Would prefer to have Walker ahead of Crossley. Crossleys had no pre-season and think this will be too fast a game for him to come into. Also needs to fight his way into the team as he didnt do enough for me last year

I like Walker's offload but he's got a lot of rough edges to his game.

If we play Walker against Leigh, their forwards will just target his short fuse and get him sent off. He's too rough around the edges for me like Bullseye says. I know it's early days to be writing a signing off but I wasn't impressed by what I saw against Featherstone and his lack of game time since then suggests to me that the coaching staff don't think he's good enough yet either.

And now that I've said all that, I fully expect him to be in the 17 on Sunday

Think Haggertys probably got a shorter fuse. Clark's certainly being getting stuck in and added some much needed aggression. Certainly going to be tasty! I don't mind Walker, although anyone is an improvement on our dross bench last year. Think he's behind Sidlow Clough Clark Kavanagh and Lovegrove, although I would have him ahead of Crossley and Lauaki.

Can't argue with that 17, but I am a little disappointed to see Oscar Thomas dropped. I though he did well, and I'm a little concerned that Leigh could take full advantage if Mathers tires towards the end of the game like we saw him do against Fev. That being said, I suppose he could always have blown away the cobwebs by now.

Seems like Leigh are still missing a few, Ridyard and Beswick are still not ready (unless it's mind games and they get drafted in at the last minute).

Leigh squad:

Higson, Worthington, Spencer, Brierley, Moimoi, Weston, Hansen, Hock, Paterson, Higham, Pownall, Maitua, Acton, Foster, Hopkins, Chase, Smith, Whiting, Emmitt

No Ridyard is a big blow for them. They've a huge pack so ours really has to stand up. Think we're better in the backs but not really any good if we can't get out of our own half.
Markers Need to be switched on with Higham running from dummy half as he slaughtered us last time we played them at home.

Game on!

No mind games, and although it is an important game I don't think we have the same "must win every game" mentalility.
Should have enough skill in the squad to make the top 2 (worst case scenario top 4), hopefully lessons have been learned from last season and peaking for the 8s is paramount.

I'd go with the following...

Mathers
Caro
Welham
Purtell
Clare
Gaskell
Addy
Sidlow
AoB
Walker
Olbison
Pitts
Haggarty

Lovegrove
Clark
Crossley
Ferguson

Blythe and Mellor to miss out for me. Think Crossley is a risk given he's not played at all but think we need a big bench to cope with the Leigh pack. Blythe just doesn't offer enough for me. Clark and Fergie off teh bench should hopefully do some damage.

However, I've just got a horrid feeling that Lowes will end up dropping Clark for some reason. Think it would be a mistake but I just don't think he will play the team we all think he will.

Think I'd go

Mathers
Caro
Welham
Purtell
Clare
Gaskell
Addy
Sidlow
AoB
Clark
Olbison
Pitts
Haggarty

Lovegrove
Walker/Crossley
Blythe
Ferguson

Think we need Blythe on bench so we at least have an option to reshuffle if one of backs gets injured. Unsure who to pick out of Crossley or Walker. Crossleys just back from injury so not 100% yet but Walkers short fuse could be an issue, and leigh would surely know that and wind him up.
Mellors done nothing wrong just think others are ahead of him at moment.

I would leave out Crossley ( no pre season and didn't impress last year) and Walker ( we need aggression but he strikes me as at best too prone to concede penalties and at worst a red card waiting to happen).
Surprised that so many would choose to omit Mellor- I think he's improving from match to match.




Think I'd go

Mathers
Caro
Welham
Purtell
Clare
Gaskell
Addy
Sidlow
AoB
Lovegrove
Olbison
Pitts
Mellor

Clark
Haggerty
Blythe
Ferguson



I think that starting pack contains some good defensive players and I expect that will be needed in the first 20 minutes. Three of the interchanges should provide impact from the bench and Blythe's there to cover any injury in the backs .

Also missing Tonga, Armstrong, Kay, and McNally of course, in the backs - and Dixon in the forwards.

Still, that's what we've got a squad for, so it provides others with opportunities.

Would be utter madness if he dropped Clark. Been very impressed with Clark. Added some much needed aggression. Runs hard, does big minutes and he fights hard on the floor. He wouldn't drop Clark for Crossley. Surely. Would he...

Think Jimmy may go with 3 proper props and play Haggerty or Olbison as the fourth prop which would be a mistake as that Leigh pack is massive.

But TBF Jimmys use of the squad and selections have been pretty good so far. Doesn't seem to be flogging certain players and is dropping some of the dead wood who were he played regardless last year (Lauaki)

I now await the news of Clark being dropped and Crossley replacing him!!

As Crossley is just coming back off an injury, I'd be surprised to see him thrown straight in against Leigh, especially as the pack, in the majority, have been going well this year. But the picking of Crossley in the 19 ahead of Laukai just further cements the idea that the guy has played his last game for Bradford unless there's a major injury crisis.

I feel that we're in better shape that Leigh for this one. Our back line picks itself and the pack won't deviate too much I wouldn't have thought. What a fence sitting contribution this was.

Should be a great spectacle!

Looking a good day for it

That was both terrifying and hilarious

wow .. woke the missus up lol

We were shocking for 60 mins and still got a point, can't complain really.

Good character to come back from an absolute shambles of a 10 minutes at the start of 2nd half.

Plenty to learn from though - if we were playing a decent team we would have had a spanking!

We were playing a decent team. If Leigh hadn't put the cue on the rack we'd have been spanked today. As it is, we've gotten out of jail today.

Given Batley have now beaten 3 of last years top 4, I think that the team really needs to pull it's head out of it's backside and start putting in a proper shift. Or if the coach can't get the team to do that then maybe he needs to step down.

What a game! Thought Luauki would be first pick next week based on first 60 minutes! Still the result hides a lot of basic issues for me as we saw throughout last season.....including the coaches ability to get a team to play for more than 20 minutes a game. Don't really think Silverwood added anything to the game other than allowing a lot of lieing on and slowing the game down.

Appalling 65 minutes and we should not let the last 15 minutes make us forget that. Is it possible that 15 minutes of rugby has maybe saved Jimmy (we don't need a scrum half) Lowes' job. People were walking out with 20 minutes to go. How many of those 8600 supporters who paid on the day will not come back as they will remember the 65 mins not the 15 mins.
Great point earned but the overall performance was like so many we had last year. At the 60 minute mark I would challenge any supporter to pledge their 100% faith in Jimmy as I was struggling at that point.
It will be all put down to another bad day at the office and one poor performance doesn't make us a bad team. I am sure I have heard that before!

Mitch Clark was immense today and my MOM! Even through the 65 minutes of e, he carried 3/4 defenders every time! Ran his blood to water... Lauaki could learn a lot from him.

Throughly enjoyed that last 15 minutes

Agree word for word. I hope the last 15 mins doesn't make the team or Jimmy think that things are ok. The first 65 were a disgrace! Tactics appalling. Motivation none existent. Our attacking threat was zilch until we flung the ball about at the end. That performance was all too reminiscent of last year.

Mathers did nothing in attack or defence and needs dropping. Addy was appalling with ball in hand and Gaskell wasn't involved enough.

Why did we play one out rugby when we've a small pack but a lightening back line.

Changes needed for next week. Amazed we got a point.

Serious questions need to be asked of Jimmy after that

We were bossed out of it in the opening ten and never got back in. It was awful, and never looked like getting better. Completely out matched upfront and Higham had a ton of space to run us ragged. Our only try up until they switched off was a flukish take from a mistake of theirs. We hadn't created a single thing.

The Leigh fans are looking at as a point gained. And I can understand why. But it wasn't, at all. A point has never been more comprehensively thrown away than that.