8 Aug: Super 8s - Catalans Dragons v St Helens KO 6pm (TV)

[Bod]

Catalan get a player sent off and Saints leave one of their substitutes sat on his backside for the whole game. Great tactics from Cunningham.

[Hvy wg]

Catalan get a player sent off and Saints leave one of their substitutes sat on his backside for the whole game. Great tactics from Cunningham.

Davies?

He's a 19yo, no experience, 94kg forward. Throw him against Baitieri, Garcia, Anderson, Taia and all, he would have been (in most cases) killed by the physical engagement and the pressure. Can't ask a 94kg guy to do what 110kg can't. I think our pack was 10kg heavier at average. 

This was a game to crush young players to. Savelio looked average.

[Saintslass]

Catalan get a player sent off and Saints leave one of their substitutes sat on his backside for the whole game. Great tactics from Cunningham.

Utterly stupid.  Why take him along?  Not that it would have made any difference to the performance had we used the full bench.  But Cunningham isn't looking like a good option at coach.  I didn't want him as coach in the first place but I was hoping time would prove my skepticism wrong.

[Just Browny]

The first Saints try was an embarrassment. A forward pass, a knock-on and I'm pretty sure a man was offside from the kick.

Dawson's epic fail was brilliant.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Saints looked like an ageing, tired and disorganised outfit. I remain to be convinced that a club's ex-player and his mate are the best coaching combo that they could have, perhaps it would have been a good idea if KC had gone as assistant coach to another club for a while to learn his trade.

[Saintslass]

The first Saints try was an embarrassment. A forward pass, a knock-on and I'm pretty sure a man was offside from the kick.

Dawson's epic fail was brilliant.

He wasn't offside.

 

Dawson's stupidity was hilarious. 

[damp squib]

It was brilliant! I've watched it about 20 times now! Poor lad.

[GeordieSaint]

You've summed up the gameplan.  It's identical to the one we played last week and the week before and the week before ...zzzz...and the kicks all fell from the sky into the hands of the fullback.  We don't have a rugby brain between us.

I notice our discipline was shocking again. It isn't acceptable. Finishing 2nd after 23 rounds is not a fair reflection on how we have played this season. There have been a couple of bright spots such as Warrington at home etc but by an large, we have been a poor, I'll-disciplined and boring side this season. It will be an absolute travesty if we finish in the top four, nevermind get anywhere near the GF, as frankly I don't think we deserve it. Teams such as Leeds, Leigh and Hull KR play RL as it is supposed to be played, not the dull fest being served up by Cunningham and Saints. I have no doubt people will disagree with this but Saints are really boring me at the moment. Roll on the international window for some real entertainment.

If we can keep Inu for next year, we could have a beast of a backline. Inu and Richards as wingers and kickers, Duport and Gigot at centres and Escaré at FB.

Great highlights package by your club; SL should take note how comprehensive, professional and quick your club rolls it out.

If you can continue to play like yesterday, a few other teams may be shocked by your club. Escare did seem to play well as did Batieri and Garcia; epic drive by him on 70mins. Catalans are my second favourite team and I really hope you do well this year.

[Phil]

Watched it several times now and I still can't see how that was a red card

[Hvy wg]

Great highlights package by your club; SL should take note how comprehensive, professional and quick your club rolls it out.

If you can continue to play like yesterday, a few other teams may be shocked by your club. Escare did seem to play well as did Batieri and Garcia; epic drive by him on 70mins. Catalans are my second favourite team and I really hope you do well this year.

Thanks for the club, mate!

 

 

Watched it several times now and I still can't see how that was a red card

Direct contact to the head. I remember Elima did the same on Lomax a couple years ago and it was a straight red too. Pomeroy gets a red when Westwood gets away with it but meh...

Another note : our crowd is really starting to get hot. I mean really red hot. We were only 7,000 yesterday but it was one of the best nights for the players regarding fans support. 

[GaryO]

Utterly stupid.  Why take him along?  Not that it would have made any difference to the performance had we used the full bench.  But Cunningham isn't looking like a good option at coach.  I didn't want him as coach in the first place but I was hoping time would prove my skepticism wrong.

I think you will have to take this one on the chin Lass, isn't he some kind of demi-god in Sint Helins with the faithful praying at his statue. 

 

For what its worth I do agree with you.

[GeordieSaint]

Isn't he some kind of demi-god in Sint Helins with the faithful praying at his statue.

A few of us remember his joint tenure with Mike Rush hence not wanting him to be head coach; his playing career should have had no bearing in his appointment as coach; never bought into the 'jobs for the boys' concept Saints in particular employ.

[duracell]

Watched it several times now and I still can't see how that was a red card

+1 : I really don't understand. Once again, the ref was against the cats, i'm not paranoiac, but this year is a summit.

(Just see how willie Tonga this years have got a broken jaws !!!!!  and no charge, even no penalty)

 

And ben pommeroy saw a red card for nearly the same.

 

More over, there are two new rules in rugby league : forward pass and off side after a kick are allowed agains the catalans  ;-)

[Saintslass]

A few of us remember his joint tenure with Mike Rush hence not wanting him to be head coach; his playing career should have had no bearing in his appointment as coach; never bought into the 'jobs for the boys' concept Saints in particular employ.

Saints have gone OTT with that principle.  We had Wello, Wilkin, Gardner and Longy all lining up with their headphones on at Perpignan and with our inept stadium bars being run by a former player and our physio a former player not to mention our business ambassador being a former player it's just plain ridiculous.  None of them was appointed with experience to do the job they are paid to do; they were appointed because they were former players.  I hope when our next chairman comes along he will actually notice that there is a world outside with people who can actually do these jobs!

[Ant]

He wasn't offside.

Dawson's stupidity was hilarious.

There was a Saints player offside and involved in play, should have been no try

And having watched the highlights Saints got away with a lot - and probably should have had a player red carded too for a high shot

[Ant]

Oh and the red card v Catalans was totally correct

Shoulder charge making contact to the head

[Griff9of13]

Saints have gone OTT with that principle. We had Wello, Wilkin, Gardner and Longy all lining up with their headphones on at Perpignan and with our inept stadium bars being run by a former player and our physio a former player not to mention our business ambassador being a former player it's just plain ridiculous. None of them was appointed with experience to do the job they are paid to do; they were appointed because they were former players. I hope when our next chairman comes along he will actually notice that there is a world outside with people who can actually do these jobs!

You're wrong about Tommy Martyn. He had a fairly long spell in the licencing trade before going to Langtree Park. He used to school would be pub managers when he worked at Beechams bar. Of course he still may be inept, as I'm not a regular visitor to Langtree Park I wouldn't know.

[Saintslass]

You're wrong about Tommy Martyn. He had a fairly long spell in the licencing trade before going to Langtree Park. He used to school would be pub managers when he worked at Beechams bar. Of course he still may be inept, as I'm not a regular visitor to Langtree Park I wouldn't know.

He's still inept regardless based on the inept service at Langtree Park anyway.  Given all the other former Saints players in the ranks I doubt he will have been recruited on his excellence in bar management!

[GaryO]

Oh and the red card v Catalans was totally correct

Shoulder charge making contact to the head

Just show's how opinions on the same footage can have a different viewpoint, I would not be so bold as to say my opinion is "totally correct". I saw the leading arm go across the oncoming player and a resulting head clash caused the injury, my opinion as you have yours Ant.

[Ant]

Yeah but mines right

[back to the future]

Red Card correct

Saints flatter to deceive

Ben Flower won the SL Title for them last season

They used to be the entertainers but thats long since gone,they are boring to watch now,not just under KC but also under Brown

[Saint Toppy]

+1 : I really don't understand. Once again, the ref was against the cats, i'm not paranoiac, but this year is a summit.

(Just see how willie Tonga this years have got a broken jaws !!!!!  and no charge, even no penalty)

 

And ben pommeroy saw a red card for nearly the same.

 

More over, there are two new rules in rugby league : forward pass and off side after a kick are allowed agains the catalans  ;-)

Hardly against the Cats, they won the penalty count and the disallowed Richards try was a joke.The first Cats player actually got hold of him and dropped off the tackle never making any contact with Roby until after he'd dropped off the tackle, so there was no obstruction there, Dureau slipped over and only then collided with Roby so he was never in a position to make the tackle, so no obstruction there either.

The red card you cant really argue too much about. From one angle it looked okay but from the other angle its fairly clear the first contact was with the jaw so a straight red is the right decision. Jones wasn't trying to step him so Pomeroy wasn't off balance, its was just an attempted big hit that he got wrong.

 

Overall though Cats deserved to win. Saints completely failed to change their tactics and take advantage of their 1 man advantage. The decision making from Walsh & Burns was very poor and some of the players were so poor it was embarrasing. Donkey Dawson is not and never will be a Saints standard player. Even his bombed try aside he has no pace and twice was put in the clear and failed to either beat the full back or hold the ball up until the inside support arrived. Roby showed him up by being the only man to chase Escare all the way back and at least try to force him out wide with the score. Had Dawson put in the same effort they could have forced him further out wide. At least we have the comfort of knowing we have a good winger to return with Makinson. Masoe was shocking again and he's shown up even more by the high workrate from Walmsley & Savelio. His complete failure to move his fat carcus off the line resulted in a try being conceded. Flanagan was just a passanger in the 2nd row, offers no attacking threat at all and created nothing for his centre. I felt sorry for Percival as he was also left totally exposed in defence several times by poor reads from Flanagan inside him.

 

Cunningham has a lot of work to do to turn that around. At least we have a home game agai nst Hiull and not another away game at somewhere like Leeds next week, otherwise it will definately be another embarrasment.

[Hvy wg]

 Had Dawson put in the same effort they could have forced him further out wide. At least we have the comfort of knowing we have a good winger to return with Makinson. Masoe was shocking again and he's shown up even more by the high workrate from Walmsley & Savelio. His complete failure to move his fat carcus off the line resulted in a try being conceded. Flanagan was just a passanger in the 2nd row, offers no attacking threat at all and created nothing for his centre. I felt sorry for Percival as he was also left totally exposed in defence several times by poor reads from Flanagan inside him.

 

Cunningham has a lot of work to do to turn that around. At least we have a home game agai nst Hiull and not another away game at somewhere like Leeds next week, otherwise it will definately be another embarrasment.

Escaré ran softly there. He stopped running after 30m, it's a bad habit that he has. For his defence the pitch was soaked wet. 

Masoe is too easy to run around, it was played brilliantly by the dummy half. He's too big to be anything more than an impact player, and he's one that can't defend his own line because he's not mobile enough. While he's scary by his frame, his workrate is horrendous. 

 

[MrFussy]

It's going to be interesting to see how Masoe goes with the reduced number of interchanges. As you know I do rate him, but his workload could well be an even bigger problem next year. 

[Irish Saint]

It was brilliant! I've watched it about 20 times now! Poor lad.

 

 

Going off topic... the original "poor lad"

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqXTrw1VFBE