On paper we (Fev) are right up against it this weekend and there's no doubt it's a good time for Bradford to play us from your point of view, our 30yo rookie coach arrived only just over a week ago and is up against the most experienced coach in the division, and five of our likely starters (including 3 pivots) only flew in from the other side of the world in the last 2 weeks.

We played ok in the 1st half last week against what was Leeds' U19 team plus Briscoe, Walters & Ormondroyd, but all our tries were basically bargeovers using superior strength, whether we can open up a full-time Championship team on such little prep remains to be seen.

On the plus side there does appear to be a very good team spirit building at the moment and we do have some talent in the team, but it might be a few weeks before we really start to gel.
There's a bit more optimism amongst Fev fans than there was 3 or 4 weeks ago, but that's because the overseas players have finally arrived. Like FevGrinder I'm more hopeful than confident, but it will be an interesting and informative game.

Put it this way I’m glad we’re playing you on Sunday rather than both our games being later on in the season. You’re bound to improve as you go along. How much depends on how players gel, who you get from Leeds and if the new coach is any good. If it all goes well I believe it’s probably between us and you for the 5th place spot.

Likely line up's:

20. Brandon Pickersgill
2. Ethan Ryan
3. Jake Webster
4. Ashley Gibson
5. Jy Hitchcox
14. Jordan Lilley
7. Dane Chisholm
10. Steve Crossley
9. Matty Wildie
19. Jon Magrin
11. Matt Garside
12. Elliot Minchella
13. Mikey Wood

21. George Flanagan
16. James Green
8. Liam Kirk
25. Connor Farrell/29. Matty Storton


Kiedan Hartley
Darren Forde
Thompson Teteh
Josh Hardcastle
Conor Carey
Ase Boas
Watson Boas
Scott Wheeldon
Cameron King
Anthony Mullally
Brett Delaney
Brad Day
Jack Bussey

Not sure on how Featherstone would line up on the bench but I expect it to include Walters, Ormandroyd and possibly Lockwood/Harrison.

On paper our back line beats theirs hands down but it will be a tough game down the middle. And I think this is where we will win/lose it. Unless we let our backs do the damage. Bulls by 8-10.

Will Hardcastle's red card affect him this week or next? Hasn't Bussey still got a while of his ban to get his teeth into?



I think Kear will go with this

Pickersgill
Hitchcox
Webster
Evans/Oakes
Ryan
Lilley
Wildie
Crossley
Hallas
Magrin
Minchella
Farrell
Wood

Flanagan
Green
Kirk
Storton

I don't think Chisholm is in good enough form to get in the side and Keyes is still out with back problems I think. I can see Wildie playing there with Lilley. Not sure if Gibson has recovered from his dead arm - if he has he might play right centre and Webster move to the left. The centres, halfbacks and fourth bench place are where I'm not sure what will happen.

I'd be amazed with Chisholm doesn't start. I can't see Kear going far away from.

1. Pickersgill
2. Hytchcox
3. Evans
4. Webster
5. Ryan
6. Lilley
7. Chisholm
8. Kirk
9. Wildie
10. Crossley
11. Farrell
12. Minchella
13. Wood
14. Flanagan
15. Green
16. Margrin
17. Storton

Must be a nightmare to coach against Fev as their line up could look so different on Sunday. This will be our toughest game for a long long time. We'll Need the same mental strength from the L1 final. When things our going against us, bite down on our gum shield and keep going.

The Fev line-up is likely to be a fair bit different to that.

I'd think there's a good chance we will see Golding and Luke Briscoe at 1 and 2 for Fev as neither are going to be in Leeds' squad you'd imagine.

I think there's very little chance of Delaney playing as his eye injury still seems to be a major issue.

Jack Bussey is suspended for the next few games.

James Harrison is out injured for the next couple of months.

Lockwood will start as he's our captain this season.

Luke Cooper, John Davies and Danny Maskill are likely to be in the 19-man squad, and probably Dan Smith who we have just signed on loan.

Ormondroyd and Walters have played for us a few times on DR in pre-season and might play though they aren't really any better than our other 1st teamers at their positions imo.

Harry Newman played a lot for us on DR last season but hasn't in pre-season so not sure if he will feature.

Usually a week after isn't it at this level? So would affect him for Round 2 not 1? Ah I forgot Bussey had a ban! Probably move Lockwood to 13 and have another prop/SR on the bench.



Chisholm gets in every time, may not be in your selection but will be in the team. He'll start in the halves barring injury. Especially if Keyes is out, we'd be stupid to go with a Lilley/Wildie combination.



Wildie is a class player and did really well in the halves when moved their but he's more dangerous at 9. Putting him the in halves weakens the side as it means we have to go with Hallas/Flanagan rather than Wildie/Flanagan. He'll only move to the halves if we pick up an injury mid game, even then Pickersgill is a great choice there.




Centres in my opinion should be Gibson and Webster. For me Gibson did enough last season to get the first crack of the whip. If he's injured and hasn't recovered then Evans comes in. Fourth bench spot is a real headache and for me depends on who starts at 11, 12 and 13. If we go with a Garside, Minchella, Wood. The bench spot either goes to Farrell or Storton.

I much prefer Wildie at dummy half too but don’t be surprised if he’s in the halves on Sunday.

I'm worried that (despite the Toronto loss) our guys will be heading into this with the same mentality at the fans. i.e. this is a pretty easy win.

Fev is normally anything but easy and I can see them proving difficult to breakdown. They have had a shocking off season and will have a lot to prove. The new coach may be a rookie but he will have some good ideas to bring and as we saw last year, Kear can be outsmarted by the younger coaches who perhaps are willing to try and take more risks.

I'm really not counting any chickens on this one... got a horrid feeling we may be heading home on Sunday a bit disappointed

Interesting that there are probably going to be 7 guys who have played for Fev in the Bulls line-up on Sunday judged on the forecasts on this thread.

I'm expecting a real 50/50 battle

Either way, I hope we'll all be realistic about things whatever the result. If we win it doesn't mean 'we're gonna win the League', if we lose then let's have no wrist slitting! It's only the first game!

I'm definitely staying away from Bulls Banter FB group on Sunday night - it will be one reaction or the other, that's for sure...

you could have written this about both teams.

I've never been one for counting chickens because games are won, and lost, on the field and not by comparing team sheets. It's pretty rare for a Fev side to not be competitive so I'm expecting a good game. Oh, and hoping for the best...

Agreed, I don't think (anyone except a few loud mouth numpties who are allowed access to social media) are expecting this to be easy.

I think it's just a case of a feel good factor and fans believing their side can win. Sure Fev fans fully believe they can beat us.

Be a cracking game between 2 evenly matched teams.

PH is correct with all of this, our line us much more likely to be:
Goulding (Hartley if no Goulding on DR)
Briscoe (Render or Forde if no Briscoe on DR)
Teteh
Hardcastle
Carey
Ase Boas
Watson Boas
Wheeldon
King
Cooper
Davies
Day
Lockwood

Maskill
Walters
Ormandroyd
Smith


Which when you look at it could be okay if the conditions mean that it ends up being more of a forwards game.

Revised forcast 8-12 point win to Bradford, if I keep going this way I might believe that Fev can win by Sunday KO time.

This is why I've been looking forward to the Championship season. Every game should be a great contest! Really looking forward to Sunday and even though I think we'll win (as PaulWalker said) it's important to not get carried away regardless of the result!

Fev always tough. Not much to look at from them. Concentrate on our own game. Home advantage, settled pre season and good form to hopefully count for us.

Calum Turner has signed on loan from Cas.

Reckon Fev team will be something like

Turner
Carey
Hardcastle
Teteh
Briscoe
A Boas
W Boas
Cooper
King
Ormondroyd
Davies
Day
Lockwood

Smith
Wheeldon
Maskill
Walters

Just Sunday???

The board (and anything that is posted by the club in general) is absolute rubbish at the moment. Its like a schizophrenic sh*tstorm of a page... I'm quickly remembering why I left it a few years back. It's either the team is the greatest ever and will smash all opponents with ease, or the club is a disgrace and is fleecing the fans because of super inflated prices or poor quality burgers!!!

And anyone who offers an alternative position is absolutely slaughtered. This board can sometimes have a bit of that but in general people tend to respect there are different views about. On there its crazy!!!

Like a lot of social media it’s a pack mentality and outrage is the default emotion.

Frankly I just think this reflects our current political climate

Thank God we have RL to take our minds off that fiasco.

That probably won't be far off the 17. Plenty of talent there, but seven of those 17 plus the coach have been with the club for 2 weeks or less and three more are DR players who also won't have been at every training session. Suspect it will take a few weeks at least before we know what this group of players can achieve, especially with the three PNG players coming from a country where the LOWEST recorded temperature in recent years was 13 degrees centigrade!

Absolutely! It's like the wild west on there. They are currently outraged about the pricing for this season. Now we'd all like to pay less and you have to have sympathy for people with families who simply can't afford for everyone to attend. However there's something almost sinister about how the same names keep popping up hammering the club and urging supporters not to attend games. A lot of people read this stuff and some are influenced by it.
I've posted a couple of times, conceding the prices are high but trying to explain why, and pointing out all the various offers for cheaper tickets. They don't like it and the response is swift and vitriolic, but I feel, in the absence of any official response from the club, that this campaign needs challenging.

I think that is just endemic of social media as a whole. There are only a minority of breathless haters, but they have the lions share of airtime. They seem to froth at the mouth even more should you try and poke holes in their pointless (and often wrong) arguments. And then instead of trying to argue they just shout louder and try to drown you out.

If people are influenced by such nonsense; believing fake-news on social media and swallowing unfeasible lies blindly, then it doesn't bode well for the future of this country or others.

But there is no way that will happen.

Oh, hang on.....