Leeds Aims to Demolish the Boys from Brickfields
Big Red returns.
By Soops
October 21 2011
So, one week after a narrow and unconvincing win over Moseley we get the rare chance to complete a 3 match winning streak at home to Plymouth on Sunday. Leeds has by no means ripped up trees this season, so what’s the outlook on the horizon for the arrival of Plymouth?..............
At the moment the league table says this should be every bit as close and nail-biting as the last fare we endured, but there’s a danger that if we don’t show some real improvement from the last 2 games then we’re going to struggle. This game means a great deal in our season as far as I’m concerned. For a team that wants to be in the play-offs wins against the bottom teams are a must, defeats against the best aren’t the end of the road, but matches at home against teams around and about you can speak volumes.
So what can we expect from our boys (yep and they are boys at the moment)? Firstly it appears we have some names back in the frame with Thornley, McColl Stephenson and Nilsen all due to start (oh, and Hoeneck for what it’s worth) to bolster our younger guns and this must be seen as a positive. Secondly we are coming off the back of consecutive league victories for the first time in some while – this must be a boost for the confidence and workrate. Most importantly we have reached a point in the season where the team and management can’t claim to be fresh and unknown any more: we are due not just a result, but a performance and that’s what many of us will now be putting our hopes in seeing.
What aboutPlymouth? Well, they have such a similar story to tell. New faces have not settled perfectly and after a narrow defeat to local rivals the Pirates, they’ve been beaten at Donny and scraped an unconvincing win at home to London Scottish. They sit alongside us in the league for a good reason: inconsistency.
And so we look to make a prediction for Sunday’s fare. The result first: I believe this will be a turning point for us and I reckon with the home advantage we should look for a win by 10. Now to the performance: I believe that we’ll compete up front with the return of Big Mac and if Nilsen can show some maturity and stays on the field we’ll be OK in the set pieces. I expect more organisation from the half-backs with Hampson and Ford continuing with their partnership after a shaky start to the year.
The team in full:
15. Tommy Bell
14. Michael Stephenson
13. Iain Thornley
12. Joe Barker
11. Steve McColl
10. Joe Ford
9. Craig Hampson
1. Mike MacDonald
2. Phil Nilsen
3. David Young
4. Sean Hohneck
5. Dominic Barrow
6. Dan Hemingway
7. Chris Walker
8. Jacob Rowan
I particularly like the look of the back line, withBellkicking so strongly, but McColl also having a boot and Stevo back with all the experience he brings. Perhaps the nicest thing is the strength on the bench now, with some regulars ready to come on and turn things in our favour.
16. Scott Freer
17. Gareth Denman
18. Phil Swainston
19. Tom Denton
20. Richard Beck
21. Robbie Shaw
22. Lee Blackett
Overall I believe we have enough confidence, home advantage and strength in depth on Sunday to complete a win with some good positive play that will keep the most depressed of our number at bay for another week. I sincerely hope I am not disappointed, because another poor display or even worse a defeat could be a real body blow.
Bring on Sunday.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:10:23:10:47:56 by Wildwillie.
Miserati - and Proud to be!
Zandra YaPoI
YaPoI - Yorkshire and Proud of It
'proficiscor in una'
Despite our confidence,(our glass half full brigade, of which I am one,) carry into this game, the niggling doubts remain.
Will this group ever click together? In every game I have seen this season, having missed a few though not by choice, we have been good in parts and abysmal in others. Dropped or wild passes, poor tackling, lack of co-ordination, I could go on.
But when it does work, it works well...................
Go for it guys, you know it makes sense!
I have us down for a win..................I hope!
Up the Carnegie TYKES !
lets hope we click and push on.
We have now reached the stage where we need to show some of the progress we've been waiting for. I remain confident it's coming, but I've no doubt I'll get shot for sticking my A&$£ out of the window if I'm wrong.....
Anything less will be a disappointment - at least by 10 please.
Quote:Scrum was good, linout was ok, most of the kicking was good, backplay was improved - but how many times was the back line made up of forwards like Hoeneck who is unbelievably slow. Let the backs we had today run the ball - they're good - they'll do damage if they're confident.ellishicks
I'm expecting a solid scrum, ok lineout, good length kicking for position and and good back play in their half.
Anything less will be a disappointment - at least by 10 please.
Defence line is still poor and the opposition know it. I was disappointed.
Hoeneck is a liability though.....
Being an ex management trainer I now how to accentuate the positive with the best of them but the crowds (
are low the fare would disgrace a Berni Inn and there is little light at the end of the tunnel.
I will always buy my season ticket and turn up but don't try and tell me this is promotion fare. It ain't.
The trip to Bedford next week will tell us whether we are really making progress or whether the last few weeks against lower table opposition have flattered us.
I will also continue to turn up, though I'm not sure about the season ticket.
Miserati - and Proud to be!
Quote:Wildwillie
It would be nice if we win by 10 & march on together to the play-offs but I fear that there is still a lot of heartache to come. Another jittery win beckons methinks.
...wish I was as good at predicting the score...
There's a long way to go, but just maybe this doubter saw a little of the dream that DE has for this club.
Fingers crossed the team continue to grow and don't let the last 3 weeks go to waste next weekend.
Negatives first - all there tries showed our defensive weakness, especially in a broken field. how there 2 ran the 80 metres and only have to beat 3 men was a poor do
hohneck did look at tad lame for there try, if he were a horse they woud have shot him
We showed our clinical side taking our tries well
i thought rowan was excellent at 8, played better than burrows, walker and hemingway played well in the backrow too
DE also learned not to change the team to much and it paid divident in the end
that bell can kick abit too
bedford with be a test though, we will have to up it another 3 notches for those boys
Quote:Bran
a hooker going 65mtrs untouched
Quote:JDH
how there 2 ran the 80 metres
Quote:Plymouth hooker
I collected a high ball in Wakefield......
Miserati - and Proud to be!
Quote:Bran
my dad could outpace him,he had a stroke in 1991, and a tripple heart bypass 2 years in November
My dad reffed a match 6 weeks after his triple heart bypass.
How can a No 2 catch a ball on the touchline on his own 22 and score a try with virtually no contact from the opposition?
Unbelievable!
Ditto their second try. Cover defence.... Where?
I have no doubt that the players and management will not be pleased by either of these and in the end, we did achieve a win.
But that match should have been our first try bonus point this season and everyone in the ground knows it.
Good attacking chaps, good turnovers, forwards getting some grit into themselves, though still turning up in the backs!
Front five, (other than Big Mac,) keep out of the backs and let the quick boys with good handling see the white line!
Keep improving, (which you are) but please cut out these stupid mistakes and unforced errors!
Up the Carnegie TYKES !