I can’t understand Kear choosing Owens to take the kicks. Edge and Dixon are both much better. If we’d kicked the conversion from our try, it would have been 10-6 and there would have been no point in batley kicking the drop goal, and we would have had 5 minutes to throw the ball about and try and score a winning try.
Having said that, if the ref hadn’t disallowed our final try, we would have won anyway.
No one seems to know why it was disallowed, seeing it from behind the posts, it looked like we had put a kick in towards the try line, a Batley player knocked it on and we picked it up the loose ball and scored.
@farnworth-viking I was stood behind the posts and it looked like Dixon clearly tackled their man in the air.
Didnt like the referees actions on the pitch, but thought he got the big decisions correct
New halfback definitely next year with Gilmore. Craven always seems to get niggly injuries and we can't afford passengers. A decent Aussie who is durable be good. New coach who gets us throwing the ball about, as so fed up of one man rugby up the jumper. Any ambition we should beat Batley especially because a depleted side of theirs.
Criminal decision by referee - gives a Widnes knock on when ball clearly stripped 10 yards from line
He also missed "several" other ball strips by Batley.
Can anyone who went to Batley comment on the forward decision on the inside pass to Eckersley, it wasn't at all clear from the TV screen.
Again, I plead with Kear to insist that Edge takes the goal kicks. Owens is too inconsistent.
yes batley mom was their number 8, he was involved in the tackle every time Widnes ‘lost’ the ball
agree edge should be kicking
We are desperate for a creative ball player behind the ruck.
We made plenty of metres going forward, but there was no link to get our backs involved in the attack.It is to be hoped that Gilmore can bring more creativity to our play on his return as I believe we have enough quality in the backs to trouble most teams.
Last night was another game we could easily have won .
There are one or two players who, while having been great servants to the club should , in my opinion, be put out to grass at the end of the season.
@farnworth-viking I was stood behind the posts and it looked like Dixon clearly tackled their man in the air.
That's what the TV commentators thought.
They also said that if Dixon had tried to catch the ball rather than make the tackle then the contact with the Batley player would have been allowed. - well, maybe not with this referee!
We need get rid of Craven and Jack Owens next year. Biscuit and Tubbs are not doing it anymore at this level. If have ambition for Superleague need rid of our crap players and ones not hitting the grade. No sentiments in sport and results and performances matter. Kear another in the dinosaur age with his tactics, and JJ at 13 is a big joke, because he is a hooker. Give Fozzard some rest to get the best out of each other. Why did Kear sign a 2nd rower in Jones who is average when we need a halfback? Kear out I am frustrated with this shite. 🥖🥖🥖🙈
Throw the ball around in the last 5 minutes ? What was stopping them doing that the previous 75 minutes ? Always the same here - could haves, should haves and maybes.And the ref as well.Best just accept we are a poor side,especially without any halves.A great opportunity to draw level with two teams above us and put some distance between those below.Typical of Widnes to fluff it.
I thought that Batley's tactics in handling the slope were spot on. Although, it is their ground so you expect them to know how to handle it. However, we didn't look like we had any tactics. I guess Craven going off had an effect on that. I thought some of our forwards were doing well, winning us quick play the balls especially, but with Fozard switching to the halves we didn't get any benefit from it. JJ doesn't have the same impact scooting from acting half for me. We never seemed to get any roll on as a result.
Total lack of kicking game down the hill in second half was a missed opportunity. Sure we had a shortage of half backs but we totally failed to run them up and down that hill which should have been a given.
No one mentioned yet, why our 3rd try was disallowed
No one mentioned yet, why our 3rd try was disallowed
Viking25 answered it in the very next post, Dixon tackled him in the air.
I can’t understand Kear choosing Owens to take the kicks. Edge and Dixon are both much better. If we’d kicked the conversion from our try, it would have been 10-6 and there would have been no point in batley kicking the drop goal, and we would have had 5 minutes to throw the ball about and try and score a winning try.
Having said that, if the ref hadn’t disallowed our final try, we would have won anyway.
No one seems to know why it was disallowed, seeing it from behind the posts, it looked like we had put a kick in towards the try line, a Batley player knocked it on and we picked it up the loose ball and scored.
Did he not rule us offside from the kick? It's on Viaplay extra tonight (free), I'll watch it back later. It was hard to judge why he gave a lot of his decisions, to be fair.
Paulie.
@sunny It was forward. It was just in front of me. Some of those 'ball strips' were Lawton not keeping hold of the ball properly, as per, and I say that as an admirer of his.