So after the fun and games of the cup last week we are back in league action this week versus the cougars. Providing we didn't pick up any injury's last week it would be hard to drop anyone based on that performance. We have brought in Jacob on loan for a month but who do we drop for him to play for me it would after be will maher but we will have to wait and see on that one. As for the result i will go for 30-12 to Halifax and hopefully a good crowd too.

Fax win by 20

I'm really looking forward to this one especially after last week's boost. It'll be good to see a different team and should be a good high scoring game. Fax36v12 Keighley. icon_thumb.gif

Keighley don't seem to be having much luck with injuries, especially to some key players. Crooks definitely out, think Gale is injured and possibly Chisholm. They've also released Jack Miller their halfback from last year. Their results have been poorer than a lot expected, so you'd hope for a Fax win. Couple of interesting selection issues - if Gannon comes in, agree that unless someone is carrying an injury can only be for Maher. Also although Grix has always made clear his admiration for Wood, can't see how he can change hookers after last 2 weeks when Inman has made a massive difference in both.

Wood was carrying a groin injury from the Batley game last week but even if he’s recovered Inman is a must inclusion and I’ll leave the pack to Grix based on what he’s seen through the week.

Wood, for me, has been very underwhelming. There is no way he should be in the squad before Inman. He's a steady away type of player who definitely won't let you down but Inman looks like he is a game changer. No contest.

Noticed rawsthorne, Oakley and Forster all named in the cas reserves side to play Leeds reserves tonight. Not sure if these guys can be added to our match day 21 but by my calculations even with the addition of gannon that leaves us with 20 available players.

Yep at the moment there is a lot of concern about the low numbers and from those 20 following on from Fev regarding any additional knocks (so far we know Wood and Tibbs were not fully fit as of the cup game) we could be down to 18, 19 so this week the team will basically pick itself with the biggest decision Grix will have to make is when is the right time to give Gannon a spot.

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Once again the Championship is proving to be highly competitive. With perhaps the exception of one team anyone can beat anyone on the day. I wont be taking anything for granted and hope that Sunday isn`t a day after the party at Fev, If Keyes can improve on last weeks showing i am going for a Fax win though. Interested to see if Gannon is as "difficult" to play against as his dad was.
Fax by 12.

Gale back in Keighley squad after injury- no Chisholm though

Don’t know much about keighley and only seen their first game against fev but they’ve obviously made progress since then and it certainly isn’t a gimme.

Interesting squad selection depending on who’s fit etc , it’ll be difficult to drop anyone after last week’s performance but maybe could freshen up the pack with an inclusion of gannon, a lot of games coming up around this time period unlike last year with us still been in the cup so can see our pack being rotated.

I don't know about others but I'm really looking forward to this one. I know progressing in the cup will have given everyone a boost but also it's going to be good seeing a different team down't Shay. SL is so repetitive at the moment and the fans must be bored of watching the same old fixtures time and again. You can't beat a bit of championship rugby! icon_biggrin.gif Let's hope for a fast exciting game. Up The Fax! icon_thumb.gif

It was a big effort last week both physically and mentally and you could see how much it meant to them individually and as a team and when they play well across the park then the reward should be a starting spot the following week.

Maybe the odd change with Gannon coming in to keep them fit and healthy and no need to risk anyone who's carrying any knocks and the lads understand this if Grix chooses that option.

Like Hudds says seeing Keighley who should bring a few with them and be coming here to win will be a refreshing change and so far it's a cracking day leading up to a cracking game.

How did young Jacob Gannon get on?

Gannon nothing spectacular, but ran and tackled hard, just the sort of forward Grix likes. Decent performance, thought Keighley, looked OK but lacked a cutting edge, Chisholm might well have made a difference. Not impressed with Gale who moaned a lot but didn't really look interested in taking the ball to the line. For Fax thought several players had good games - Salty as always ran his blood to water making great yards on every carry. Lost count of the number of times he moved in off his wing to absolutely clatter their number 2 who must have been sick of the sight of him. Good to see Keyes running with more confidence than he has this season. Most had a good game, really don't like criticising individual players but don't know what Maher brings to the team - does short minutes, rarely comes back on, and makes very limited impact when he's on. Interested to know if Doro and Moore rested or injured - thought Wood played really well in Moores place until injury. Final mention for Walmsley - on top of his usual tries deserves massive credit for commitment and courage under high ball after suffering what looked a very painful finger injury.

Noticed walmsley had two fingers taped up after the game , I guess we’ll after wait and see how bad it is .

Looked to me like the intensity and physicality in D had gone up another notch with some big whacks going in with some good performances, there are signs of a really good side on show but it's the errors and discipline that interrupt the flow of things.

Silly penalties from within their 20 and instead of turning up the screw we're back down the field having to defend and build again or we score and straight from the kick off let the ball bounce into touch which leads to having to defend the next 3 or 4 sets.

Keighley never went away so regardless of the scoreboard, final thoughts it was a tough game for the full 80, 2 points in the short term and a stay in it investment for the longer term.

Injuries, Walmsley's hand and Wood's ankle from the obvious ones, noticeable in back play Tangata with a shoulder knock, Maizen and Woody looking a bit shaky at the end.

A decent win.
A good first half played at a good tempo. I thought Salty was fantastic yet again. Strong runs and some good spots in defence. Wood had some of his best spells in a Fax shirt and looked really sharp and his one handed pick ups put opposition on the back foot. Inman adds the enthusiasm of youth when he comes on. He so reminds me of Penky. Keyes somewhere near last years form and buzzed around mixing play up. In fact once again the whole squad played its part. The second half dropped off as both sides made too many errors for the game to flow. Lost my bet this week as JWH was injured inside the first few minutes and I reckoned it would be at least after half time. Once again he put a great shift in D with some top tackling . Best f b in Championship in my opinion.
Bring on Barrow and hopefully another decent crowd at home the week after.

The game for me felt a bit strange by that i mean it didn't at the end feel like we had won by a margin 34-10. We had a very good spell from about 20 minutes in to half time when they had a player in the bin and that pretty much won us the game. And i would praise our defence we had 2 players in the bin during the game which would have taken some juice out of the tank and combined that with more errors probably led to us scoring less points in the second half. Keighley do play a similar style of play to us they are not the biggest side and like to shift the ball early and they do have some speed out wide there right hand side in particular caused us some problems. I do not know if Doro was injured for this match but if he was dropped then i do not understand that decision. Overall happy with a good win we seem to be playing a lot more like a team now and hopefully the injuries are not too bad as we head into our double header with Barrow.

I wonder if the coaches feel that Doro is young fora prop and don't want to burn him out by over playing him. That's why we have a squad.

Doro is still young for a prop but lets be fair he as been in and out of the side so far this season so i do not feel burn out is anywhere near to being a problem for him. And at the start of a season when you are looking to hit the ground running you pick your strongest side which he would be in instead of Maher for me.

Well that makes it 4 from 4 at home and that's not to be argued with. If it had been 6v6 at half time and ended 34v10 it would have felt a lot better than the other way round but there you go. Salty was tremendous again and Keyes showed glimpses of last seasons form so that is a big plus. We are settling in nicely now and when we really gel for 80 minutes you get the feeling someone is going to get a reyt hammering. Rat & Ratchet shuddersfield, White Rat 4.0% Mmm! Up The Fax! icon_biggrin.gifRUNK: