Two changes by Jimmy. Would have liked to have seen more to give some of the regulars a kick up the backside. Plus we've a really tough easter coming up and i can't see Jimmy making many (if any changes over the period)

Squad: Tom Olbison, Dan Fleming, Dale Ferguson, Omari Caro, Joe Lumb, Alex Mellor, James Clare, Jay Pitts, Mitch Clark, Kurt Haggerty, Oscar Thomas, Kris Welham, Matty Blythe, Danny Addy, Etu Uaisele, Steve Crossley, Rhys Lovegrove, Paul Clough, Lee Gaskell.

Think Jimmy will go

1. James Clare
2. Omari Caro
3. Kris Welham
4. Matty Blythe
5. Etu Uaisele
6. Lee Gaskell
7. Oscar Thomas
8. Paul Clough
9. Danny Addy
10. Rhys Lovegroce
11. Dale Ferguson
12. Tom Olbison
13. Jay Pitts

14. Joe Lumb
15. Steve Crossley
16. Mitch Clark
17. Kurt Haggerty/Alex Mellor

Flemming and either Haggerty or Mellor to miss out

I wouldn't be surprised to see Lumb get the full 80 at hooker, if he can manage it. Get him as much practice as possible and leave Addy at 7. If we're going to persist with Addy as scrum half, and Lowes hasn't decided to rest him, I would give him as much practice there as possible.
Oscar Thomas can play fullback, Clare stays on the wing and have Uaisele on the bench. If Lumb does need to come off then, you can always shift it into similar positions as Bull Mania has suggested, with Uaisele going into the threequarter line.

I am slightly surprised that if he's going to rest Mathers and O'Brien, there's no Johnny Campbell though. Seems like the perfect opportunity to give him a go and see how he gets on. Unless he isn't actually quite fit yet.

Was hoping to see Campbell but ah well.

I'd go:

Clare
Caro
Welham
Blythe
Uaisele
Gaskell
Addy
Clough
Lumb
Crossley
Olbison
Ferguson/Haggerty
Pitts

Thomas
Clark
Lovegrove/Fleming
Mellor

Give one of Ferguson or Haggerty a rest, and I can't decide between Fleming or Lovegrove for bench prop.
I would use Thomas as our bench hooker, but only in an attacking sense. When Dewsbury have the ball I'd have Addy defending in the middle and Thomas move out wide. Give Lumb as much game time as he can manage.

I thought O'Brien came off with a knock at Batley? Maybe the, 'resting', isn't just a day off for the sake of it.

O'Brien did roll his ankle at Batley apparently. Hopefully it's just nothing serious.

I'd go for this

Thomas
Caro
Welham
Blythe
Clare
Gaskell
Addy
Clough
Lumb
Crossley
Pitts
Ferguson
Lovegrove

Olbison
Clark
Haggerty
Fleming

Shame we aren't resting more TBH, Id say same as Bullseye

If Lumb is capable of doing 80 minutes... I'd straight straight swap Etu for Caro and Thomas for Mathers so its not swapping/mixing the back line too much. If he cant do 80 minutes then I suspect Jimmy will bench Thomas an put Addy at hooker.

Also would like to see Fleming given ago ahead of Crossley.

1.Thomas
2.Clare
3.Blythe
4.Welham
5.Etu
6.Gaskell
7.Addy
8.Clough
9Lumb
10.Lovegrove
11.Haggerty
12.Olbison
13.Pitts

Clark
Fleming
Ferguson
Mellor

Good impact off the bench!

What has happened to Walshaw... injured??

Walshaw? Baille??

Not heard of in ages.

I'd like to see Walshaw given a run of games to build up some form. Unless we encounter some serious injuries I can't see either of these 2 getting a look in.

He seems to have spent the last two years in the halves. How much practice do you think it will take?

Don't understand what Walshaw has done wrong. Seems to be one Jimmy doesn't want to give a chance to.

A fair point, but judging by Sunday's display, he needs more.

In previous years he's been in and out of the halves due to injuries. This year, as it stands, he's our first choice 7 so more important that he plays there properly.

He'll be saving Baile for the Million Pound Game; I hear he's tipped him to play at 6




As is the confidence I have in our 'leader'...

Probably because he's not as good as Olbison, Ferguson, Pitts, Haggerty, Mellor or Lovegrove. And arguably Blythe and others I'm forgetting too.

I'm in two minds about this game. Initially, I wanted us to put in a good performance, and win. (those are 2 aims, of course)

But, recent performances haven't been great and I have the feeling there's a loss in us just waiting to burst out. We can't win the CC, and I don't think we actually make any money in the CC until probably the QF. So is it wrong to think it may be best to drop out of the CC now?

Lovegroves been used as a prop (which he is far too small to be one) Agree he's not as good as those mentioned (although think he's better than Blythe) but he's still a decent player and i don't see why we wouldn't give him a run out to keep the above players fresh and keep them on their toes.

If it is wrong, then I'm wrong as well. I have my ticket for tomorrow's game, and I'll be there cheering them on as always. However if we were to lose and go out of the cup, I won't be all that fussed.

I don't disagree with playing him in the cup, largely because as has been discussed, the cup isn't very important to Bradford at all. I personally would have given quite a few of the fringe boys a run out in this game to keep them a bit "up to speed" and let more senior players have a rest. But I can completely see the logic of not playing the likes of Walshaw in the league, as we need to ensure we keep picking up points, and to do that you want your best players in the 17.

We won't win the cup but i'm surprised that nobody appears to thinks that it would be of benefit to progress and draw a Super League team?

Crowds are always poor for cup games. You don't really make much out of it until around the QF stage allegedly, which means getting through 3 games before getting there.

With promotion being the single biggest priority, the cup really is a distraction for us this year.

Because it really won't have any sort of baring on the end of season performance.

Don't believe me? Look at Leigh last year and their cup run. Didn't do them any good and in fact you could argue that it hurt them in the long run. Wins against heavily depleted or badly demoralised teams seems to have added to the arrogant belief that Leigh were going to get promoted at a stroll where as, all it really added was additional games to an already long, hard season and a probable desire from SL teams to bring Leigh back down to earth.

I will not be too dispondent if Bradford go out of the cup early as it's an unnecessary distraction

I have no interest in how Leigh performed last year. It has no bearing on how Bradford did or how they will do this year. I thought that our cup tie against Hull KR served as good preparation for the middle 8's. Some may see it as a distraction while other's may think that it could be a welcome challenge in what could be another "23 game pre-season". I don't think that a decent cup run will hurt the Bulls but I also don't think that an early exit would be an issue either.

You fail to add the backlog of fixtures also created.We ended up playing six games in three weeks prior to the 8's.

Part of the problem Leigh had was that due to making the 1/4 finals we ended up with a back log of fixtures. Think we ended up having to play matches Sunday-Wednesday-Sunday-Wednesday-Sunday just before we went into the Middle 8's.

Unsurprisingly after that we had a lot of players who were either injured, walking wounded or just plain tired going into the 8's and that was reflected in our awful performances.

I said this a while ago in a different thread. A couple of easy fixtures and then Leeds away please. Get some cash in.