Lets make sure we dont get egg on our faces then!

And what excuses are they? Stating that we have alot of forwards injured?

We still have a team capable of winning on Thursday. The team will be very simialr to last week with just Fletcher missing. There's alot of arrogance on this board, surprised really considering you're going into a big game having just played a University team in 3 weeks.

2 weeks

we are not arrogent. we are just very confident we can beat you and even with the forwards that you are missing i still think we can beat you.

we have won every game we have played so far and admitedly it wasnt againt a team like widnes but to score more than 50 points in every game we have played so far that isnt easy to do.

am really looking forward to this one now.

You're right, it's impressive. So is scoring 158 points in 2 games and conceding zero.

Add the 'new coach' factor to that, and it isn't going to be as easy as you obviously think it is.

I dont think there is any more arrogance than on most sites?

You are correct that we havent had a test yet this season, but then you can hardly call last weeks fiasco a test for your team either.

I am looking forward to the game as this will be our biggest test yet and will probably represent our biggest test of the season, time and time again.

am just saying that even with your full strengh squad on the pitch we could still beat you i believe.

well basically in all the games we have played so far most of the pionts we have conceded have been interceptions. the defence has been preety good so far this year. plus i think we have a stronger pack than you so that will give the chance for penky glesson black govin and maybe beswick to work around.

although if there is one player that i am not looking forward to seeing and that is webster he could just be the key in a match like this.

We need to play better than we have been doing to win.

We can be Jekyll and Hyde. If we get it right, we will win but if we turn up in the wrong frame of mind we will struggle.

They are valid excuses, we have six missing which would affect any team. As I have said before the season won't be won on Thursday.

Just out of interest, out of the 6 that can't play, who would you expect to be in the starting line up if they were fit? And who would they come in for?

Paterson - Loose forward, Duffy stand off, Thack on the bench
Mills - Will be in and out the side this year
Morrison - Our best forward, would play prop dropping Gannon to the bench
Fletcher - Regular second rower
Banister - Not played for us yet so hard to say, but would probably be in the 2nd row with Fletch
Hartley - Squad player

our strongest pack is

Iain Morrison
Mark Smith
Jim Gannon
Ste Banister
Richard Fletcher
Lee Doran


Mills is likely to be there or abouts and Paterson would fight it out for Loose with Doran. Hartley would be bench or water carrier.

My fear is that if we fall into the trap of a middle field battle then Fax will kick our



Going to be a very tactical game me thinks

I for 1 dont think this is going to be easy infact its gona be a very tough game which we will need to play well in if we are to get the 3 points.

Its a very good first choice pack that. Will be interesting to see how the fringe players step up to the plate tomorrow....what, with us having a full pack available.

What do you make of Hartley? In the few games he played for us, I got the impression he would rather be somewhere else...the way he ambled round the field...in a kind of 'can't really be d' demeanour.

It will all come down to the play offs, when both clubs meet in the grand final. but until then lets enjoy these big games againest each other and remember to get behind our clubs, so that there is atmosphere even super league would be jealous of.

this is the biggest game outside of Super League, lets hope fans of both teams turn up in numbers & the best tean win...... Halifax!!!!!

NO excuses,hope it is a cracker of a game.

That sounds very similar to the Tim Hartley on our books.

I cant think of a more even match up in recent seasons. Widnes seem like they want to throw the ball about this season, and we as fax consider ourselves as the self-proclaimed entertainers...the last bastian of how rugby football should be played.

Widnes fans...I can see absolutely no arrogance on the part of fax fans...far from it. As a fax fan I currently love to watch fax play, and its been a while since we could say that week in week out. We are confident that our boys will do well, but do not assume that we will win. I think its healthy that two sets of fans are very much looking forward to a match - surely?

To be fair, there has been a bit of the Hull KR style - we're gonna beat you easy, there's no way we'll lose - even with your best squad you won't win.

Halifax may well win the game and I'm sure Halifax fans are just chuffed that they seem to be the best team in the comp at the minute (after quite a few years of not competing at the top). As a little word of caution though, I bet if you drag up posts from 12 months ago or even 2 years ago, you will see that Halifax battered everyone out of sight in the NRC and the fans were saying similar things to what they are now. Usually it hasn't been long, (probably a trip to Whitehaven) for the bubble to burst.

If Halifax win, fair play, but IMO its far too early to confidently predict who's got the better squad. I mean how can any Halifax fan confidently say Halifax would beat a full strength Widnes side when the average Fax fan has probably seen Widnes once, which was a 70 point win?

As has already been mentioned on this site, quite few Fax fans will be left with serious egg on their faces if Halifax don't come up with the goods.

to be fair though you havent seen us play either. we wont find out whether we can beat a full strengh widnes side till later in the season at the halton stadium but i think we could beat a full strengh widnes side i dont see why we couldnt.

Whilst we are looking quite light up front without Fletch it's an opportunity for somebody else, more than likely Sam Thompson to come in and possibly show a bit of good form for once and force Cullen's hand for future games.

Well we have our excuse that our first choice centres are out tonight!!





































We wont complain about it though

Both sides are missing players and both should still be a little of top form. This game could go either way and feel both sides will want to prove a point as well as entertain. Whoever wins will have a slight edge but its not the be all and end all and Barrow, Leigh etc will also be tough games. Really Fax need to aim for the 1st or 2nd Place in the League,the Rail Final and the Grand Final. I think Widnes are stronger in depth over a season but in one off games its who wants it most and who take the chances. Discipline will be the key tonight as well. May the best team win.