I know Wakey are super league but sounds like were nowhere near strong enough! Should we be worried...

lot of young kids playing against a strong wakey side but the warning signs are there. act now fax or be left behind

You're right it was a strong Wakefield side and I can only accept what you say about a weak fax team. However we were light in the front row missing England, Fifita and Huby so it could have been even worse.

Also some of the penalties against wakefield seemed harsh - I'm only bringing that up because it did in all honesty slow Trinity's scoring down rightly or wrongly.

What did surprise me is how many of your players looked a bit flabby - I know they are part time but all the same I expected better from a championship club.

Best of luck was I've always liked fax but I've seen stronger championship clubs tbh in fact I've seen us lose to them. Still if you were missing key men hen fair enough.

It’s difficult to see how Wakefield could have selected a weaker team without putting out loads of U19s which they’d be criticised for as it’s not what people are paying to see.

As it is there were a number of selections which, while not being weak, were fringe selections in way or another.

Horo is new and trying to establish his starting position
Pauli Pauli is new and needs the game time for fitness
Hampshire is new and needs game time for understanding
Johnstone is returning from 10 months out injured
Ackroyd is just out of the Academy
Kershaw is Just out of the Academy
Batchelor is still 19 years old
Crowther is Just 21
Jowitt is Just 21 and needs to re establish himself after a great 2016
I’m sure there’s more.

Wakefield have a very strong and very deep squad and can easily put out 2 SL strength teams of 13 so it’s hard to see how they could have been weaker today in an effort to allow Halifax to get something out of the game.

From a Fax point of view beyond having a tough 80 minute match under their belts which will help conditioning and focus minds on areas of improvement it’s hard to see what they get out of that kind of heavy loss.

It was a strong team compared to Fax's I think thats the point.

Yes I get that, I was trying to see how from a Halifax point of view there was ever any chance of them gaining something out of this game, even before it was arranged weeks ago.

Unlike previous seasons with the current strength and depth of Wakefield’s squad it is nigh on impossible to select a team that wouldn’t be far too strong for Halifax therefore what’s the point of arranging the friendly, a one sided affair was predictable?

Halifax will have got very little out of it and Wakefield won’t have gained much either. Both would have been better with a more appropriate opposition.

I thought that game was about right for us. I know it sounds patronising to Halifax but for us it was something between a training game and a real game. A good run out but no real guide. The Leeds game told us more.

Did give Johnstone and Pauli a old run out.

That was a waste of an afternoon and for £15!
We were awful giving the ball away time after time on the first 2 tackles, no ideas in attack and no pace. Yes Wakey had a strong team out but we have problems as we are relying on kids and the Board have decided we are not signing anybody so no new blood and no half backs we are in for a long season.

All very reminiscent of 2004 where we escaped relegation in last minute of last match....

Think there is some over-reaction here (think it was a bit similar this time last year too?). You had half a side missing and plenty of kids playing against a strong SL side.

Whilst I do think Fax might struggle to make the top 4 this year, imagine if a team like Rochdale or Swinton, say, had signed Murrell, Sharp, Tangata, Grady, Fairbank, Grix, Heaton, Moore...everyone would have been predicting big things for them, you still have plenty of good players at this level in your squad.

Hope you're right and an outsider's opinion is probably more balanced.

Wakefield finished level on points with Wigan and have strengthend again. We will be fine with a full team/ the 3 incoming players will be a huge boost to us stop been negative and wait till the first league game in September the wakey hammering will be forgotten

you're right the Wakey result will be long forgotten by September.

People keep referring to these 3 incoming players, 2 were supposedly done deals prior Christmas. The new board started off well communicating with the fans but it would be good to understand if we can still expect to see 3 new faces or were Brandon Douglas (not really a new signing) and the young fullback from Wakey the 2 “done deals”?

The result is meaningless, but the difference in class is a telling indication of how our lack of fund, due to poor past money control, is hitting us on the field.

The only hope of a top four finish this season (and remember there are four full time teams in this league) will be the quality of the DM players that we get from Castleford.

Pathetically overspinning 'new recruits' which are no more than DR/Academy additions only adds to the frustration,hoped we'd seen the back of that with the departure of the old owners.Will post my apologies when the 3 Tongans touchdown in next couple of weeks..

Not sure the team is any stronger than last season. We have lost Worrincy who love him or hate him is a strong carrier of the ball and experienced at championship level. Lost Mitch's strong carries and long minutes on the pitch not to mention his size. We look short to me of experience and quality in key positions. Hopefully RM has a couple of players on the radar otherwise I think top 4 will be out of our reach. Our rivals having strengthened.

On a positive note we have kept most of the team that finished 3rd so who knows maybe we have a chance.

Right ....combined team !

Sharp
EGodo(Cas)
barber
Woody
Chester
Trueman (Cas)
Aston (Cas)
Douglas
Moore
springer (Cas)
Grady
Fairbank
Grix

Murrell
Will Maher (Cas)
E Morris
Heaton

Controversial but a better team?? Discuss.

Sharpe
Saltonstall
Tyrer
Woodburn-Hall
Chester
Murrell
Johnstone
E. Morris
Kaye
Fairbank
Grady
Barber
Grix

Moore
Douglas
Maher
Brooke(trialist halfback)
I put this team on a different post regarding my opinion of a likely squad for first game of season. (Forgot Ben Heaton ). Tangata back in April. Cas DR looks much more prominent in your team so two good ends of the selection spectrum. Now discuss!!

I think your team is a very honest indication of just how threadbare we are without reinforcements from Cas. I can only hope that RM is bold in actually using the talent available. For his and the clubs sake he has to put friendship aside to some of his own players and pick the best combined team he can against Fev (start of season) from what's available. If he doesn't there is absolutely no point having the deal. The common theme is Props, half backs and wingers where I have placed Cas players ....because they are better. Fev friendly may help the decision making but if I was Fev I wouldn't show my full hand at all this Sunday.

As a Fev fan, I would be very happy (if not to say incredulous) if you picked Aston over Murrell when you play us.

Sharp
Clare/Lo/Hitchox
Tyrer
Butler/Woodburn-Hall
Heaton
Murrell
Aston/Trueman
Tangata
Moore
E.Morris
Grady
Grix
Fairbank

SUBS:

Barber
Maher
Johnston
Douglas

IMO - think this could be more possible/probable line up. Thought i'd mix it up a little with Moore doing the full 80. Love what Kaye brings to the team but just too slow for me so Johnston on the bench adds that spark.

I also prefer Grix at 13 personally but Barber seems to have little to no fitness so doubt he'd manage the full game in the second row.

Yes DNA we are on the same wavelength . TAngata will be a couple of months off having had his foot pinned so Springer is someone that needs game time but can't quite get in the squad. Same opinion ref Kaye , enthusiasm only gets you so far particularly if I see him try and go from dummy half yet again near the line and fail. If all the Cas backs are fit there is nearly a full back line to go at with some real quality and for 3 years we have been tinkering with our halves. Time to grasp the nettle.

Completely agree.

I'm a big fan of Springer and i'm quite surprised he's never managed to nail down a spot. I'd also love to see all 3 of those Cas Backs in the Fax team, pure pace - pure quality (as you say, something that's been lacking for years!) and it could finally strike that little bit of fear into teams, knowing that we can score!

Saying that, i'm always the 1st to say every year that Heaton isn't good enough....and every year he proves me wrong.

Part quote. "and it could finally strike that little bit of fear into teams, knowing that we can score!"

And finally give us some hope that we can.
Following on from the less than impressive showing in last seasons attack department so far it's 1 try in 160 minutes of warm up games, kids or no kids these are the best of the rest from within the club that we may have to call on.