Does that mean that the away game at Craven Park in 2019 is the anomaly then?

Yes, the last play try from Keinhorst. I think we had the ball in their 25 with a minute left but blew it.

I love how people say stuff like second half when rovers fitness is better we’ll fall away.

Have you been to both clubs and done their VO2 max. Against Wigan we competed the first half and then fell away when lane, Jack Charles & Davy litten came in. Pretty much every try realistically came from an individual error from them.

With a full strength side we won’t see any of them and smith will be playing to win a rather than for fitness. He said he played Ashworth, ese’ese & Pele for 60 minutes each with minimal rest to force them to play under fatigue. He’s not going to be doing that in the derby l.

Stop reading into friendlies so much and be positive. It must be draining searching for negatives all the time

Good points, generally agree with what you say here, but I still think we need the win more than you.

Not only are we the home side, but we badly need a shot of optimism into our fanbase. The general mood with us is fairly downbeat right now, no-one is expecting much from this team in the coming year. A cursory glance around this forum gives an idea of the mood before the season has even started!

Overall I suspect the mood in your camp is a touch more upbeat? Defeat on Thursday, whilst galling as all derby defeats are, probably won't have too much of an impact on your prospects. But defeat for us will intensify the gloom surrounding the place, adding to the run of six defeats which closed our season last year with such a whimper!

Agree with your analysis about whether the game becomes a forward battle or whether the backs are given space to move. Think a scrappy, bitty game will most likely give us a higher chance of coming out on top. If it turns into a wide expansive affair, we may find ourselves in a bit of bother!

Let's hope it's a decent game to kick off 2024, and hopefully everyone (and I mean everyone) behaves themselves and a few idiots (from whichever side) don't drag down the name of the fair City.

Hoy
Mac
Carlos
Sutty
Litten
Smith
Brown
Herman
Mint
Pele
Oki
Ligi
Fash

Ashworth
Cator
Brown
Scott

Litten on the wing?
Hoy at Full back?
Fash at 13?

We have better more equipped players available in those positions

Wouldn't have litten on the wing unless through injuries. He's a FB. Would have Walker FB Hoy at 6. Brown needs to start. Maybe 13 ?.

Whilst we have Hoy and Walker fit the best thing for Litten would be a loan deal and to concentrate his efforts as a full back
We have to try and utilise the pace of Hoy so for the time being continue with him at 6.
Brown at 13 would be worth a try. His ball handling and a bit more speed off the mark would offer more than either Cator or Fash but the position still remains a problem.

What is the record derby defeat? Is it the Albert Kelly/Good Friday one? I'm imagining the journos will have this bookmarked lol.

Staveley has posted on Instagram about the Derby....wonder if he's gonna be in the squad

Did they get that extra game in ?

I read somewhere that they played St Helens and won very easily. I haven't seen anything official.

You read it here, and I made it up

I really think people need to stop dwelling on the pre season games. They are utterly meaningless. I've seen us put in some excellent performances in friendlies in the past only to look very poor when it matters, and vice versa. Tony Smith has seen it all, and now in his second season with these players I'm sure he knows where we need to be fitness wise and what we need to work towards for week one. I don't really know what to expect from this season, but at least let's see us play one meaningful game before we start forming some opinions. I really like what I've seen from the pack, we have more pace across the team than in recent years, and we have lots of options and versatility throughout the squad. I think we might surprise a few.

Edit

Do we?

Have you seen something I haven't

I'm sure Great Britain had better equipped players than Richard Horne on the wing, Paul Sculthorpe at stand off and Mike Forshaw at hooker in those positions. But because we had the best players out on the field, we beat the Aussies.

Last time Jack Walker played a Super league game he got substituted after 50 minutes because he was having a mare.

Yet me saying that Hoy should start at Full back took a post of criticism.

Litten played one game on the wing last season and did OK it was a tv game. But apparently we have better? And who is this star number 13 we have whose a better player than our vice-captain?

We only win as a team and be a sum greater than all our parts !

On, what looks like a rainy night either team could win as the pitch and rain can be a winning combination for Hull. But you only have to look man for man, player v player to see Hull have little or no chance of a win, but could the pitch and the gods favour big blokes plodding down the middle? Still only a mad man would bet against a Rovers win.

Won't happen but i'd go

Walker
Mcintosh
Carlos
Sutcliffe
Scott
Hoy
Brown
Ese Ese
Houghton
Gardiner
Sao
Ockunbor
Fash

J.Brown
Pele
Ashworh
Smith

Having Smith on the bench would allow Brown to move to 9 when Houghton goes off and Asworth to spell Sao or the Ock.

Make up quite a few things and post them on here do we?

Still waiting for this young half back to sign for the Dobbins

Us by 7

Starting to feel like Christmas m, hopefully don’t go home feeling like we’ve had a lump of coal

I’m trying hard, but currently struggling to get enthused. It’s not just about my club, just feel ambivalent about the game generally.

That said, I’ll be there cheering them on. Think it’s a case of taking it for what it is this year. Smith inherited a real mess, which will take at least another year to sort out.

Not expecting a win, but if we have a dig you never know.

No not really. A sponsor told me of Rovers interest and imminent offer to a young Hull half back - it was expected to go through