Oh what a game next week will be. Getting wins at Batley and Fax is no easy task. We have to have our best performance of the season next week.

Good thing is we always seem to have the right mindset for these sorts of games.

Think all the players brought off were precautions.


How good is Keiren Moss? He was like a magnet for the ball today.

If we get Gaskell back what about playing him at right centre?

Be some serious strike power in the back line.

Not good enough defensively for centre. Gaskell at 6 and Charnock 13 for me

Well and truly in our hands now. The great escape almost completed.

I was thinking about the money at half time when we play Fev.

Win and we could even finish 3rd plus possible big pay days in the play offs and a decent pay from RFL next year.
Lose and we finish 5th with hardly any crowds in play offs and much smaller income from RFL next year.

It really is a massive game financially for us next week. Imagine how Green will be feeling - the difference between signing a few "better" players or making do with a chopped down squad of more average players.

If only we had this squad in the MPG last year against Wakey. Chisholm alone would have made the difference.

You're forgetting that Jimmy would still have been in charge, so Addy would have been our 7 and Chisholm would be in a role unsuited to him, such as a bench interchange hooker, a la Sijeka!

Is Charnock strong enough down the middle though?, how do we play him going forward?

Surley we can't expect him to cart the ball in every set or two so that may take away some grunt and go forward, and for me a ball player calling shots at 13 is a case of "too many cooks spoil the broth".

It was just a thought, seem to have hit some form with LC and DC at HB and don't see any point in tipping over the apple cart.

We will start a prop at 13 next week my guess Kavanagh will start there.

Extra kicking practice required.

The back line and halves will probably be the same next week, just a shuffle and tweak of the pack and bench I reckon.

Is Clough far off fitness? We could do with his reliability next week.

Something going on with Clough when asked will you be fit for next week he made snarky remark about best ask club and stormed off not like him that normally very pleasant.

Yes. Lets play our best player out of position in a position hes never played in for us
What a great idea

Might not have played their for us but played centre for Saints and Salford.

So youre sugesting, in a game worth £500000 and us needing to win to give us the slim slim chance of pressing for promotion (not that i think we can do it ) playing our best player in a position he hasnt played for 3/4 years?

Yes i thought he did. thats why i suggest it.

If we lose & halifax win we could finish as low as 6th. This is a massive , massive game for us

If Gaskell is back, I'd go with him and Chisholm as starting halves, with Charnock starting at 9 instead of Howarth. Howarth's loan is likely up soon anyway unless it gets extended and Charnock is a perfectly capable hooker. Howarth hasn't done a lot for me to justify a place if everyone is fit. Then bring O'Brien off the bench to change the game, as he often does.

I'm not a huge fan of Howarth, never have been, but I actually thought he had a decent game yesterday and had a hand in a number of tries. His cross field kick to Caro for one of his tries was absolutely pin-point, any halfback would have been chuffed to bits with that.
I'm not sure if we'll offer him a deal once his loan is up, but I'll be amazed if Rohan starts shuffling everyone around for the Fev game. We need a settled side, the only changes I would make are in the props if we can get Clough & Clark back.

Not impressed with Howarth at all. He did some decent stuff away from the ruck, but I struggle to recall ever seeing a hooker with such slow hands. It takes him an age to clear the ruck, by which point any momentum from a quick ptb is lost! OB made a huge difference yesterday. Christ, i dare say Danny Addy has played better games at 9!

Credit to him for the kick and some of his work in open play, and he also got an assist for Philbin's try (Though it would have been hard not to see that pass given the crash line he was running - dead impressed with philbin!). But the crux of it for me is he's not quick enough and it would cost us.
If Lumb isnt fit, i'd sooner OB play 60minutes and spell Addy between 9 & 13

I think Howarth was always intended to be a short term solution – with AOB and Lumb having recently signed deals I’d be surprised if he came long term. I have no issues with the bloke, he’s been asked to do a job and has quietly got on with it. If the coach was that passionate about dropping him (which I doubt), I’d rather AOB do the full 80 than have someone who isn’t a specialist hooker, especially poor old Addy!

Wouldn’t risk Gaskell in this one either, and certainly not out of position. Our current halves have more than earned their place, and Gaskell takes far too long to get up to speed after an injury, especially a spell so long away as this one – see also the MPG last year. The squad to face Fev should be broadly similar to that we’ve put out over the last couple of weeks and I think adding Gaskell into the mix may be a bit of a disruption.

Didn't Smith say he was considering the hooker that Leeds have just released. It probably all comes down to where we finish in the league and what we can then afford. He probably has a list of players but can't sign any till we know what our budget is for next year.

For me yes. He's solid in defence. I bet he's one of our highest tackle busters as well. Seems to have an ability to bounce off opponents.

Gaskells one of our best players and I'm sure We'd see the best out of him now he has a proper 7 and 1 to play alongside.

I like Howarth a lot. Reads play very well.

Howarth backs up well and defends well IMO. His pass may be bit slow but it's accurate. The longer you play OB the less effective he is so you've got to spell him. Howarth had a decent game yesterday and I would expect him to keep his place. OB is better coming on when forwards start to tire and he can make ground.

Can't fault Smithy's logic on that one.

Who would have guessed it, a coach who looks at what is the best way to utilise a player rather than thinking back to what [ihe[/i would have wanted when [ihe[/i was a player..