I keep coming back to this thread as I'm convinced it should say D0dds

Fair enough, although to be fair a certain someone gets enough stick on here without our most welcome visitors joining in. There was half a point to be made but a bit like our team he couldn't quite get over the line and of course the Hull FC brand comment really didn't help the cause

I can't see anything but a 0-4 record TBH, sport doesn't have the habit of evening scores by a strategy of it's our/your turn to win. I think you've been the best team so far, we could have been, perhaps should have been, unfortunately we are most likely has been as far as this campaign goes but you never know

Let's look at it logically.

1) The squad is only weaker than it was at Wembley (no Sandow, Westwood, Currie).
2) Players are likely to be played out of position again.
3) I cannot see that we will have instilled a "big game management" ethos in 7 days.
4) Hull are playing at home in front of what is likely to be a bumper crowd.
5) Players will be short on confidence and flat as a witches t1t after Wigan.

Only one way I can see this going, and by some margin.

Sky Eddie really milked the "Wigan have £1m sat in the stand!" line, but he was right.
Pies really do have an excuse not to be all conquering but they have been very competitive, punching above their standing weight.
I honestly think Wane would have got more out of us than Smith.

I see you having a dig at me in a later post. Perhaps you should hold hands with BBW, yes I know, (and it's still Lee Westwood!) as he still wants to play dolls, and completely ignores your plea to let it go.
I have a point and I'll stand by it. Give an argument against if you so wish....my point is Warrington are better than Hull, have outplayed Hull and still got beat. IMO Hull play a brand of football that bores the hell out of me, yes it's effective, so is painting a wall

It sounds trolling but I'm posting on this board not FCs board.

Warrington will once again completely out play Hull. Hopefully this time,TS will stop being dumb on bench rotation and sort game management brain parps and get the result.

Hull ought to be battered if we play our A game, Hull are as good as they get.
Hull have been very fortunate all year and have had almost a full complement of players every week, Leon Pryce for eg can't buy a selection.

On the other hand Wire Pies and Saints have been utterly battered with season long injuries and are all more or less within a point or two of Hull.

Hull play dull but their luck is about to run out. I'll put my money on at the bookies. They will not win another game this season. Wire Pies and or Saints will all beat Hull, who are still playing the same dull rugby they've been playing all season. They haven't improved and they show no room for improvement.
They will not make Old Trafford.

Behave yourself, everyone who disagrees isn't having a go at you they may JUST disagree they may have a point that they want to stand by? Perhaps once in a while ask yourself why you are quite often a lone voice.

I don't want a specific reply thanks as I don't feel as though I had a dig at you or need to justify myself and for the record you brought up that your post might be seen as trolling. I kind of agreed with this and also your thought that we were perhaps the better team on at least two occasions and should have closed them out but didn't.

do you know if this is correct

Sadly yes.

i wont be cheering the lads on this friday.... i will be riding a Harley Davidson road king through Las Vegas

i might check for the result a few days later if i can be bothered.

While I entirely agree with you in most respects, including the ridiculousness of RD's comments, I think you might be exaggerating your prowess here just a little. Our 'near full strength team' had at least 10 players injured, including 5 of the first 17. Your own team was missing 6 of the first 17, I've not forgotten that (in fact both home and away we had 5 first team out and you had 6 out). Wembley was probably the closest we've had to a full-strength team all season.

Anyway, at the risk of sounding like a Wigan fan, I think our injuries have blown our chance of at least the LLS this year - Gidley, Sandow, Currie and Westwood all out on Friday as well as our long-term injuries like Dodds. Do we know which of them will be back in time for the playoffs?

It's very likely this weekend will see the most balanced team we've had out all year. Wingers on the wing, centres in the centre and hbs at hb. Fb at Fb.
I can see a Wire win. The kids won't get all kosher at the back end. They'll give everything.

The lack of belief and faith in out own team on this forum stinks.

Why would Smith move everyone around at this late stage of the season, particularly when we know he never does that? It's not 'lack of faith', it's just being sadly realistic based on what we've seen recently...

He can't do anything else than play those available in their recognised positions.

LOL.

It has to be make believe and blind faith to think Warrington will get anywhere on Friday based on the long established record of "falling at the last hurdle", the number of players missing and with an interchange bench that, frankly, should not get near a top 8 side.

Well I think TS is forced to finally play a balanced side, even if some of the aging playes are not available.

Are we really going to miss.... Westwood? Bench player at best these days.

Let's look at Gidley, slightly disappointing lately, not his fault, still a big loss, but not one we can't ride out for this reason....
TS asking him to be further involved in games than he was asked in the nrl, to play hb over an entire season. It now looks to be taking it toll when we've got a much younger Ratchford, the ploy looks another TS mistake. The sooner he is reverted back to fb the better.

Sandow, sensational in select moments, overall Jekyll and hide.
Questions circulating over his out of club association? I'd swap him for a George Williams tomorrow.

Currie class but he does have the odd quiet spell throughout a game, but we would probably miss involvement the most. However we have plenty reserve in backrowers this season.

I think we'll be OK for FC. I fully expect the replacing fringe players to step it up here.

After last week's performance and injuries everything points to another loss this week I fear. That said, it would be very "Wire" of us to go to Hull and win this week, this team is like Jekyll and bloody Hyde. As RD mentioned, they might actually surprise us due to players being played (albeit with little choice) in their favoured positions.

I know some people aren't that fussed about the hubcap, and would rather we avoided stains at home, but I am of the opinion we should go for it....lay down a marker by beating Hull and try and put the stains hoodoo to bed, we have to do it sometime. If we can't beat a poor stains side at home then what chance do we have should we get to the final and potentially have to face Hull on the back of 4 losses this year? Also, it seems every time we play Wigan we always seem to have injuries be it down to the physicality of the games or occasional pie thuggery, if results went our way the team could be decimated by the time the final comes around....

The LLS is window dressing and the club know it's more important to have the best 17 you can to be as fit as they can for the semi-final.

If you take our last 10 games we've been in pretty good form. Is a 20 minute capitulation v Wigan clouding everyone's judgement ?? Possibly.

But to be honest our team look knackered. We still have a chance with Hill Clarke and the few others that have carried the team. But that won't be enough against a Hull side which have the full squad fit to go.

Predictions ?? We'll give them an enthusiastic 30 minutes before being too knackered to go on, and fall asleep before the important business end, resulting in another embarrassing performance. Probably similar to our house later on Friday night.

I fully expect a defeat.

Alas, I'm still making the trip. Why do I do this to myself?

billy hills give us a 6 start and you can get 8s at corals..any takers

Me too. Fully expect us to lose this one. But, stranger things...
I've only been to the KC once, about 12 years ago IIRC, so missed the 2011 trip, don't want to risk missing a similar result, with the LLS going to the winner it should be a good atmosphere.

I'd take a draw!

I agree with RD I still think we have a great chance Friday , it won't be easy but all the pressure will be on hull. I will be backing us with a +8 on the handicap

Won't be going - too much time, money and effort required to see a probable loss.
I value the hubcap. I may be in the minority but I'd like some silverware as soon as possible

The "Hubcap" SHOULD be the most important trophy on offer as that is reward for true 'full season' form. Sad that it's about as decorative as a Charity Shield.

The 2011 one means a lot to me. It's no surprise that we won this with the best team we have had in years and years.

Was speaking to my dad and said they should replace the hubcap with the old league trophy. Give finishing top some prestige. Also whoever ends up top should go straight to old trafford. Prestige and incentive makes finishing top all the more worthwhile.