22 Jun: SL: Catalans Dragons v Hull FC KO 5pm (UK Time) (TV)

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

The tries 

 

[Lowdesert]

8 hours ago, Clogiron said:

You have got to wonder how that team conceed 50+ in 5 games what a enigma. As for Catalans they looked knackered, obviously the team from Costa-del-Hull was far more suited to them!

How much longer is Guasch going let the situation continue.  This was going to be a big season for them, lots of big, new sponsors on board, crowds returning, the cup to defend, at a high price, and the Neu Camp game, but with the exception of the latter its all gone #### up. They might be fourth but are miles away in terms of performance, there big signings Tompkins & Smith look like candidates for the knackers yard than team leaders, all in all a shambles

I doubt Bernard will be concerned around commercials.  They now have Altrad as sponsors.  Big company.  Attendances, ignoring the Nou Camp, are on track to be their 2nd best ever.  Overall, the best ever.

I thought they put a fair bit of pressure on Hull but couldn’t sustain it.  Very disciplined game overall from Hull imo.  

[Lowdesert]

Another few candidates for Try of the Season.  The handling involved in Alberts and Griffins 1st try’s was superb and the Naulago 100m + sprint.  

Griffins 2nd, where he shook Kasiano off and the blew ST away was akin to an Inglis effort from close in.

 

[MZH]

36 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

I thought they put a fair bit of pressure on Hull but couldn’t sustain it.  Very disciplined game overall from Hull imo.  

It was a bit like the Cas game last week, they started fast and had us on the back foot but couldn't keep it up. At least Cas managed to do it for a half, Catalans managed about 10 minutes.

[Charlie RL]

On 19/06/2019 at 22:40, Charlie RL said:

I am just going to flip a coin. Heads Hull win

 

well i didn't need that coin really.  great result Hull. 

the swings in results for these two teams has been whacky but maybe FC has turned a corner as they seem set for play offs and a top 3 finish?

[deluded pom?]

1 hour ago, Lowdesert said:

Another few candidates for Try of the Season.  The handling involved in Alberts and Griffins 1st try’s was superb and the Naulago 100m + sprint.  

Griffins 2nd, where he shook Kasiano off and the blew ST away was akin to an Inglis effort from close in.

 

Does Naulogo have the most metres made in SL yet? He never seems to score from anywhere closer than 80m.

[MZH]

43 minutes ago, Charlie RL said:

well i didn't need that coin really.  great result Hull. 

the swings in results for these two teams has been whacky but maybe FC has turned a corner as they seem set for play offs and a top 3 finish?

The Magic Weekend game seems to have been a turning point. Since then we have looked very focused, very confident and very dangerous. Hopefully those games where we just don't turn up are behind us now that we are heading to the business end of the season.

[Old Frightful]

Nice quote from Leon Pryce on twitter :

"Well done to Rad’s & the FC boys. On atm Remember when experts were calling for Radders to go. Sitting nicely in 3rd - 4 points clear of 4th position Listen to no one & always believe in yourself."

Its almost like he had Denton in mind...

[JohnM]

Eight lucky tries.

[Hullfan]

Hull will finish 2nd, special mention to the travelling fans there was amazing. Best in the league by none

[MZH]

27 minutes ago, Hullfan said:

Hull will finish 2nd, special mention to the travelling fans there was amazing. Best in the league by none

I think it depends on who wins the cup semi. Whoever goes to Wembley will drop a few league games around the final. If Hull win the semi then they will finish 3rd. If Warrington win it then you might be right.

Not impossible to do both, but I would be surprised. 10 games to go and we have to effectively win 3 more than Warrington, we would need them to hit a bad patch.

[Southerner80]

Hull had some beautiful passages of play. Lovely interchange of passes and support running. 

If they can play like that against Saints and Wire they can win something this year . 

As a Dracs fan I'm worried. Team seems to lack energy and mentally be not where they need to be. 

They were in this till 30 mins gone then fell apart . 

Something needs to change as the last few games have been poor and it's hard to see where the next win is coming from. 

[Gooleboy]

Complacency seems a big issue for Catalans. SL would never allow them to be relegated, so it makes you wonder if players are there just for the lifestyle and money.

[Liverpool Rover]

Catalans seem to have a period in the season like this every year, whether it is complacency or a mental issue I don't know. As long as they are in the top five I think McNamara will be safe but if they fail to make the playoffs then he will be gone IMO. With the money they have spent and the players they have it would be a huge failure.

[Chris22]

I say this with caution, but Hull FC seem to be over their early season inconsistency. They seem now to be moving away from the group of teams battling for a play off place and more towards battling Warrington for second. Their last two performances have been impressive and Albert Kelly in particularly has been at his best.

There's a few big games to look forward to coming up. Saints' next two games are against Warrington and Hull and then there's the Cup semi final between Hull and Warrington. All of which are shaping up to be great matches. Due to Saints' rivalry with Warrington, I will want Hull FC to win the semi final, but certainly not because I think they would provide an easier potential cup final opponent.

Catalans seem to be heading the other way, getting dragged towards the Salford's, Wigan's and Castleford's in battling for a play off spot.

We've got a good season here. At the moment, we've got at least four teams battling to avoid one relegation spot and four or five teams going for the last two play off spots. If Warrington can beat Saints on Friday, then we may have a more interesting battle for top spot too, which is of course more significant this year with the top 5 structure.

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

10 hours ago, Lowdesert said:

Another few candidates for Try of the Season.  The handling involved in Alberts and Griffins 1st try’s was superb and the Naulago 100m + sprint.  

Griffins 2nd, where he shook Kasiano off and the blew ST away was akin to an Inglis effort from close in.

 

Has Griffin got a bit fitter/lost some weight? I know a lot of people have been touting him for a second row spot but I really feel that wouldn't be a good move IMO, it was good to see him do what we signed him for, and I'd rather see him continue in the centre position.

[MZH]

5 minutes ago, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

Has Griffin got a bit fitter/lost some weight? I know a lot of people have been touting him for a second row spot but I really feel that wouldn't be a good move IMO, it was good to see him do what we signed him for, and I'd rather see him continue in the centre position.

Griffin is a big physical guy with decent if not blinding pace. What stops him from being a real top centre is that he just lacks a little bit of flair (if you could combine him and Connor you'd have an absolute beast). For that reason I think second row is a great position for him. If he can show that he has the workrate in defence to play there, his extra pace could be a real weapon playing a bit further in field.

It would also solve the problem of what to do with all our backs, especially if Fonua is returning.

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

3 minutes ago, MZH said:

Griffin is a big physical guy with decent if not blinding pace. What stops him from being a real top centre is that he just lacks a little bit of flair (if you could combine him and Connor you'd have an absolute beast). For that reason I think second row is a great position for him. If he can show that he has the workrate in defence to play there, his extra pace could be a real weapon playing a bit further in field.

It would also solve the problem of what to do with all our backs, especially if Fonua is returning.

That's the thing, I really don't think he has the work rate in him, he's a laid back player, goes from being rubbish to more than half decent but doesn't seem to be able to sustain it. I'd rather have Brad Fash than Griffin doing second row duties. I hope to god we don't sign Fonua, it'd be a mistake for me.

[MZH]

3 minutes ago, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

That's the thing, I really don't think he has the work rate in him, he's a laid back player, goes from being rubbish to more than half decent but doesn't seem to be able to sustain it. I'd rather have Brad Fash than Griffin doing second row duties. I hope to god we don't sign Fonua, it'd be a mistake for me.

His workrate has improved a lot this year in the centre. I haven't looked at the stats recently but I am pretty sure he leads the team for both carries and metres, or if he isn't top he is very close to it.

The difference is that in the second row you have a lot more defending to do aswell. Last night he made 23 tackles and didn't miss any, so that's a tick in the box, but can he do that week in week out?

Fash is solid and reliable and has played well recently, but Griffin proved last night that he can be a match winner. You can't say that about Fash.

[MZH]

As for Fonua, I am torn. Loved him when he was here, he is the kind of player that everyone shifts to the edge of their seat when he has the ball. But when you see Ratu doing what he is doing and the options we have at centre you have to wonder if Fonua would just be an expensive luxury when that money could be used better elsewhere.

It depends how the rest of the recruitment is going I suppose. Faraimo hasn't been officially announced as staying yet despite the HDM saying he was getting a 2 year extension. I like Faraimo but Fonua is an upgrade if that is how it's going to happen. I really need to wait and see the big picture before I can form a strong opinion on any one signing like that.

[snapski]

On 22/06/2019 at 20:15, Agbrigg said:

Well played hull some great trys. Also in very good form at right time of season.

Is grand final next week then?

[Ullman]

On 22/06/2019 at 20:50, Old Frightful said:

Jeez Denton, I'm certainly no Radford fan as practically everyone on this forum will be able to tell you but your stance is getting, no, already is, very tiresome.

Can you just be a Hull FC fan who is enjoying the moment please?, sooner or later we'll all be on a downer again probably.

We've witnessed some good stuff recently, I was talking to Ullman the other night and we both felt that our team could be on the verge of something big. Let's just back them to the hilt, it's been quite a while since our solitary GF appearance.

 

Absolutely the right way to look at it.

As we said during our excuse for Monday beers video review meeting, it's beginning to feel like the 2016/2017 type excitement is building again. Our team are an absolute joy to watch at the moment.

[Hullfan]

14 hours ago, MZH said:

Griffin is a big physical guy with decent if not blinding pace. What stops him from being a real top centre is that he just lacks a little bit of flair (if you could combine him and Connor you'd have an absolute beast). For that reason I think second row is a great position for him. If he can show that he has the workrate in defence to play there, his extra pace could be a real weapon playing a bit further in field.

It would also solve the problem of what to do with all our backs, especially if Fonua is returning.

He lacks heart to be a 2nd rower. He isn't tough enough to be in that position which is physically demanding for the majority of the game 

[Lowdesert]

4 hours ago, Hullfan said:

He lacks heart to be a 2nd rower. He isn't tough enough to be in that position which is physically demanding for the majority of the game 

Quantify that then.  Or is it your opinion?

 

[Hullfan]

44 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

Quantify that then.  Or is it your opinion?

 

My opinion, which is all that matters