its great to actually be looking forward to going to odsal again last few years its been an absoloute chore! might not be expecting a win but if the boys put in the same effort as recent weeks we will run them close for sure. hopefully we will continue to get the ball out wide we looked dangerous on saturday and we have some real pace and size in the backs this year.

Very sadly, we won't have Soliola running anywhere for us this week.

I am hoping we come with the same attitude as the last few weeks, if so we should give Saints a good game. I fully expect we will be underdogs with the bookies, despite the fact it is a home tie. If Purtell and Elima are passed fit then that will be a huge boost, lose Sammut and we could struggle.

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whilst it makes our task on saturday a little easier cant say I'd want a opposition player missing a game for reasons like this. hope they catch the perpetrators and put them in a locked room with saints pack for ten minutes.

Agreed. Would have like to see Nas go up against him.

Hope Sammut doesnt get a ban. If he does, its got to be Addy though, not a fan of Heath at HB.

Again, I'm in agreement.


Addy showed some nice touches at 13 against HKR and he has a decent kicking game. Whilst Heath does have a great passing game and can run well from DH, he's not got the vision to play in the halves. I can see him making a cut out pass straight from the PTB, but not running in open play.

Maybe he might play Bateman there if Elima and Langley are fit. Although hopefully he can continue doing what hes doing on the flank?

Just posted same think on your Sykes thread.

I think one of Bateman or Addy should be at 13 then the other in the second row or at 6. Both have to play. Langley if fit obviously gets in the side for his work rate, but not sure if it should be at SR or 13.

Not convinced by Meli or Foster in defence. Not sure which side they are on, but I hope Lulia and Crookes try to expose this. Sooo excited by this partnership.

I'm anticpating a tonking on Saturday. We really are crap. You are looking a lot better (based on watching you against HKR). We hadn't adjusted to Jammer's loss and then Robes got himself injured and now Soliola has a bashed up face. In addition, we have a left partnership that can't defend to save their lives and halfbacks who panic at the first sign of winning a game. Lomax handed the ball to Hull five times. Five times!

Last year when we were struggling there was a reason: we had terrible injuries from early on, we were at Widnes, we had lost Cunningham, one halfback was injured and the other useless. This year though there are no excuses. We are just s h i t e!

So ... I can only see a big loss for us this weekend.

I hope you're wrong. I can't cope with another loss :/

Don't worry Cummings is sending special operative Silverwood to your rescue.

We are the team with the least number of penalties awarded in our favour so I very much doubt he will be sending anyone to our rescue!

Besides, even if he did, Gaskell will kick into a Bradford player's hands* or Lomax may pass to your fastest player**. And then the whole Saints team will amble back to their defensive line, backs to the ball, while whoever happens to be playing in your no.7 spot this week taps the penalty and races off towards the line without a Saints player even noticing!**



* true scenario from the Hudds game two weeks ago
**true scenarios from the Hull game on Friday night

We have the most given against us so it makes for an interesting situation.

I assume that is fact Mick? I was aware that we seemed to behind in the penalty count in almost every game this year. It's something we'll need to improve on to have the best possible chance of a play off spot.

Team I Would Put Out - providing Purtell and Elima are fit:

1. Kearney
2. Crookes
3. Lulia
4. Purtell
5. Ainscough - (although lacks physical presence of he has pace, I can see Foster/Makinson run ning riot against Pryce)
6. Addy
7. Jeffries
8. Hargreaves
9. Diskin
10. Manuokafoa
11. Elima
12. Whitehead
13. Bateman

14. L'Estrange
15. Burgess
16. Joseph
17. Walker

To be fair Lomax played with an arm injury the whole of the second half. As soon as he got the ball he passed it on to prevent being tackled. He should never have played the second half Royce should have put Wheeler on.

Foster couldn't run rings round Douglas Bader.

While obviously I sympathise with Lomax carrying an injury, he should have at least passed to a Saints player. I think he could have managed to do that even with an arm injury!

gardner, mcarthy-scarsbrook and lomax all came into the hospital today, to have niggles checked out.

On the assumption that Sammut will unfortunately receive a one game ban from Red Hall the following would be my starting Seventeen for Saturday (again on the basis that both Elima and Purtell are fit).

29 Platt
33 Pryce
2 Purtell
3 Lulia
24 Crookes
1 Kearney
6 Jeffries
15 Hargreaves
14 Diskin
16 Manuokafoa
12 Whitehead
26 Bateman
23 Addy

Interchange:

9 L'Estrange
4 Walker
21 Burgess
11 Elima

At some point all of our recent efforts will result in a dipped perfomance, more so with the likelihood that although those taking the field will be "fit to play", a few will be carrying injuries already given the nature of the game.

Hopefully we can get a win, but if we do, it won't be a big one and we'll have to play well for most if not all of the 80 mins.

I think we might just come up short, as I think Saints are a bit like us, with preferring to play away from home at present. Injuries seem to be effecting both sides so we could easily see more than a few players playing out of position.

IF, and its a big IF, Elima, Purtell and Sammut are all available (and Langers has a come back like Lazarus) then I reckon we could beat Saints - moreso if they are still missing Roby (as expected) and possibly Lomax.

Saints are likely missing Soliola, he suffered serious facial injuries at weekend in merseyside bar.

Kearney was excellent attacking from full back at the weekend so I wouldn't want to see him moved. But to be honest I tried putting a team list together moving Addy to the halves and I ran out of forwards, so I can't see a better option than this



Could Purtell play wing with Walker as his centre and Pryce use his size in the forward pack off the bench?