Looks like somebody beat me to it!

A bit like greg narrow fev win in the cup followed by a big damaging fev win the following week . No surprises in my view .

Their a touchy lot. Its weird most of my Town supporting mates are sound and I love watching Town when I get the chance but they don't half love a good yarn on that forum.

We will have to go up a few gears to have a chance in this one. The problem with that is i do not think we have that in us. Fev have been playing at a different level to the rest so far and it is up to us and other clubs with aspirations to try and catch them up witch is easier said then done. I don't like saying this but i can only see a fev win in this one by probably a few scores but i hope i am wrong.

I can see Fax edging the cup match by the odd score but getting tonked at POR the week after. I don't think yesterday's postponement will have done us any harm. We'll see what happens. Rat & Ratchet shuddersfield. White Rat 4.0%, Mmm!

Reading the ‘Courier’ McDermott started mind games saying his quartet of stars will not be fit for Sunday.
Yeah yeah yeah. Pull the other one.
Although if True could be Fax’s best chance of progressing.

Not sure where to start with this ignorant post and the ridiculous "mind games" comment.

Firstly, this isn't an interview with the "Courier", this is directly lifted from an interview with Fev's "RoversTV" subscription service for Fev fans, which Ben McKenna, who works for the group that owns the Yorkshire Post, the Courier, the Pontefract & Castleford Express (where the same article also appears) etc, has clearly listened to.

Secondly, McDermott is merely stating what most people already know about some players who have well-documented long-term injuries - Kopczak has been out since the pre-season with a knee injury, Sene-Lefao dislocated his shoulder in the season-opener, and Hardcastle suffered a bad hamstring injury in the Leigh game. The only one of the four players he mentioned who has a chance of playing this wekeend is Leilua, who also had a hamstring injury, and that will be down to conditions and whether McDermott wants to risk him, as he clearly stated.

Frankly, it's a bit insulting to suggest that McDermott providing updates for Fev fans on long-term injuries is some sort of "mind games" tactic towards Halifax.

Not as insulting as McDermott saying clubs like Featherstone have no place in Super League.

It's just a bit sad,that with an interesting game to discuss, there are some fans who just want to engage in low-level trolling. Isn't it?

Id like to see Leilua play as I think it would add a bit of interest to the game especially as he would be up against Barber who is a bit of a grub and would probably be trying to get a rise out of him for the full 80. To be honest I can't see Fev risking him especially on a pitch that is going to be like running in treacle.

Ignorant, ridiculous and insulting. You said it.

It was an ignorant, ridiculous and insulting post. Are you defending it?

I get the impression from what McDermott has said that Leilua would be considered fit to play by any normal standards but given he's had one hamstring twinge on a muddy pitch he just doesn't want to risk another when we're probably not far away from the grounds drying up. Especially when he can slot Hellewell in, who probably isn't really a centre these days on a quick surface but is fine in that position in the mud.

Looking at where they have lined up both Leilua and Barber have played right centre I think so Leilua would likely be up against Arundel?

Phantom horseman are those initials because of your acidic nature ?
If none of the 4 mentioned play then all the more chance for Fax, but it would not be a surprise to see at least one of them in the 17. Say what you like, it would not be the first time
‘Gamesmanship’ if you prefer that word has been used to try and disrupt the opposing teams selection.

Of course i'm defending it. It's just one poster's personal observation. Calm down.

Based on form alone I can’t see anything but a Featherstone win , Halifax as I’ve mentioned before have only managed to play well in very short spells and with the quality Featherstone have we will be punished. This month will be very difficult with Featherstone twice and Leigh who have comfortably beaten our preseason predicted playoff rivals in Bradford and York. I would say up to now we have contributed to our own demise and would be happier to walk away from the game knowing the other team beat us rather than we beat ourselves. I predict the Grix out mantra will return on March the 22nd .

Yes, I will say what I like, I have made it clear exactly why your post was ridiculous and you're clearly too proud to back down.

So I'll simply repeat: it was an interview [ion a subscription channel for Rovers fans[/i which merely provided an update on three long-term injured players, plus one who the club has been treading carefully with. The idea that it was some sort of gamesmanship is daft, none of these guys have played since at least the Leigh game. As I stated above, there's a chance Leilua might play, so no it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in the 17, especially as he was in our 21-man squad last week.

I have read reports that Knowles, Worthington, Gee and Woodburn-Hall might be missing due to injury, presumably you think that those reports are gamesmanship to disrupt Fev's preparation?

And I was challenging it, because it was wrong, and that's how forums work. Calm down.

I think Fev must be favourites but I'd expect the game to be close, in the last two weeks on boggy surfaces Fev have struggled to pull away from two teams that are predicted to be in the relegation mix but were really up for the task and defended with determination. If the pitch is poor again I'd expect a low-scoring game with perhaps one or two scores in it.

P H. I have never crossed you before . However you need to to get back to a 7.
That is the neutral number between acid and alkaline.
Or a couple of Guinness

Well perhaps you're right that it's probably not worth getting too heated about. But surely if somebody puts something on a forum that doesn't make much sense other people should be allowed to challenge it?

McDermott was asked this question asked by the RoversTV commentator in an interview for the club's subscription website "Rovers fans will want to know how close some of the guys are to getting fit and back in the team?" This was about four players who had been missing for at least 2 games, and in Kopczak's case since the pre-season game against Wakefield. Claiming the answer he gave to this question was "mind games" doesn't make any sense.

You are correct my memory playing tricks on me. For some reason I were thinking that the Leilua flick pass the other week he were coming down the slope but it was top side. Hope he doesn't play then.

Yeah after the Leigh game its likely we will be 1/5 in the league and probably about 3rd from bottom of the league and will likely put a bit of pressure on Grix. For me its the same problems mentioned before, with better discipline and maybe 1 or 2 bigger players up front we would probably be 3/3 at this point but Grix likes a mobile pack and we have come up against 2 big packs that have got on a roll against us because of discipline/fitness. The Widnes game for me we looked the better team with the ball but as soon as we conceded a soft try from a kick Matty Smith just kicked us to death and that was the difference. To finish 3rd last season we lost 8 games and its probably going to need to be about the same this year to be 3rd/4th. 6 Weeks in and losing 5 games and still having to play Fev at home and Leigh away puts us under imense pressure to finish in the top 4.

It’ll be interesting to see how Grix approaches this game in terms of tactics and team selection, in some respects it’s a free hit as we aren’t expected to win and certainly not the challenge cup ( don’t know how the 1885 works ) I think the pitch will be heavy but the weather for the next few days is better and certainly on the day, maybe throw the ball around a bit more throw caution to the wind and have a go, haven’t seen any offloads or line breaks to note yet so be nice to watch a better brand of rugby, be nice to see walmsey or jouffret given a chance I think we’re playing sound defensively but definitely missing the off the cuff play , can’t wait for Woodburn hall to return he’s been a big miss .