Thur 16th Feb: SL: Warrington Wolves v Leeds Rhinos KO 20:00 (Sky)

[WN83]

Injuries have clearly hurt Leeds but I’ve been confused by some of the things I’ve seen Rohan Smith implement. Maybe he’s a genius but I just sense a little bit of over complicating going on and trying to be revolutionary for the sake of it. No captain, players out of position, short kick offs and drop outs and so on. He had Leeds flying at the end of 2022, so I’d have just expected some minor tweaks.

 

They’ll probably win the Grand Final from a short kick now, with a winger playing at fullback and the whole team will have a finger each on the trophy as they lift it but we’ll see. 

[Just Browny]

I thought @Tommygilf was having us on but Leeds were indeed rubbish.

We were absolutely blistering for the first 30 minutes, by which the damage was done and we just controlled it to the end. Very pleasing.

Vaughan, Clark and Harrison were outstanding.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

I tipped Warrington to win the comp and am standing by it. Consider this.

Daryl Powell is the best British born coach in the comp and now has the side he wants to put out as opposed to inheriting Steve Price's team. Warrington the big underachievers with big note players relying on inspiration without much of a work ethic.

Powell knows the secret to success, as evidenced by St Helens and Wigan, is to have a culture based on perspiration as well as Inspiration. A culture of putting a shift in, based on a solid core of home grown players backed up by imports with a work ethic.

Plus posters tend to forget Super League morphs at the end of the season into a cup competition. Can Warrington win from fourth - Definately. Are they a value bet for the Challenge Cup - Absolutely.

The game itself was over by half time and always when you get a game like this the second half becomes 40 mins of garbage time. Still you would have got short odds on a 42-10 win on this board pre-game.

As the song goes it's not how you start it's how you finish and I expect Warrington to finish strong. You read it first here.

[Tommygilf]

3 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

I thought @Tommygilf was having us on but Leeds were indeed rubbish.

We were absolutely blistering for the first 30 minutes, by which the damage was done and we just controlled it to the end. Very pleasing.

Vaughan, Clark and Harrison were outstanding.

Couldn't have gone better for Warrington and Powell. 

As for Leeds... if that level of result continues Smith will be gone.

[The Mighty Trin]

On 15/02/2023 at 12:56, The Mighty Trin said:

After agree, bookies have Wire -2pts at 10/11 no brainer tbh hope I don't regret saying this. But bet of the round for me.

Easiest £150 I will ever win, need to start listening to us ladies and gents. That's me for this weekend on bets although you after fancy Hull to win by a few. Not sure what price they are though.

[Tippytoe]

8 minutes ago, WN83 said:

Injuries have clearly hurt Leeds but I’ve been confused by some of the things I’ve seen Rohan Smith implement. Maybe he’s a genius but I just sense a little bit of over complicating going on and trying to be revolutionary for the sake of it. No captain, players out of position, short kick offs and drop outs and so on. He had Leeds flying at the end of 2022, so I’d have just expected some minor tweaks.

 

They’ll probably win the Grand Final from a short kick now, with a winger playing at fullback and the whole team will have a finger each on the trophy as they lift it but we’ll see. 

The tinker man Rohan style  

[meast]

Have sky mentioned how it could be Warrington's year after all and how they're the real deal?

Good result for them but sounded like Leeds were atrocious.

Probably best to judge in round 27 about who will do what, not 1.

[Madrileño]

17 minutes ago, WN83 said:

I just sense a little bit of over complicating going on and trying to be revolutionary for the sake of it. No captain, players out of position, short kick offs and drop outs and so on. He had Leeds flying at the end of 2022, so I’d have just expected some minor tweaks

Good point. If a coach has a bit if an ego, he can sometimes think he can "out think the system" a bit.

[Just Browny]

10 minutes ago, meast said:

Have sky mentioned how it could be Warrington's year after all and how they're the real deal?

Good result for them but sounded like Leeds were atrocious.

Probably best to judge in round 27 about who will do what, not 1.

Nobody has judged anything but well done for knocking down that strawman you just put up.

[Niels]

2 hours ago, Futtocks said:

A band playing, which will certainly get the old farts out in force, complaining that it should "of been" a recording artiste* from their youth instead of this new-fangled rubbish.

*Dead, Yewtree or both - anyone's guess.

I thought they were pretty good did you?

The guitarist especially sounded talented.

[Dave T]

Good stuff Wire. Enjoyable evening all round. Apart from the old dude in front of us complaining that 15 years ago insulting disabled people was fine. 

Really enjoyed the rugby. 

[Chrispmartha]

26 minutes ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

I tipped Warrington to win the comp and am standing by it. Consider this.

Daryl Powell is the best British born coach in the comp and now has the side he wants to put out as opposed to inheriting Steve Price's team. Warrington the big underachievers with big note players relying on inspiration without much of a work ethic.

Powell knows the secret to success, as evidenced by St Helens and Wigan, is to have a culture based on perspiration as well as Inspiration. A culture of putting a shift in, based on a solid core of home grown players backed up by imports with a work ethic.

Plus posters tend to forget Super League morphs at the end of the season into a cup competition. Can Warrington win from fourth - Definately. Are they a value bet for the Challenge Cup - Absolutely.

The game itself was over by half time and always when you get a game like this the second half becomes 40 mins of garbage time. Still you would have got short odds on a 42-10 win on this board pre-game.

As the song goes it's not how you start it's how you finish and I expect Warrington to finish strong. You read it first here.

If powell knows the secret to success why has he never won anything as a SL coach?

[Futtocks]

19 minutes ago, meast said:

Have sky mentioned how it could be Warrington's year after all

They did, and more than once.

Yes, Wire fans, we like to jest. Imagine how damn incredible it'll feel when it does happen? Leeds fans can tell you that.

[RigbyLuger]

1 hour ago, Padge said:

He takes dull to new level.

Can't say he added much insight (nothing new there on Sky yada yada yada.)

[meast]

11 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

Nobody has judged anything but well done for knocking down that strawman you just put up.

Errr ok, thanks.

[Padge]

Conclusion

Warrington looked good against a kr@p side.

Leeds looked kr@p against a good side.

A draw.

Edited February 16, 2023 by Padge

[Dave T]

Thought Wire were decent. Pack looked great, halves moved the ball well, Dufty looks good. 

I think we have a real issue in the centres. Fingers crossed we can compensate for that. Great start though. 

[Oxford]

When the Wolves were on song they really did look the business and that's all that needs to be said.

[Madrileño]

4 hours ago, Dave T said:

Thought Wire were decent. Pack looked great, halves moved the ball well, Dufty looks good. 

I think we have a real issue in the centres. Fingers crossed we can compensate for that. Great start though. 

Agree with pretty much all of that. Centre is clearly an issue. (As it is at most clubs in Super League). 

As I alluded to earlier, I am not sure the pack are as fit as they should be. I guess we will find out as the games go on, but body shapes don't look great for supposed elite level athletes. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by Madrileño

[moorside roughyed]

Wire we're great, especially in the first half where we dominated. They out enthused Leeds who looked quite flat. I'm of the opinion that one of the Leeds tries wasn't a try as the players foot was in touch before he went over.

[ELBOWSEYE]

4 hours ago, Madrileño said:

Agree with pretty much all of that. Centre is clearly an issue. (As it is at most clubs in Super League). 

As I alluded to earlier, I am not sure the pack are as fit as they should be. I guess we will find out as the games go on, but body shapes don't look great for supposed elite level athletes. 

Don’t know what quality of tv you are watching but they looked fit. So apart from big sam who has always been that shape (he was also chasing down at marker) who looked out of shape. 

[Barley Mow]

21 minutes ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

Don’t know what quality of tv you are watching but they looked fit. So apart from big sam who has always been that shape (he was also chasing down at marker) who looked out of shape. 

Equally, if @Madrileño has found a way to (legally) watch Super League from Spain, we have a few other members living on the continent who will be keen to know how, having been searching for a platform that allows them to watch matches.

[sweaty craiq]

Powells way destroys teams who can’t match his pack. Big men running at retreating defence and fast ptb.

Leeds didn’t have the pack to stop it, hooker has space and Williams and Drinkwater control the rest.

18-0 when I got home but told a mate Wire by 40 at dinner, at HT I thought I was being generous to Leeds

[muckymunksy]

Said it for months Leeds will be around 8-9 this season. 

[Davo5]

4 hours ago, Madrileño said:

Agree with pretty much all of that. Centre is clearly an issue. (As it is at most clubs in Super League). 

As I alluded to earlier, I am not sure the pack are as fit as they should be. I guess we will find out as the games go on, but body shapes don't look great for supposed elite level athletes. 

They looked pretty fit to me & the likes of Vaughan played big minutes.

Poor body shape,stop talking rubbish.