I was watching in amazement, wondering how we managed to lose against both of these sides last season.

I think with a month loan you can recall the player in “exceptional” circumstances. Last season Wigan sent Prescott to South Wales on a month loan to get fitness back after injury and then recalled him the following week for a first team recall. I’m sure we could use that as precedence if we so wished.

Don’t see why Hodgson will be rested though although if he is then simple solution would be Riley to full-back and Saltonsall onto the wing.

Slightly. Thanks.

Well looking at last season he played in ? 19 SL matches, and I don't think he had a sizeable lay off. TS likes to use him sparingly, hence last week when he took him off for his 'cocoa and warm blanket' (LOL). I would imagine he is certain to play against Saints, so if he plays this week it will be 6 in a row. If he does play, I would suspect it's because TS doesn't wan't to risk the team options already discussed in the thread. Unless he can get GOB back.

Is stand-off more important than full back? In some teams, maybe it is, but with us having Myler in the halves, I think I'd prefer to have somebody solid at full back rather than at 6. Full backs act as extra halves anyway but they play a much more important role in defence and territory, so for that reason I'd sooner have somebody assured like Ratch there, rather than have Riley there who for me would be quite a weak link and would be more prone to being targeted/exposed than Ratch would at full back. I don't really like the idea of Grix at stand-off, but I prefer it to the idea of Riley at full back and Williams on the wing (assuming Williams would take his role).

Here endeth the lesson.

And to think, we currently have a 3 page thread, ripping the proverbial out of a team, who we have only beaten twice at home in the last 17 years. We're playing them again, on Friday.
Whilst I'm hopeful of a win on Friday, I wont be getting tumescent, any time soon.