We were very disappointed with our display at Halifax. We didn't play well but I have to give

all credit to Halifax, they took their chances when they came along. They played really well and we cannot expect sides to lie down and let us win. We have to work very hard to get results or we will get rolled over.

Having said that there certainly wasn't any lack of effort on our part, it was just one of those days when the harder we tried to worse we got! We just couldn't do anything right on the day and in the end we were pleased to get a draw out of the game. There were a couple of decisions that didn't go Halifax's way and if there has been a Video Ref at the game we might have been staring at a defeat.

Robbie Paul copped a very serious injury and there is no doubt that we are going to miss him. He is a quality player, a match winner and he has been in great form of late. I don't know if that factor played a part in the game at Halifax because Paul Deacon is the sort of player who can slot in and take control and I don't think we were playing very well before he went off. I wouldn't want to use it has an excuse because that would take away something from Halifax's performance and they deserved their point.

We have not really played well since the game at Castleford in mid June but we have been getting away with it. That was until the Leeds game when it cost us the two points. We didn't do it then and Leeds were on top of their game and it was the same at the Shay. We need to pull through what is a just a bad spell for us and make sure we are right for the play offs.

There seems to be a theory groping round, particularly in the press, that we can't cope with sides that are ' in our face' in defence. That's absolute garbage. Sides have been doing that to us all year.

When we have lost some games we have been accused of bottling it but really there was no difference in the Halifax approach on Sunday to what there was at Odsal when we beat them 60-2. The difference was in the fact that are not on our game and the teams that have beaten us, or in Halifax's case drawn, have taken advantage of our poor play but I can assure you the defence against us has been 'in our faces' since game one of the competition.

It was bad week all round for me because, despite making a lot of noise about what we were going to do and being confident of doing it, the Northern Hemisphere lads were soundly thrashed by the antipodeans at golf. We lost 5-1. Paul Deacon was the only one flying the flag for us Brits. He chipped in out of the rough to beat a thoroughly bemused David Boyle on the last hole. Talk about a game of two halves, it certainly was in my game against the Poodle man, Justin Brooker. I was 6-1 up at the halfway stage but lost miserably on the back 9 holes. My game fell to pieces and I gave up on the 16th hole, totally fed up.

At the request of Ann, Justin Brooker's lady, I am not going to give it to him regarding the poodle this week but I noticed he made yet another appearance in the paper regarding the dog again. The things some people will stoop to get their name in the paper.

It's Leeds United time again and we are in Europe this week. I really mean a TRUE European competition, not a pre-season kick about with a funny name.

I think Leeds may struggle this season with the size of the squad but I will be supporting them against the Germans and I hope they do well.

I can't see the fortunes of our two local clubs differing much to last season. I think Leeds will be up there at the top and Bradford City will be down in the basement.

We are at home to Castleford this week and, if we didn't know it already, we will be having it rammed down our throats by the coaching staff that if we play like we did against Halifax, then Castleford have enough quality players and match winners to take both points this week. We will be looking for a big improvement so come along and support us.