Its a bit quiet on here, i keep popping on here to see if theres any chat about sunday but there isnt any so might as well start my own thread

So what do you think the score will be on Sunday?

Me, i think we will give you a decent game and will run you close, we know you arent at full strength but still probably have that extra smidge of quality still available, the bookies are giving us a 30 point headstart if you fancy a handicap bet which i think is generous considering your injury woes

I will go for Saints 30 Fev 20 (my head) Saints 24 Fev 31 (my heart)

Att 5547

It might be some of you guys/gals first look at us as some of you may not watch the championship on sky on thursday or follow the lower leagues, hopefully we can make a good impression

I'd suggest the above reasoning may mean you push us for 50 mins, but I reckon there'll be a 20 point gap minimum by full time.

I agree with offside monkey, a 20 point difference at full time:

Saints 12 Featherstone 32.

In all seriousness it depends on the teamsheet. If it's worse than last week, which Royston seems to be hinting, we could easily lose. We were thoroughly inept last week no matter how hard they tried and I know Royce was at the Under 18s training making notes this week. I would be worried about this one if we were away in the Yorkshire mud. We'll have no bench again and no halves. Hard to see us scoring a lot unless one of the injured half backs returns.

Crowd: 1,820

30 handicap is generous, i expect us to win but not by much. I think 20 is hopeful if im honest too

Fev are a very disciplined side under Daryl Powell but they also have a few top players missing from their team including Tommy Saxton, Tony Tonks & Andy Kain so I can only see this going one way!

Saints 44 Rovers 18

Respectable



Att 6666

One thing is for sure, the crowd is going to be very low.

I watch the Championship matches on a Thursday and I've seen Featherstone play, which is why I am worried about the match on Sunday. We will have a very high number of u21s in our team due to our ridiculous injury situation, with only one prop and no halfbacks. So I can see us struggling, especially if we choose to defend like we did last week (namely, not really bother much!). So I would imagine the Rovers must have a decent chance of causing an upset this weekend, something I'm sure your coach will have noticed if he watched our match with Hudds on Saturday.

Unfortunately, I don't hold out much hope for a good attendance this week. If we'd been in our own ground then there would have been a decent turnout given Featherstone's standing in the Championship but we are struggling to get anything like decent crowds at Widnes for Superleague games so don't be surprised if there is a very low turnout.

I'll be there though, cheering on whatever version of the Saints turn out and hopefully it will be a good match.

They say never bet against Saints but I've taken Fev with +30 for this one. I can see us winning but not by 30. Only B365 have prices up at the moment, it'll be interesting what happens to the handicap as the others show their hand.

honestly I have no idea. The last round showed that if your team ain't up to scratch then the championship sides can run you close.

We've been decent the last few weeks, but at the weekend the Wheels fell off and it's a matter for Royce whether he can find the wheel nuts in time to get us back on track and ready to roll.

(Where there enough Metaphores in the above sentence???)

There was just one, but it ran smoothly.



[url=http://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/saints/news/9034943.Fans_recognise_effort_despite_heavy_defeat/I think Mike Critchley in the [iSt Helens Star[/i summed up our defeat well last week.[/url Jon Wilkin had just spoken in the press about taking pride in our defence and then we go and put on a worse defensive show than we have done since Millward was fired. Matty Ashurst speaks about defence in his article on the Saints website. It's ok talking about it but they all have to get out and do it. If we don't defend, we won't win. We aren't going to win through great attacking moves as it'll be down to poor ole Robes and Wilkin to be our two attacking threats, which any side can nullify if they work at it. But if we defend as we know we should do, and we can do, then we should win.

Royce needs to get the soldering iron out.

Good little article, that. They should print out this paragraph and stick it on the changies wall -

I agree.

[url=http://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/saints/news/9034928.Simmons_expects_huge_improvement_from_Saints_defence/It looks like the coach is making them pay![/url

Wouldn't mind betting on this, and I'm on bet365, but I can't see the match listed. Is it still there legman?

Quote ="Crackador"Wouldn't mind betting on this, and I'm on bet365, but I can't see the match listed. Is it still there legman?'" www.oddschecker.com/rugby-league ... /handicaps It's under Rugby League then handicap coupon

Quote ="Crackador"Wouldn't mind betting on this, and I'm on bet365, but I can't see the match listed. Is it still there legman?'" www.oddschecker.com/rugby-league ... /handicaps It's under Rugby League then handicap coupon

Anyone else think there is a real chance we could lose this game? I know if it were a SL team we were playing we might as well not bother turning up. Are Fev capable of turning us over? They have always looked very solid to me on Sky and seem to be at the better end of the Championship scale.

Or is it just me being cautious as usual? Royston is on about one or two more debutants this week and that there are no players returning from injury. That leaves us very weak IMO. Down TP, Perry, Clough, Moore and Flannery from the pack and down Pryce, Eastmond, Lomax, Gaskell from the halves. Hale to start at second row with Karalius coming in?

Seems to be uncertainty about Ashe's fitness as well.

it will be close imo but dont fev have a few out aswell which will probably end up with a 10 point gap and no more

Yes. If we defend like we did last week and with only Robes and Wilkin as our attacking threats then there is every possibility IMO. Featherstone are in a battle for top spot with Leigh, only a point or two difference I think. We are so weak player wise in the important areas that there can be no taking this lightly.


There has been all along as he was recovering from a knee injury. It was tough for him to be thrown in at the deep end with the first team having only just returned to the u20s. He needs to get fit really so I'm hoping someone else will take his place - if there is anyone left, obviously!

We've still got large enough players in the pack to ensure field position, imo. This will dictate the result.

We should win by 20+

We have enough in our squad to take out Fev even with our current injuries.

Stranger things have happened though.

Um, who? We've got James Graham. But who else in the pack to play on Sunday is big? I can't think of anyone! Most of the team looked about 12 years old when compared to Hudds on Saturday!

LMS and Soliola.

Featherstone will have big rugged forwards as well. Dickens probably weighs as much as those two combined. They are no mugs, there are several former SL players in their squad and quite a few who are capable of playing at SL level.

They won't be used to coming up against the combination of size and athleticism that we'll still have in the pack, despite injuries. I still suspect we'll win reasonably comfortably, but there's no doubt it's as good a chance as any for a Championship club to get the scalp of a big SL club.

I reckon its an 80% chance of a Saints win, but it's sport and your head and your players have to be right for the game. If we are mean in defence for the first 40 then that should exhaust any Championship side to take the sting out of the initial on slaught.

But if it's competitive from the first 10 minutes then it could be as close as the halifax bradford game.