Just reading the courier article and personally I think it’s great to see RM saying those who haven’t performed in preseason will miss out and we will play our strongest squad available.

Foster and Hitchcock to join Maher and Douglas in the squad.

It also says we turned down Mitch clerk but we were offered him first. As long as mutual respect is given and we are asked first by our DR partner then there will be no complaints from me.

More DR nonsense and contradiction.Maher,Douglas,Foster and Hitchcock have neither played or trained with us so how can they be judged as performed in comparison to our own players ?

I think you will find most the cas squad have trained with us

Is that a fact or personal assumption ? why didn't any of them including our 2 season loanees have a runout in any of our 3 friendlies ?

Beaujangles, perhaps if you paid more attention you would realise Fax had a opposing training session with castleford last weekend, therefore training with Fax. RM made it quite clear that the preseason was disappointing and therefore those players who were haven’t performed will not make the cut. It looks like he has learned the lesson over the last few years. We must start strong and the winning streaks will be fewer and far between amongst most teams this year.

Ok so the selection is based on half an hours about last Saturday.

And the fact the coach sees fit to not to use under performing personnel, instead opting for alternatives to give us the best chance.

also if you paid attention Fax have also attended training sessions at Castleford during pre season

Sorry not sad enough to be aware of every training session this pre-season.
Would be interested in who's supposedly missed out from selection.Injuries apart what i would call the first teamers are all involved.

I think it is a very balanced first attempt. Salty is my 19th because frankly he needs to up his fitness level . Tyrer is lucky to retain his place in my view. HItchcock gives some genuine pace . Glad Sion Jones is in ....he is the one who caught my eye .....someone playing way above his weight and experience.

RM hasn't bit the bullet yet on the halves but Fev should show where exactly we are there. That's where the game will be decided for me.

People are deluded if they believe these DR players have trained with Fax. Training on the same pitch isn't training with the team, moves, calls etc. Chopping and changing the team week on week dosen't work and never will. Think of the run in last season. Play Swinton with four DR players and lose then go on the unbeaten run to clinch 4th spot with Halifax lads in the team. It's not rocket science. Team morale goes a long way and without sounding like a stuck record, what's the point of running a reserve side if we go down the Dual Reg route. As RM said himself what does that say to the reserve lads? Up The Fax!

On the halves I think that’s why he has kept a DR slot open by not taking Clark. Johnno probably needing to show up to keep his spot.

Word has it that after tonight's match Castleford want to swap things around and take players from Fax.

Yes Cas never got off the bus. Very disjointed and unusually so were DPs decisions. Trueman froze so he could be coming our way to put the wheel back on what is clearly a talented player. Everyone of them looked caught in the headlights....but Saints were good.

To be fair to Trueman as we know the halves are only as good as the forwards allow them to be, Luke gale didn't look much better, Roberts didn't look right at fullback so DP may change things there.


Regarding our halves Johnno has been quiet in the warm up games but again who was he playing behind?
As Murrell is a sure starter BJ probably needs to step up this week playing behind alledgedly a stronger pack otherwise more DR options won't be far away.

I have to agree with that as my prediction is based on the pre season which did not go well so well done to RM for being bold and using his other options as love or hate DR at least it gives us this option so as you say tomorrow will be a good marker how close or not we are to a team I think will be in the top 4 this season again.

Well the halves certainly did decide it. We made one chance all game they made about 12.

Positives. ......commitment was good. Wil Sharpe was excellent . Foster very good.

Negatives . We need at least 1 new Half back or move Woody there. from Cas please.

You can't win if you can't score. But I remain positive that it can be fixed.

Yes the facts are.
1 try early in the first half at Bradford.
0 at Wakefield.
3 at Fev in the warm up.
1 today.
Grand total of 5 in 320 minutes of rugby.

This about sums it up although theres not a chance JWH will play at half. Yesterday when the chance was there to simply shift JWH to half and move Barber to centre, where he were outstanding at the back end of the year, instead we moved Grix in to the other half back spot.