Quotes:

There all journeymen, rejects, or "hasbeens". I'm sure the club would have seen enough of them over the years to not be too concerned.

As long as we play our own game and play to our strengths we should not have to worry what team the Dulls put out.

Wow, it sounds like you guys already have this one in the bag.

Not all of us think that. I certainly dont anyway. Its never straight forward against Bulls and Sunday will be no different. Could go either way imo. I just hope Leeds are reborn, ruthless and a really solid outfit under McD.

It's exciting times for both clubs and I don't think there could be a better start to the season. Hopefully the game will be allowed to flow and it will be a cracker.

It's not about the individuals, it's about how Bradford are going to structure their play - where do they like to attack, what sort of set moves they put on and how they structure sets.

That kind of knowledge enables you to gameplan accordingly and makes it easier to defend against, because players know what's coming at them.

Not having that kind of scouting because it's the first game of the season means you're "winging it" to an extent in defence, and gaps occur when you ask players to make quick decisions under pressure without anything to base them on other than what's unfolding in front of them.

Agreed! Should be a good one! Let's just hope, for all our sakes, that there isn't 2 points in it with a minute to go!!

Exactly. That's my whole point (but much better put!!). We might know the players, but not how they play under this coach. In reality, we have no clue what's coming at us.

10 new players, same old coach... yes, we can prepare.

Same old players, brand new coach (like us!)... yes, we can prepare.

Combination of both?! Makes it very interesting indeed.

Hope Potter has got that pinned to the wall at the training base.

And not as a lesson in poor spelling, either.

Who's "Hope Potter"? Harry's cousin? Forgive my ignorance but I haven't read the books.

If he's relying on Gotcha to provide him with motivational material, he's got bigger problems.

Will he have taken down those boards with the "BULLS" acronym on them from the dressing room?

Besides, the players would probably take Gotcha about as seriously as we do.

I can't tell if you are been serious or just trying to have a go for the sake of it? I had you down as more credible than the above Andy.

You could pull a video out of any match that Saints have played for the last 2 years, or Catalans before it, to see what structures the Bulls will play to this weekend.

The assistant coach has just been with us coaching for the last 6 seasons, so if we don't know what his input is then we will have seriously missed the boat somewhere.

Five of the players in the likely line up have all played for Leeds in the last few years.

Out of all the teams we play this year, this weekend will be the least surprise on us for how the oppossition will play. Whether we counteract it, well that's another issue.

1 Brent Webb
2 Lee Smith
3 Brett Delaney
4 Keith Senior
5 Ryan Hall
7 Rob Burrow
8 Kylie Leuluai
9 Danny Buderus
11 Jamie Jones Buchanan
12 Carl Ablett
13 Kevin Sinfield
14 Ali Lauitiiti
15 Ben Cross
16 Ryan Bailey
17 Ian Kirke
18 Luke Burgess
19 Kallum Watkins
20 Weller Hauraki
22 Jay Pitts

The squad in full is:

1 Brent Webb
2 Lee Smith
3 Brett Delaney
4 Keith Senior
5 Ryan Hall
7 Rob Burrow
8 Kylie Leuluai
9 Danny Buderus
11 Jamie Jones Buchanan
12 Carl Ablett
13 Kevin Sinfield
14 Ali Lauitiiti
15 Ben Cross
16 Ryan Bailey
17 Ian Kirke
18 Luke Burgess
19 Kallum Watkins
20 Weller Hauraki
22 Jay Pitts

JJB,Bailey and HAURAKI all included



Hauraki's paperwork has been due all week....hopefully arrive in time for kickoff!

Most noticeable thing for me is NO McSHANE!!!

One hooker baby!!

Good spot, didn't notice that at all.

I hope BM knows what he is doing, I mean the so called experts on here have been telling us for the last two years that Buderus could not play long periods, which is why Diskin was there and nothing to do with sentimality.

Yes, but I did expect that. Great news non-of-the-less.

I would go with:

1 Brent Webb
2 Lee Smith
3 Brett Delaney
4 Keith Senior
5 Ryan Hall

7 Rob Burrow
13, Kevin Sinfield

8 Kylie Leuluai
9 Danny Buderus
15 Ben Cross

11 Jamie Jones Buchanan
14 Ali Lauitiiti
12 Carl Ablett

16 Ryan Bailey
17 Ian Kirke
18 Luke Burgess
20 Weller Hauraki / 22 Jay Pitts


I've gone with Ali as a starting 2nd rower as Hauraki wont be upto pace and Kirke is going to be played at prop this year.

For Me;

1 Webb

2 Smith
3 Delaney
19 Watkins
5 Hall

13 Sinfield
7 Burrow

8 Leuluai
9 Buderus
16 Bailey
11 Jones Buchanan
4 Senior
12 Ablett

14 Ali Lauitiiti
15 Ben Cross
20 Weller Hauraki
17 Ian Kirke

To miss out;
18 Luke Burgess
22 Jay Pitts

or, put Senior in Centre, Burgess in pack, Watkins to miss out.

I could see that squad also. I'll have no problem Watkins starting centre and with Hauraki and JJB having fitness concerns Senior could be a good bet to start 2nd row. Nobody knows if Cross will be a starting man as yet, but I would predict he will start with Bailey been on the bench.

If Kirke is going to be played at Prop then you wouldn't need 3 props on the bench?

If Hauraki is missing, surely better to have Watkins in the squad and have Senior play some part in the pack.

From previous comments from the coaching staff they suggested Pitts had impressed them this preseason, so might be a better starting option. Although he was also down to play the Whitehaven game, which would probably have not been a good sign.

Providing Jjb is fully fit and Hauraki gets cleared to play i'd go with.
Webb
Smith
Delaney
Senior
Hall
Sinfield
Burrow
Leuleui
Buderus
Bailey
Jjb
Ali
Ablett

Burgess
Hauraki
Pitts
Cross.

I can't see why he'd risk starting Cross. If he'd signed from another SL club, fair enough. But with it being his first ever SL game, new weird venue, new weird weather, new weird format, new weird competition. I'd just let him watch 20 mins or so, then send him on.

Also going by pre-season interviews Gotcha IF anyone is gonna go into the back-row to make way for Watkins it's gonna be Delaney and they tried that rotation at Crusaders and Brian Mc has stated that Senior is staying at 4.

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong...

Just looks wrong. Really going to take some getting used to. Best of luck Matthew!

I think Cross will start on the bench but I don't quite see your point about starting Cross being a 'risk'.

He's played pre season games against SL opposition and has gone well. Ok, the Bradford game is being played at a different venue but surely that's the same for every player who's at MM? As a prop playing down the middle the dimensions of the pitch shouldn't make a huge difference.

I can see him coming on after 25 mins and rattling a few skulls.

I don't mean that about dimensions. I mean the format is different to anything they have in Oz. 3 teams in one day, neutral venue, disruption to pre-match preparations, no/limited warm up on the playing surface, whatever it is that happens with the dressing rooms situation can't be "normal". Then on top of that, his first ever competitive game in SL, Sky Cameras there, plus he doesn't have the first hand knowledge of the Bradford players that everybody else has.

I'm not saying it's a "huge risk, OMG why is he even playing, let's wrap him in cotton wool!!?!?!", I'm just saying, even if it's a tiny tiny tiny tiny risk, it's just simply not one that we need to take.

Do you think Wigan will be doing the same with Hoffman and Lima, or Huddersfield with O'Donnell, Warrington with Monaghan, Salford (too many to mention)?

I would have thought Leeds would be better set starting with an experienced NRL state of origin player, than a not 100% Bailey who has not been used preseason, or Burgess who is not a good starting player at anyway.