Big game this. Lose and we haven't beaten any of our promotion rivals apart from Fev controversially at the beginning of the season. Really have to start making Odsal a fortress. 1 in in 4 at home would be dismal.

We've played well the last two games but its all about the points this weekend. Play how we did against Widnes and we should be OK.

Bit of a selection headache for Kear with Webster definitely to come in and hopefully Lilley. Both have to play so someone going to miss out. Oakes has to keep his place after his performance against Gelling.

I'd be half tempted to keep Minchella in the halves with Lilley and put Wildie in at hooker. Had too many loose passes from the PTB against Widnes. All our back-rowers played well against Widnes so be harsh to drop too many of them. Hallas played well but his distribution isn't quite good enough.

Either way there's the incentive to win this week as if you don't perform we have someone to take your place.

Hopefully we've got some players coming back into contention for the Leigh game. The end to the Widnes game, you would hope, will light a fire under the players and get them up for this one

I admire the optimism

Yep we need to convert these better performances into some competition points. Leigh at Odsal is a realistic target for points although I expect another close contest. I don’t think sneaking into 5th is beyond the realms of possibilities but these are the games we need to win to achieve that target.

Was thinking that myself. Tbh, considering us as promotion material in our first season back in this division is probably getting a bit above ourselves, but each to our own, I guess.
I do think we're in with a good chance at home against Leigh though, if we continue in the same vein as our recent performances. Especially with Lilley back in the halves.

Haha I meant play-off rivals

anyway if we make it in the top 5 then it's game on. Toronto didn't do the job last season and haven't blown anyone away yet this year

Not holding York back to be fair. With Widnes having the points deduction, the play-offs have to be our aim. I don't think we signed Jake Webster at avoid relegation.

Promotions not going to happen (Toronto surely won't mess up twice) but getting in the play-offs would get the club a bit of money and give a confidence boost for next year. I'd be bit disappointed if we didn't make Top 5.

I said at the start of the year I thought we'd be challenging around the top 4 or 5 but that's a fair way from getting promotion. As you say, York are playing well - so far. It is a long season though and, if I'm honest over the full term I wouldn't really expect them to trouble the top couple of sides either. That said, opinions count for nothing, in reality it's what happens on the paddock that matters and there's often a surprise package along the way, so who knows?.

Leigh's away form is not good this season, apart from a 'flattering scoreline' win at Swinton. Bulls win by 8+

I would expect you to beat us, especially at home - although our team is beginning to show signs of improvement. Our fitness levels are impressive, and there is a never-say-die approach from us. However, I would still make you favourites for this one. Should be a cracking atmosphere, with say about 700-800 Leythers making the trip.

I still see us mid table this year not in the playoffs

But that is a mid-table with no bankruptcies, no player legal actions, no financial black-holes, the prospect of full funding next season, a fantastic management team in place, a host of home-grown players in the first team (and more coming through), and also the club running an academy, U19s and reserve teams.

But for the benefit of our more 'glass-half-empty' members in here we do have: expensive gameday tickets, no large sizes for replica shirts, the stadia being a bit of a shed, our chairman being eloquent if loudly uncouth, the beers being low quality and the gameday food being poor quality too.

Yeah, I'll be happy with a year of mid-table averageness. I think we will be progressing upwards in the next few years anyway.

Just watching the Leigh v Rochdale game and I'm particularly impressed with the two players on loan from St Helens; Danny Richardson and James Bentley.

Another Championship cracker awaits.

Richardson has performed very well, the last couple of games, after a couple of 'average' performances. He finally seems to have got over the 'sulk' of being left out by saints, and is now playing with a smile on his face. It's only a matter of time, before he is back at Saints, long term.

Our best D/C has been Luke Douglas - a model of consistency and professionalism.

Like you say, it should be a cracker.

I suppose mid table in a 14 team league could be 6th to 8th. And 6th isn't exactly far away from 5th



So, yeah, mid table is what I personally expect (and would be happy with) but if we get a bit of roll on, and win a run of games, then we could end up in the Top 5 quite easily.

I think it will be tight league, with teams beating each other. Once you take out Toronto and Toulouse, then there's a bunch of teams who seem on a pretty similar level, and we are one of them.

Mmm, James Bentley. That name rings a bell, wasn't he one of our juniors who left to join a Super League team a few short years ago.

This is definitely a must win for us. We need to start dominating teams and putting in a full 80 minute performance. The effort shown at Widnes proves that we can compete and we need to start showing some consistency in both attack and defence

We're certainly not scoring much. Aren't we about third last in terms of points scored?

Fourth last. Batley, Barrow & Rochdale have scored less. Rochdale have played 2 less games, but on average they'd still be below.

This is the thing with a competitive championship. There's few teams that you can cut loose against and hone your attack. No disrespect to West Wales but those games were training with contact. That said, I look at our side and there's a lot more points in them than their showing at the moment. Settled halfbacks would obviously help immeasurably.

ex Bradford Bull/retired James Laithwaite trained with Leigh Centurions today....

It's sounding like Lilley is doubtful again according to the T&A.

Not having a settled halfback pairing is what has hampered our attack, we've had more combinations than a deck of cards. That's mainly been down to injury.

Absolutely, and sadly it isn't looking much better.

I'm hopeful the Lilley story in the T&A is just the opposite of last week where JK said all along he was hopeful he'd play but, of course, didn't, presumably to keep Widnes in two minds. So let's hope he's just keeping Leigh guessing, but that this time he will....

It would be good to have more clarity on the half back situation.

We've heard nothing more about Chisholm, other than the various rumours that he was being 'offered' to other clubs and there'd been some sort of fallout with Kear. Is he injured? Unsettled? Out of favour?

Then we've got Keyes who has obviously got this long-term back trouble. Is this temporary? Short-term? Long term? Is he going to be even getting to having to give up the game entirely? Who knows?

For some reason we keep seeming to have this situation where people get what appears to be a short-term injury and then they end up being never heard about again for ages! Seems a bit odd...