familiar with and i'm looking forward to see how those players go about stepping up to this level this season.

  12. Most of the stuff I see is just click bait trash, even Matt Shaw who has been decent in the past has started going down the click bait route recently. The people who will come out of it with credit will be the people willing to put in the work now for when the algos change in the next year or so and will narrow down the click bait from the articles that people actually read and will no doubt punish the sites in the rankings and in their pockets running cash for clicks schemes.

  13. SATURDAY 20th APRIL
    Toulouse Olympique v Whitehaven    Toulouse by 22

    SUNDAY 21st APRIL
    Barrow Raiders v Doncaster    Barrow by 4
    Batley Bulldogs v Wakefield Trinity    Wakefield by 32
    Featherstone Rovers v Widnes Vikings    Fev by 4
    Halifax Panthers v Sheffield Eagles    Sheffield by 16
    Swinton Lions v Dewsbury Rams    Swinton by 8
    York Knights v Bradford Bulls    Bradford by 18

    Just 2 this week that look like they could be difficult to predict in the Barrow and Fev games. 

  14. 1 hour ago, RBKnight said:

    Wasn't meaning to be snarky - just get a little frustrated about the fawning media coverage that Saints get 😀

    Yeah as things stand I think we have a very clear top 2 followed by Wigan and Saints. I can't see anything but comfortable wins for York in both games against Saints. Hudds getting another tough test tonight and 66 points start on the handicap. Going on their last 2 outings it could be another embarrasingly large defeat.

    • Like 1
  15. 21 hours ago, Liverpool Rover said:

    I've seen the Namo tackle several times and still can't see what he did wrong. He went for the hip area, didn't fall on Isas legs and didn't seem to me to trap Isas foot under him. It's something that you see every game every week. 

    Agreed, Ive watched it a lot too and have the same opinion. It's unfortunate that a player has come out of it with a very bad injury but I'm struggling to see the foul play. Contact is high enough and defenders are taught to get tight in to the attacker with their lead leg and the technique in the video does not look great but I still don't think it is a reason to ban someone. 

    Interesting to hear that Cas defense for this is going to be their player taking a head knock just before this and saying he remembers the contact but not much after it. I can't see that helping their case, I think they would have done better if their player could fully explain his actions.

    The worry is that you will see maybe 2 or 3 tackles similar to this in each game that go unpunished so what is the difference and will we be seeing a potential rule change.  interesting as well people quoting the twist, bend, or otherwise part of the rules but in the new tackle safe video put out by the RFL a couple of weeks back there is a lot of talk now about coaching players to lift a leg of a defender and a motion that certainly could be deemed twisting on the standing leg when the tackle is effected is going to happen with this most of the time.

  16. 1 hour ago, Bulls2487 said:

    That is true.

    Does seem the new board aren't willing to fund any new signings

    I also think the Widdop signing was a mistake funds could of gone where its more needed or saved for when injuries occurred.

    Totally agreee regards Widdop and said the same many times on our fans forum when it became clear it was going to happen. It is a "nice" signing but we needed a centre and at least a couple of props and although I don't believe Widdop is on a fortune, I would imagine that money would have brought in those players. 

  17. 1 hour ago, Bulls2487 said:

    I think Halifax look good for 40 minutes

    In the last 4 games they have had 2 2nd half's where they have scored zero points. The other 2 games they have scored 1 try in each 2nd half.

     

    I didn't go today but we appear threadbare. Couldn't name a 21 man squad and 3 players named in the 20 man squad we already knew were not playing. Said at the start of the season that with a full team we would make the playoffs but that pointless game against Hammersmith where we lost 3 of our best players for the season wrecked the season before it started and it seems our new board either don't have the resources or are totally oblivious to the fact we look a bit of a shambles. Been in the relegation mix I don't think is out of the question.

  18. Nice to see Skybet still offering odds on these games. Had a bit of a punt today:-

    Leeds -48 V Warrington
    Saints V Huddersfield +40
    Wigan -36 V Cardiff
    York -68 V Fev

    For Leeds its just a case of how many points against Warrington and the ame for York V Fev. I think both look good to cover the handicaps comfortably. Saints V Huddersfield is an interesting one, Hudds with their signings should no longer be getting hammered by the top teams although the Leeds results suggests that may still be the case. I just fancy Hudds to be a lot closer than 40 points to Saints. Wigan are going to win but I think its a hard one to judge by how many but plumped for Wigan to cover the handicap.

     

  19. Some tough ones this week with only the York game standing out as a potential drubbing.

    SATURDAY 13th APRIL
    Bradford Bulls v Toulouse Olympique Bulls by 4

    SUNDAY 14th APRIL
    Barrow Raiders v Dewsbury Rams Barrow by 20
    Doncaster v Featherstone Rovers Fev by 8
    Swinton Lions v Sheffield Eagles Eagles by 2
    Whitehaven v Batley Bulldogs Haven by 4
    Widnes Vikings v Halifax Panthers Fax by 6
    York Knights v Wakefield Trinity Wakefield by 34

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