Bulls - not much
Wigan - lots

We'll look promising for about 15 minutes until Wigan score their second try. Heads will go down and we'll look like fools for the rest of the game.


On the bright side, it won't matter because tomorrow's rapture day we'll all be in hell anyway

Interesting that bateman has dropped out and not crookes. Given it seems we made an early call not to play crookes last week and released him to sheffield in time for him to play, you'd have thought if we were keeping a player in 19 purely as backup in case platt or whitehead pulled up then bateman could have done same job. Wonder if we're actually gonna give crookes a go this week. Cant say I was too impressed with whitehead in last week but that said crookes looked anonymous in the sheffield game too.

Bit surprised we havent opted to bring halley in at fullback and shift royston into to stiffen edge defense up a bit tbh.

bulls 12 wigan 30

tbh if we can show an improvement in defense and concede less than 20ish I'd be fairly happy given players we have available. We need to get basics right then build on that.

Salford beating Wigan in 1996, or the 1998 final have to be up there.

I can't just start believing we can beat Wigan. We are garbage and they are too good at the moment.

Wigan by 30.

Just finished my prep work for Sunday and after looking at every stat from average points conceded by both sides to tries from backs/forwards to past result traits and more etc . . . . .

What I have in front of me is Bradford 16-42 Wigan

You forgot the Ganson effect?????

A quick recalculation and it makes further harrowing reading.

Bradford 0 Wigan 82

If it wasn't for that huge wad of notes in front of you I would have sworn you ad-libbed your way through it all Mick.

The notes have now gone as my confidence has improved, but when I think back to the Castleford game I do remember having quite a few peices of paper scattered around on the press bench







I just use my cribb sheet mainly which has all the relevant player stats etc.

I must be doing something right because the RFL have asked me to cover the England vs Exiles game at Headingley next month

Whitehead struggled defensively at centre on Sunday I felt. I said early in the 1st half that it was only a matter of time until Webster got the better of him.

I don't know if Crookes is any improvement though. Perhaps he should be given the chance to step up though. If he can't make the team in our current situation then you have to assume he isn't rated by the club and will be moved on at the end of the year.

with squad named certainly looks like one of whitehead/crookes is going to be playing a spot. bateman would have been an option as hes played for u20's but not in squad. has olbison played any in u20s? Think whitehead had his chance last week and was too weak positionally. might as well give crookes a go in his natural position.

If we're going to do anything much against Wigan then we've got to get on top of them in the forwards - that means playing our best and strongest pack.

If we go with Lynch, l'Estrange, Hargreaves, Elima, Whitehead and Langley, then we're going with something close to our first choice starting pack. And that's what I'd do myself

Starting Crookes in the centre is hardly likely to be weaker defensively than Whitehead, who was obviously given the runaround positionally last week. So for me its

Royston
Ah Van
Platt
Crookes
Raynor
Briggs
Jeffries
Lynch
L'Estrange
Hargreaves
Elima
Whitehead
Langley

Kopczak, Diskin, Olbison, Sibbitt

Its not your forwards that are the problem its the backs! I remember the days when the likes of Vainikolo, Hape, Vaikona, Withers etc etc used to smash teams. If Bradford could sign some good quality backs for next season then you would be a force again IMO. I rate the likes of Lynch, Hargreaves, Elima, Whitehead and Langley. But the likes of Platt, Raynor, Royston etc are average.

Tell us something we don't know!

But we're not going to be able to do much about it between now and Sunday. At least picking our strongest pack gives us some sort of foothold in the game. Small crumbs, I realise, but what can you do?

I think this game will be a lot closer than what some people think to be honest. Whats happened to Halley, is he still injured?

Mate that's brilliant news & well deserved

Isn't the world due to end today (again)? That might be our best shot - just bring forward the kick-off to five minutes to six and bank everything on the first score?

Cheers mate and thanks once again for offering to help with the Castleford game.

Just think in five maybe ten years time you could have the honour of saying I was there when he was just starting out ha ha.

I feel so sorry for those in the USA that actually believe the hype, those that have sold their homes and possessions

Not really its natural selection. Maybe they should have believed in that instead.

I love the fact that the guy has predicted the same thing before in 1994 but he's sure he's got it right this time!

This person wasn't called Ian Millward by any chance was he?

Well done mate!



Like you said to me a few weeks ago, its time to put the old internet persona to bed? If nothing else, would confuse the hell out of them on Substandard!

Only if you promise to update the "Rhinos in Decline" thread after Warrington but 50 past them on Friday night

A skitting decline thread is no place for a bulls fan to show ones face!

Even if Leeds get hammered it means nowt. It didn't hurt hudds last season in the cup did it? Leeds have a great set up from top to bottom! Our youth system wobbled for a season but that's back on track. if Leeds have a season or 2 without a trophy it won't be too far around the corner if not before.

Everytime you rear your head the more you get laughed at! 11 points in your last 27 super league rounds

jog on!