Hardaker
Chisholm/Duckworth/Handley
Watkins - (for pete's sake get him back in the centre)
Moon
Hall
Sutcliffe
Burrow

Kylie
McShane
Peacock
JJB
Clarkson
Ablett

Sinfield
Bailey
Hood/Achurch
Singleton


Sinfield needs a rest and it's a toss up between McGuire and Burrow at SH with one or the other rested completely to give Sutcliffe an opportunity at SL level. Mr angry head just loses out to Mr rubber headless chicken IMO.
Achurch must be convincing in training this week to stop Hood getting a place on the bench: he was at least partly responsible for both Lunt's and Cudjoe's tries.

Saint Helens will have plenty of new/strange enforced selections...it's as good as any other match to start experimenting for the future first team line up.

Yup totally agree

Joe Vickery????

Gee thanks....that memory has ruined my end to the weekend more than losing to Huddersfield.

F[iu[/ick it, lets play the 19s vs what effectively is Saints' 19s.

Cant go wrong, can it?

If you wanted to give Sutcliffe a debut you don't drop BOTH Sinfield and McGuire from the starting 13. No knee jerking is required, I think McDermott will go.....

Hardaker
Watkins - Ablett - Moon - Hall
Sinfield - McGuire
Leuluai - Burrow - Peacock
JJB - Achurch
Bailey

McShane - Kirke - Moore/Singleton - Clarkson

However if he picks Moore or Singleton as '4th' prop he'd barely use them so I'd rather see Bailey as sub prop. Due to Delaney's injury I think Ablett needs to return to the forwards so I'd go

Hardaker
Keinhorst (or another) - Watkins - Moon - Hall
Sinfield - McGuire
Leuluai - McShane - Peacock
JJB - Achurch
Ablett

Burrow - Kirke - Bailey - Clarkson

The starting 13 looks just as strong but with a bench he'd have more faith to use.

I do agree with nantwiche that Watkins ought to be moved back to the centres.

I'd also suggest that whilst wholesale experimentation is not necessarily a good thing, Leeds actually have some breathing space to give the likes of Sutcliffe some experience, and perhaps more importantly work out the best 6/7/9 combinations with the current squad. I for one don't like Sinfield at 6 doing defence effectively on behalf of Burrow. Its mainly tinkering that's required though.

Anyone think JP will be out injured or if not at least rested?

Late on he injured his left knee and was on one leg the last 10 minutes or so and kept banging/manipulating it himself as if trying to knock something back into place.

Not sure if its the same knee he thought he'd crocked at Bradford.

If it is/was then I fear putting him into battle again with more long minutes on the pitch could see him end up with another more serious/season/career ending injury.

Well, formatting is a problem here for a start



I wouldn't throw Sutcliffe straight in but I'd have him on the bench and give him the token sub spot so he gets roughly 13 minutes of play. It's better than having a forward there anyway.

From memory I thought it was the right knee he did and bradford, but I agree regarding him needing a rest he looked knackered on Saturday I remember seeing him blowing hard after only about 10 minutes stood behind the play. Maybe a lack of rotation is catching up with him

I'd like us to go with..
Hardaker
Duckworth/Watson(Handleys injured).
Watkins
Moon
Hall
Sinfield
Burrow
Bailey
Mcshane
JP(If injured then Moore)
Jjb
Ablett
Clarkson

Sutcliffe
Kylie
Achurch
Singleton/Moore

Whilst i agree there's no need for any knee jerking its time (IMO) that a few of these younger lads on the fringes got some gametime and we started to rotate a bit and Mags should be first to get a week off and Sinfield get some bench time in this one.

Saints shouldn't be underestimated here, remember last season when they were on a downward spiral and we went to their place and got a leathering. I would make 1 or 2 tweaks ie starting McShane and having Burrow on the bench. I'd also try and find a way of moving Ablett back into the pack and getting Watkins back in the centres. I think we've probably missed Ablett in the back row more than we have missed Watkins in the centres.

No objection to putting one of the young lads on the wing. But some reservations about doing that the same day as putting Sutcliffe on the bench. Having two players with no SL esperience in the 17 on the same day is the sort of thing you do when you have to.

If both are ready for game time then work them in, but I see no reason to rush it just because we lost a cup tie.

Saints are having a bad run, but they will not be coming to Headingley to roll over for us. It'll be a tough match.

Given our coaches past history with his "subs" i don't see it as an issue having 2 young lads in the 17.
Even more so considering the experience around them and just to add i'm sure we had more than 1 in the 17 when the likes of Walker ,Bailey ,Jjb et al made their respective debuts.
Also Sutcliffe has been around the lads for a few weeks now so imo would be more settled in that kind of company.

burrow at 9 does not work burrow starting the game does not work.Neither does rotating the same players every week kev is a legend but if i was picking England
squad i would have brough over kev at the moment .He needs a rest but will not drop himself imho our squad needs an injection of fresh legs a few new ideas in attack and a bit of youthful enthusiasm . We have these things at our disposal they are called the u19s

Did Burrow at 9 work during our 8 match unbeaten run? Did Kev need a rest during that run? Or are fekkwitts just knee jerking to a loss?

Indeed, G1.

Although I would like to see a winger from the reserves given a chance, and Watkins moved back to centre.

Getting knocked out of the cup will at least mean some rest this season, as opposed to the previous three, where we have played every possible game, bar 3 matches.

They are, and no matter how well we played in that time, they can't seem to grasp the fact that we were beaten by a very good Huddersfield side on the day. A lot of teams would have struggled to break them down and it was due to their "in your face D" that we made so many errors.

Still, we are a poor team now and the same players who have made us look brilliant in the last 2 months are now over the hill washouts...

Yep - He needs a rest - Against a depleted saints would make sense to me - But what do I know?

It doesn't even take a loss. It can't even be extinguished with multiple Grand Final wins. It's beyond reason

'Brilliant' ? Much improved in defence absolutely, but in attack? ... stuttering at best; especially in the opposition 25. A price paid for Sinfield's new role and Burrow's inabilities as a complete 90 min hooker.

If not next game, when would you start to blood the promising fringe players? Would you, like McDermott, only do so when compelled to, after too many injures no longer allow the juggling of the favoured first 17? Watkins should never have been moved from centre and Ablett should never have been moved from LF.

Sinfield, McGuire and Burrow all probably need a rest....of the three I have suggested resting Mr angry head to accommodate Sutcliffe: Sinfield is too important to leave out altogether and I always anticipate that Burrow will do something to win us a tight match (although that looks less likely with having to be the 90 min hooker each and every week: a role he is not suited to. Admittedly SH is not his ideal role either: a bit of a square peg is our Burrow, but a potential exciting game changer nonetheless....from the bench ideally.)

If Suticliffe is going to be in, then he needs to start the game, not mess about on bench where he will not get a look in with this coach.

I would love to get Sinfield back at loose forward with Ablett and JJB running either side of him. That would free up a half back spot, for a couple of games.

I am not sure why Bailey would be given the shot at prop, as he has show absolutely nothing this season to even be warrinting a squad spot, let alone starting berth.

In truth though I am in agreement with others, in that Saints might not be the game to be switching around. Londong and Cas were most definately the right time to do that, and the coach failed with his responsibilities there.

What do you call worked? Isn't it a 17 man game? maybe the others were covering for any failings at starting hooker. Certianly McShane has changed the game on at least 3 occassions coming on.

Kev has looked shattered since the second game of the season. Been getting some very heavy attention from oppossition defenders and not looked after properly. A half fit Sinfield is still better than most this competition can offer, but that doesn't hide that fact that he is fatigued, both mentally and physically.

The lack of creativity at 6 and 7 over the last few years was covered over by having Brent Webb playing as a half, and having a hand in most of our non-kicking-play tries when in the opposition 20. Hardaker is a superb fullback but he's never going to be that type of player, so McGuire and Burrow need to adjust and step up, if they can. McGuire did last year. We also used to have the Lauititi option near the line, and that's been closed off. Currently we look more dangerous 70 yards out than 7.

This is not a poor Saints side. It's not the vintage of the last 3-4 years maybe, primarily due to injuries. Leeds have a nine-day turnaround, plenty of time to freshen legs and rest up niggles by managing training schedules.

Saints at home, Wigan at the Etihad and Hull FC away is not a run of games to be experimenting. IIRC Leeds have Cas and Widnes on consecutive weekends early next month. That's your window for blooding the likes of Duckworth and Sutcliffe if you want to do it.