I'll save my melts for the end of Round 1. But after witnessing the game today and watching the game last week, we don't seem to have fixed up the two main problems we have. Our speed out of defence, and our F50 entries. In fact, if anything, we have gone backwards. It's not about work rate, I understand it's just JLT and work rate and minutes can be manipulated easily, but we were blown away in that first quarter by a bottom 2 side from last year on our home deck basically. Hunt looked a little better today down forward which was something. And JSmith looked dangerous down forward. Unfortunately, if Joel Smith is our most dangerous forward in a game, we are in trouble. TMack looks frustrated having the best backman on him, and Weid is still very raw and besides the couple of finals last year, he really hasn't put together a decent set of consistent games that suggest he will get close to replicating Hogan's goal tally. Melksham in will help the F50 entries a little, but it still looks very untidy. This should have been a priority over summer really. We have proven we can get the ball down there, but we look like a team with no plan once we get it down there! I thought we would see some improvement, we haven't.
A few things going against us atm, so let's see how we respond in Round 1 when the real stuff starts. But there are some worrying signs that both teams in JLT scored easily against us in patches to create big leads. May will be better for the run, but hardly looked the gun we require. Lever had a shocker in the first 5 rounds last year, we can ill afford May doing the same thing with such a tough draw this season. Port Round 1 at the G should be a win. If it isn't, the lynch mob will start to light their torches. The weight of expectation has never been good for this club. Fingers crossed we can revers that trend.