I was always under that impression, but if memory serves at one of the Leigh fans forum they said this either no longer applies or was just a common misconception. Will try and find out.

Adam Walker missing for Sunday. One match ban www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/disciplinary/item?4171

Adam Walker missing for Sunday. One match ban www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/disciplinary/item?4171

Quote ="Builth Wells Wire"Adam Walker missing for Sunday. One match ban www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/disciplinary/item?4171'" Team selection is going to be interesting this week. If no Briers, and Bert is rested for the Saints match, Ratch is going to have to run very fast from halfback to FB and back again. He will be exhausted. I hope TS gives Currie and or Laithwaite a run as well.

Quote ="Builth Wells Wire"Adam Walker missing for Sunday. One match ban www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/disciplinary/item?4171'" Team selection is going to be interesting this week. If no Briers, and Bert is rested for the Saints match, Ratch is going to have to run very fast from halfback to FB and back again. He will be exhausted. I hope TS gives Currie and or Laithwaite a run as well.

I just hope we don't rest too any players and have a Salford or London 2012.

I only watched Salford v HKR this afternoon. It was the game that had everything, apart from tackling and a crowd. Some of the tries on both sides were pure comedy.

We have been in HKRs position many times ourselves and we have always managed a shock victory. As someone said previously, it has banana skin written all over it.

If Briers and Brett are out/rested then currently i'd go with backs of

1.Riley
2.Evans
3.Grix/Currie
4.Atkins
5.Monaghan
6.Ratchford
7.Myler

Or another possibility could be
1.Ratchford
2.Riley
3.Evans
4.Atkins
5.Monaghan
6.Grix
7.Myler

Nah Ratchford at 6 is better than Grix, it's a more important position than centre

He's not at centre, though, he's at full back, which is just as important IMO. Ratch is a proven performer at full back, if Hodgson isn't playing he has to be there, IMO.

Of course if we had GOB, this would be a very simple decision. I don't know what the rules are, but I suspect the RFL will not allow clubs to move players around at will. But it does look as though Castleford will only use him sparingly now that Chase is back.

Think a few years ago you were probably right, but franchising is dead in the water it seems. As for Salford I have always argued for a Manchester rebrand, but then reverting to London Broncos has hardly been a success. Salford fans will maintain that they are a city in their own right.

Salford always say they are a city in their own right, go outside of Salford and surrounding areas and ask people where Salford is, i guarantee the general replies will either be
a) don't know
b) that's in Manchester

The positions we're talking about with current available personnel is

Standoff
Centre
Fullback

At standoff in order of how accomplished they are in that position.
Ratchford Grix
centre
Ratchford Grix
fullback
Ratchford Riley Grix

now of those 3 Standoff is more important so Ratchford gets the nod so then the other positions look after themselves.

Until it's franchise time, when they are crutially located in the heart of Manchester!

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.