Its an odd one really - we (HKR) have been largely crap in the middle 8s, we have a couple of purple patches in games where no teams (so far) have been able to live with us, but we don't put a complete performance in. Our starting half backs are done for the season and this has had a big impact on our attack I feel. Against Wakey we had plenty of ball in good positions, but in the end, we scored two speculative, length of the pitch efforts, one dart from dummy half close to the line and one great finish in the corner from Dixon. We didn't create much and we didn't do much in the way of build pressure on the Wakefield line. Really, they probably should have beaten us.

I don't know much about Bradford and the players in your team, but I don't think you need to play expansive, super creative rugby to beat us. If you can keep the intensity up for 80 minutes and can manage to live with KR when we turn it up, you should do okay and could possibly win. We'll score tries (hopefully lots!) but we'll concede our share too and if you can manage to not drop off in the way Halifax and Leigh did, I actually fancy you to get something. Rovers don't need to win this game but Bradford do and maybe that will be a telling factor.

Having said all that, we've managed to go 4 from 4 in second gear pretty much, we are the best team in this middle 8 group and i would fully expect HKR to get the win as I am sure they want to go 7 from 7 and prove that they're too good for relegation.

It's been amazing really. We do our level best to kill [i:sme4zjobourselves[/i.

anyway, onwards and upwards, next stop Leigh!

Some talk of Lauaki getting 8 games, which is nuts, what did he do? He pushed the guy in the face, that's it, not good and not clever, but he didn't gouge and he certainly didn't make any movement across the face despite what the red signalled. One of their players did almost the same thing yet for some reason nobody has said a word. Weird. It isn't worth more than a 1 match ban.

If he gets more I think it's a favour to us as the cameos he puts in are too short, and he's a penalty machine at the moment.

It wasn't a malicious gouge, it was just dumb.
But he's a waste of space anyway so if a ban is what it takes to force Jimmy's stubborn hand, so be it.

Agree with that.

It was stupid, to be honest but no "gouge", he pushed his head back, that's all. If Luaki had been the ball carrier it would just have have been called a "hand off" and not even commented on. It will be a hard decision finding someone to do the 15 minutes per match we'll lose if he's banned.

If we lose him for a few games it's no great loss. In fact I'd say it's a bonus since he's a waste of space.