He won’t play. Foot still in a boot. 6-8 week injury.

“No chance” was the exact quote.

Not in the boot anymore i have seen this with my own eyes. He said it will take a lot for him not to play at Wembley. Pretty sure he'll play. So will Ratch and Goodwin.

I’d rather none of them played, if we have ambitions of winning the Grand Final I would want them all fit to aim for that.

Definitely not in a boot anymore so where you’ve got this information I don’t know?

It isn't usually Austin that loses the ball. We have several other players skilled in that department.

Unless it was a trendy sneaker he had on earlier this morning in the Village hotel, it was certainly a protective boot.



Maybe, just maybe he’s been advised to put it back on....

The team were using the pool and business hub this morning, at the village.

I think we have had a personality transplant because I can’t see us getting near the GF let alone winning it. At some point to win games you have to be able to score tries and we look less able to do that by the week, whatever the hallucinogenically enhaced Duck might think.

He's definitely walking around without a boot. Drove past him in Stockton heath on Wednesday. He was limping heavily though so not convinced he'll make Wembley.

Feels like that time Leeds played Hull in the CC at Cardiff. The chat all week was would Senior make it, would Leeds do everything they could to get him out there.

They did, Senior was unfit and a liability, Hull beat them and TS copped a lot of criticism for pushing him out there unfit.

Could be a similar narrative for us if we lose on Saturday - "why didn't we give someone else a chance rather than push Austin out there to go through the motions so he could have his day out at Wembley".

Going around saying "phew, my leg hurts" wouldn't even fool Baldrick!

Leave him out and get him ready for the grand Final with Charnley, If he's not 100% fit don't risk him.

Been told today that the chances of Austin playing is 'unlikely'.

Been told today that the chances of Austin playing is 'unlikely'.

Ah but, which Grand Final are you talking about? 2020? 2021? It sre as hell ain't gonna be 2019.

All it takes is two or three freakishly good performances in September. Highly unlikely, but just because you're breathing down our necks doesn't mean we're a total write-off.

But like I say... highly unlikely!

Oh dear!
Put the kids in and see what they can do. Save our best players for the run in me thinks.

All the more reason that we should have played Riley Dean at Wigan, to have another look at him.

If Austin misses out then we HAVE to go with Ratchford in the halves. A combo of Patton and Dean would get pulled all over the place but Stef & Dean I could cope with.

Indeed.

More likely Price will bore us all to death with Livett and Patton in the halves.

Absolutely agree, thewlis to full back.

In view of the number of troops we are likely going to be missing, I think some creative, lateral, out of the box approach is all we are going to be left with.

For me this would entail forgetting about the need for halfbacks (they give us nothing anyway), and lump up with a couple of second rows at 6 and 7, and four bench forwards.

Possibly Livett And Currie.

The game plan being to roughly but legally, in the Pies way, batter them down the middle as hard and often as possible .

Not far off the mark here from what ive heard.....

If Austin and Matty Smith can't play then I would happily go with the option of forwards playing half back roles. The only worry is we would only really have one in play kicker (Ratchford). I have not really seen Livett put boot to ball properly.
It sounds like the only option as I don't fancy Naquiama running at our left edge with Patton in there.

This topic is "good news", have I missed it?