The CC is littered with big name casualties, who quite probably thought like you....Macca can do no right in some folks eyes. Every silver lining has a cloud eh?

I've given him plenty of praise for this years turn around. I've also had a go when he's done stupid things, like not using subs at widnes when players were struggling to walk let alone run.
I call it as I see it. unlike some who have agenda's both for and against him I don't.
for me this is a wasted opportunity. if anyone things fev have a chance they are deluded. even they are thinking of resting players because of fixture congestion.

The more I think about it, the better it seems. Not only does it enhance our chances of winning, but it has the added bonus of raising pulses within the teeth gnashing brigade.

I agree with Tad. Mental to see our strongest team out.

Probably looking to get the attack firing.

Attack and firing - alien words to McDermott

And add Baldwinson, Hallas, Walters/Ormandroyd/Smith swapping Hall for Handley who goes to the bench.
If that team cannot beat Fev with no disrespect to them whatsoever we are in trouble.
We would still have 7 internationals on show.

When you get the "luck of the draw", it is called that for a reason. Not taking advantage of it is criminal.

What would be the reaction on here if we rested half the team and got beaten like Hudds did by Swinton? I agree with resting a couple, but its still a CC qf against a good Championship side that will be really fired up.

I never expected us getting close to silverware this year and still being in with a good shout in both comps is a minor miricale, just let the lads play and whatever happens happens, nothing to lose in my book from here.

I think the point is missed by a lot of people on here. The time for resting was, Doncaster, Barrow, the double header weekend, and then now for Featherstone. Had that been done then it could have been handled exactly as you are suggesting. But it wasn't, and here is where the mistake was made, and criminal.

If a club like Leeds by resting a few players were getting knocked out by a championship or league one team because of that, then they simply don't deserve to still be in it anyway. But regardless of that, the likelyhood of getting beat is not increased by bringing in a couple of fringe players, but more likely by flogging the players you rely on so much.

Burrow confirmed out according to twitter. Would have thought whoever comes in for him (probably Walters) plus Handley to drop out. So just Baldwinson in for Jjb from last week's team.

I agree i thought the Barrow game in particular was the one where most of the first team squad could have got rested. Anyway, this is Mac and his way of doing things, like his bench rotation it's strange and doesn't make sense at times but no point getting hung up on it we have had 6 years of it now it likely won't change any time soon

Players should only be rested if they are carrying an injury, otherwise play our strongest team.

Only way we'll win a trophy is by playing as a fully cohesive unit which we've only done in dribs and drabs so far. A week off for half the first team won't improve us. Practice, practice, practice is what I'd run with.

I can see the reasons for both options, strongest available and resting a few. Whichever way we went it's hardly not understandable to the point of having a moan about it.

You should beat Fev comfortably. Earlier in the year both ourselves and Fev were without your Loan/DR players and we lost 13-21. Last week we played them and the first half ended 12-10 to us. Baring in mind we are so poor. Fev without your DR players (as I assume they will be today) are like us without your loans. Very poor. You should be resting key players like the majority of you have said and you'd still win barring a miracle!

Of course we should win. I don't suppose for one minute that McDermott's picking a strong side because he thinks we might lose. A much more likely scenario is that we've fired very intermittently in attack and our defence has been patchy. This is our final chance for an opposed run out where the first team can work on a few things while not under extreme pressure from the likes of Cas, Sts, Salford, Hull and Wigan (our remaining regular fixtures) before we have the pleasure of meeting all these again, plus a couple more, in the super 8s. And when - if - we get through this to the business part of the season I don't really think it'll have made a shred of difference whether a few players have been rested for this one game. Just my view; as Printer says there are two ways McDermott could have played this and at the end of the day it is his call.

That's so far from the truth it's laughable. Firstly, we're the only Championship team through to the quarter finals of the Cup and that's been achieved without any DR players. secondly, some of our better performances this season have come when we have had no DR players, or maybe only one.

The DR players we have used have all done well without necessarily being much of an upgrade (if at all) on our own guys.

As for games against Bradford...the first game was in a mudbath and Fev played poorly partly because we didn't have a recognised hooker and were pulled for six forward passes from dummy half. The second game, which you conveniently ignore, we had only one DR player (Ormondroyd off the bench) and the game was all over before he even came on, with three tries in the first 15 minutes and seven in the first half. We did indeed play moderately at Odsal last week but that was always on the cards five days before a big Cup game and we still won 36-12 away.

It will be no surprise for sure if we get hammered tonight, but it will have nothing to do with DR players or the lack of them. Don't get me wrong, the likes of Baldwinson and Ormondroyd are very handy to have because we have a small squad, and they haven't let us down at all, but they aren't major difference makers.

I would say that is absolutely spot on.
Baldwinson and Ormanroyd probably added sometihng to your team in order to rest or compensate for injuries or to add competition for places.
I doubt for one minute they have made such a difference to you winning games.
Fev are a solid championship side that will give their all tonight.
It depends which Leeds side turns up as to how many we win by.With the quality of our team I would be shocked if we lost.
IMO we could have rested at least 4 ( Golding, Cuthbertson, Parcell and Galloway) and still had enough to win.

Not sure we learned a huge amount from the first half, apart from the fact that Ash Handley isn't a centre...

He is playing on the wing??

Sutclffe at various times looked quite good.

I have to say that I thought the first half performance was poor . After being gifted a 12 point lead , there was then nothing between the 2 teams for the next 20 minutes.
Why we played Cuthbo , I do not know.
Why does he only give Mullaly 10 minute stints - he wastes more energy on the touchline warming up than he does on the field.
Walker could have been put on at half time & Baldwinson should have been on the bench.
But hey ho - will Mac move on from his tried & trusted ways - not a chance.
Next week is the test - but if we sit back & watch Gale play , as we have done twice this season , we all know the outcome.

Walker looked good for the limited minutes he got. Hope we sign him on a long deal.