Yorkshire Carnegie
Halftime report
By Leemingtyke
December 9 2012
Back in August the opinion of many (myself included) was that our objective for the season should be progression, not too hard a task, you wouldn’t think, given the starting point. With the season now half way through and a break from league action in front of us, now seems like a good time to pause and try to assess our progress......
I think the best way to do this is to look at the facts and figures, i.e. the league table now compared to the same time last season so here goes:
P W D L F A B P
Last 11 7 0 4 229 263 2 30
Season
Now 11 6 0 5 326 281 8 32
Many (including me before I worked the above table out) would have said that we are in a much better place now than we were last season and, in fairness, we are higher up the league with more points. We are also fielding a team of Leeds players, the fact that this wasn’t the case last season shows just how desperate things were.
However, if you look at it in terms of games won we are actually doing worse than this time last year.
Amazingly, defensively, we are also worse. Since its’ inception in 2009/10 the most points that any team that has topped the pile at the end of the regular season has conceded is 386. We are on course for an end of season total of 562. Clearly nowhere near good enough.
The Points For column is significantly better and as a result, so is the Bonus Points column. In fact the BP column is the main reason for our current top four position.
These are the simple facts and figures presented so that you can draw your own conclusions and, hopefully, post them below.
For me, Diccon deserves credit for transforming us into an exciting, attacking team. Last season our lack of results combined with our lack of adventure and flair was threatening the very future of the club. With patience wearing thin even some of the most battle hardened of our few remaining supporters were openly considering their options on this messageboard. Giving us a reason to continue spending our hard earned at Headingley was therefore a priority.
However, the same infuriating inconsistency that dogged last season is still in evidence.
Sometimes it manifests itself in 80 minute spells where we are either brilliant or awful. Sometimes we can exhibit both extremes in the same game and we let an opponent who previously looked well beaten, back in.
Sometimes the forwards compete, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the line out works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the backs make their tackles, mostly they don’t. Inconsistency, ironically, is the one constant.
We now know where the try line is but the stats reveal that that is all that has changed. Too often a well organised, well coached opponent proves to be our undoing and that can’t be good enough if we are realistic about challenging for promotion next season.
Our defence simply has to get better. Solid defence is the platform on which successful teams are built and Diccon must instil it as our absolute basic requirement. It must become the benchmark below which we do not drop, the keystone that supports the whole team and the constant truth that we fall back on when everything else is going wrong.
Play with passion, work for each other, don’t be the one to let your mates down by missing your tackle and above all else, show pride in the shirt you have the privilege of wearing, then we will be able to say we’ve progressed.
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09/12/2012 06:10
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:12:19:05:48:42 by Wildwillie .
I ask myself - Is the team better than the sum total of individual players? My answer is - No! Diccon is not getting the best out of his players. There are plenty of coaches who get their players to punch above their weight, Nottingham being a prime example!
The progress that the team might make is inexorably tied to DE's development as a coach and man-manager. I think we are in a better place than last season (it certainly feels better). Sometimes it is 3 steps forward, 2 steps back but when we have the ball in hand the rugby is mostly very entertaining.
If we pick out "our" sponsored player, Kirsty, the theme continues. Earlier in the season I was worried that he would be poached by a Premiership club. Possibly to put my mind at ease, he seems to have subsequently taken his foot off the accelerator. Where have been the bursting runs of late?
But we know what Kirsty and the team can do on a good day (or a good 40 minutes at least) and it is that expectation that gives me the desire to keep turning up at the matches, and also the feeling that we are in a much better position than 12 months ago.
I also believe we made some astute signings over the summer, and if (Big IF) this team stay together the best is yet to come.
Undoubtedly we are inconsistent though, and our defence simply must improve.
Above all - apart from a couple of obvious exceptions, I am really enjoying watching us play this year, and its been a few seasons since I have said that
I'm completely in agreement with your comments on DE, in fact I've posted a few times on here that I don't think he's the right man to take us forward and that's still my opinion.
However, In the interest of balance, when writing the above I tried to put my own opinions aside (so I very much appreciate your comment Almo). I thought that, if I was going to knock DE for the teams failings then it was only fair to give him credit for the one area where we have improved.
I also agree with Carnegiette that we have made some excellent signings over the summer.
As you quite rightly say, the team is not better than the sum of it's individual parts and it should be the other way around.
I was a tad surprised by your stats. This season feels better than last to me too.
I also agree with WW.
Leeds is still in the hands of an apprentice coach/manager on year two of three, of his personal development plan. Just what a relegated premiership team needed/needs. Last season was all about him and this season he is where I suspect he feels more comfortable, managing young men rather than the experienced older heads of last season. I think playing players in their right position and selecting on merit and not favour were the lessons he learned from last season and like you I am pleased to see the use of DR players reigned in. All those things will have had a positive effect on team morale. Only one season left after this and when the met money runs out he will be off… Not sure if I will be relieved or angry at that point, only time will tell I suppose.
Quote:BorisTheBear
We are further forward but DE has done nothing to convince me yet that he is the man for the role long term.
Me neither BTB but my guess is he'll be here a season longer than Jacob Rowan... and a few of our other stand out players who are out of contract at the end of the season.
It's one of those where an extremely talented youngster can't get much of a look in because he plays the same position as the captain (I'm referring to Chris Walker). A few other clubs might be monitoring developments.
We took advantage of a similar situation at pirates by tempting J Doc to headingley.
Chris has suffered from the 'problem' of being a successful academy graduate, just like Jacob. He has been in the academy certainly from age 16 onwards and could be longer. If these kids get poached by another club whilst they are under 21 the importing club has to pay a bounty to the academy. Apparently this bounty can amount to 10s of Łthousands depending on the number of years they have been in the academy.
They have to be pretty special for them to get poached, most premiership clubs wait until they are turned 21 and out of contract!
My guess is that these youngsters will try to ensure their contracts are up for renewal when the bounty period comes to an end. I believe Chris is contracted for another season with Leeds, not how he would have liked to plan it I imagine.
