I have to admit this game couldn’t come around at a better time. We’ve got a break from the rigours of SL and some of our senior players are picking up niggling injuries.

It’s one which I’ve had an eye on for a while as it seems for at least the past six weeks we’ve had challenge after challenge and have been playing good teams on the bounce.

I’m not taking Sheffield lightly but even the most pessimistic fan on here will agree they don’t pose as much of a challenge as some of the teams we’ve played over the past six weeks.

I think although it won’t be a Whitehaven esq blow-out I do think we will beat them with a few senior players being rested in the process.

As I said above I’m hoping a few senior players are rested next week. They’ve come through one of the hardest pre seasons at the club in the last decade and have also come through some bruising matches as well. It staggers belief when you think that players like Joel, Lockers, Gleeson and Pat have played almost every minute of all our games so far as well.

As a start off we should be moving our bench players like Mossop, Prescott, Farrell and Mcilorum into starting roles as well as brining in other first teamers like Feka and Pryce into the fold as well.

Are the likes of Thornley, Vievers, Charnley and Marsh ready for a first team outing? Seeing that many are currently playing at Sheffield’s level I’d be very surprised if they aren’t brought in.

I’d personally go for a starting team of;

Vievers
Charnley
Carmont
Pryce/Marsh
Goulding
Phelps
Deacs
Fielden
Mcilorum
Prescott
Farrell
Mossop
Bailey

And then a bench of depending on who is fit and who needs a rest.

I'd go with that, they can't be underestimated Sheffield - only gotta look back to the CC final of 1998 for the reason why. Although times have since changed drastically since then.

Take a 'weakened' side but an 'experienced' side (if you get what I mean) and we should be fine.

I think we should just play the best team possible and only 'rest' players with niggling injurys ala Carmont, Fielden, Riddell, Deacs, Leuluai etc. I would go for:

Richards
Charnley
Gleeson
Walker
Goulding
Phelps
Sam
Coley
McIlorum
Prescott
Bailey
Joel
O'Loughlin

Feka
Mossop
O'Carroll
Farrell

i think lockers will be rested next week, he's got a lower back injury and played with an injection today

Ah right wondered why he went off for abit in the first half. Joel to 13 Mossop to start and Davies on the bench then?

We have to find a happy medium in games like this.

We can’t take them lightly but we’ve also gotta back ourselves a little and realise that the difference in the leagues means we don’t need our full strength 13 out there to win this one.

Swapping players like Joel, Lockers, Sam and Gleeson for the likes of Feka, Pryce and Vievers is ok in games like this as they are still SL standard players and you’d think they’d be able to handle the opposition.

Were lucky in a way that players like Carmont, Mossop, Phelps & Goulding have been in and out of the side and don’t need rests. This core should be enough to see us through comfortably.

Priestman

Whilst agreeing that players that have played all games need a chance to recuperate a little and we maybe shouldn't be risking any players with niggling injuries I don't think that we can rest on our laurels and leave out as many as you suggest. There is little doubt that Sheffield's players will be fired up for this game and a shot at one of the big teams. The lineup you suggest for me has an insufficient number of players in it that can enable them to hold the collective nerve of the team should things start to get a bit shaky. I may seem pessimistic but lets not forget that Barrow put in a very good effort last year at this stage and were right in it for a long part of the game.

I would think that resting those players that need a rest in groups of 3 or 4 at a time over a few games would allow us to keep a comfortable strength in the side and to mean that the young lads coming in aren't being asked too much on what for many would be their debut. Your lineup has only 7 or maybe 8 who can be considered established SL first teamers, in a squad of 17 that may not be enough given that your 13 has 3 debutants and one lad with only one appearance for Wigan.

Yeah I fully agree

I just feel that we need to weigh up the options better and take an opportunity when it presents itself.

During pre season our full reserve team lost by one point away to the team placed 2nd in Sheffield’s division. Many of our youngsters are currently playing for teams like Widnes and Whitehaven who are above Sheffield in the table as well. This proves the ‘kids’ we could bring in are around the same level as the Sheffield one if not better.

If that is mixed with some real top SL class i.e Bailey, Carmont, Mossop, Fielden, Phelps, Goulding, Prescott & Deacon then we should have enough to win at a canter.

The pack I originally selected contains a plethora of international talent including Mossop and Prescott both former Ireland internationals Fielden is a fully fledged GB international and Phil Bailey has played for Aus! Outside of him you’ve got another GB player in Deacon and a former Aussie school boy stand off in Phelps and lets not forget the former Samoa captain in Carmont as well. Goulding and Pryce are not slouches either.

And to top it all off we’ve got last years championship coach of the year and former Barrow coach Dave Clarke to fully brief the Madge on what to expect from Sheffield and it’s players.

I can’t see the logic in playing our full strength side. We’ve got talent in depth so lets use it.

Whats the crack with Ainscough on this one? I understand he cannot play for Cas, could we bring him back for the game then loan him back out.

I think Pryce could do with a game, he has somewhat dropped off the face of the earth, and a first team shot could be just what he needs to spark his season.

Would not mind if players like Davis and Tuson were recalled for this one, if that is indeed possible.

1- Phelps
2- Charnley/Ainscough
3- Goulding
4- Carmont
5- Pryce
6- S.Tomkins
7- Deacon
8- Fielden (c)
9- McIllorum
10- Coley
11- Mossop
12- Tuson/Bailey
13- Farrell

14- Howarth
15- Walker
16- Vievers
17- Palea'aesina

Rest Gleeson, Richards, Joel Tomkins, Bailey?, Prescott and O'Loughlin

We are clearly very tired, I'm not going to complain about todays performance at all. I'm just glad we got the win and we now have 2 easy games on paper and should hopefully go into the Hudds game with an 8 game winning streak.

Forgot about Ainscough! Would definanetly have him in the team. He's got a 48 hour recall clause in his contract and that he cant play in the cup for them so i cant see why he wouldnt play especially given the opposition and the injurys we have.

Sam deserves a rest for me. Still only half way into his 2nd season, he's had a few bangs this season and he's also one of our few players who played in the four nations. When we get an opp to rest him we'd should be all over it.

I would keep Bailey out there think he still needs game time after his injury, Fielden and Coley I feel have earned an extended rest.

The problem with resting both Fielden and Coley is that there is a massive gulf in class after these two.

It's catch 21 as if we drop them we seriously miss them but if play them and they get injured then we really are up the creek without a paddle.

I think that might be why Madge rested Fielden today. He’s gonna play him next week so he can rest Coley.

Can we bring Ben Davies back?

Just play the U20's side that played last week IMO.

Looking at your 13 though it has

Carmont, Phelps, Deacon, Fielden, McIlorum, Prescott, Bailey (poss Goulding but couldn't hold reg spot before this year) who can be considered as established first team SL players. Carmont and Phelps have both had recurring niggling injuries so far so may not finish the game or be at full strength. Lose them and we are down to 15 men and 5 or 6 with sufficient experience. Fielden and Prescott are off for part of the game so that is a loss of 1 more for part of the game (I assume one only of Coley/Feka would be on your bench).

Three debutants Vievers, Charnley and Marsh. Either that or two and a player in Pryce who (though I have urged people to give him a fair crack when played) has still to prove his fitness and confidence are still there. You could have three players that freeze or make daft errors if things get tough. Many of us have seen these young lads do well at reserve level but not all young lads can make an instant impact. To throw a bunch of them all at once into a backline with 3 debutants and 2 players with a poor recent injury record or one with 2 debutants and 3 with injury/ confidence worries is a bit too risky.

If things go awry then it takes too much rearranging with so many risky selections. I think something along the lines of Mother Feka's selection (not specifically those 17) with 3/4 players with no/very few previous appearances (possibly to include Pryce) in with an experienced 13/14 men and where the new blood is distributed more evenly through forwards and backs.

Feka also limped off, so he could be missing next week.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this one mate.

If we put out our first choice side we’d realistically be touching 80-90 points against them.

Taking away five first team starters in Locker, Sam, Joel, Gleeson and Pat shouldn’t reduce that winning margin to a point were Sheffield can win this one.

I’d still be happy to go for the original team I suggested but I guess we could drop a match winner like Joel or Sam on the bench as an insurance.

Ben Davies is on loan at Widnes, so to bring him back we would have to cancel his loan deal. Would Maguire want to do that for one game? It's not like a dual-registration where he could go straight back into the Widnes side the week after when, realistically even if he had a stormer v Sheffield, he would not be required for Wigan?

Leave him where he is, he's getting valuable first-team experience on a regular basis, something we can't provide him at the moment! We have got enough props to go with for next week!

Fully agree.

Fielden rested today.
Fielden to play 40 mins versus Sheff with Coley rested.
Both fresh for Quins in 2 weeks.

Maybe a combination of disappointment in seeing us lose too many games that we should have won on paper in the last few years and of seeing players brought back from injury only to limp off during their comeback is making me want to err on the side of caution a bit too much.

I would prefer to see any new blood distributed more evenly through the squad though. Those being maybe a couple of backs and one/two forwards starting with one on the bench.

If people are fit play them, is not dont risk them

Lets keep the momentum going resting too many sometimes works against you the week after

Saying that there are a number of player either injured or playing with knocks..i can think of at least 8

I cant see us having much problems at sheffield as they got beat at home 40-16 by fev