I haven't watched it back again, but at the time I thought his distribution was very poor and he fell off a fair share of tackles.

Locke to play for me, if the medical team say he is fit. Evalds on the bench as cover for backs and half backs. Tompkins left out along with Rapira

I'd leave Tomkins and Locke out too.

We have a week off after Thursday due to the Challenge Cup semi's.

That gives Locke 22 full days (from the Leeds game) to get fit/fitter in time for the winnable game against Catalans.

I certainly wouldn't leave Rapira out either.

Agreed Rapira has been very strong defensively in the past few weeks, we have lots of razzle dazzle players in the team now but grafters like Rapira are the back bone.

Rapira has been very good for us recently. He started out a little slow but he's made up for it. He's part of the 'Hit squad' too, which means we need him against Wigan.

Jason Walton provides the cover for the backs, and for the second row too. I can't see the point of having Niall Evalds on the bench as well. If Kevin Locke plays and lasts the full match, then Niall becomes a non-playing substitute and we effectively go into the game with just 16 players. If Kevin Locke is still struggling, then it's a risk we don't need to take and Niall plays fullback.

And I agree about not dropping Steve Rapira. That's just crazy talk. When coaches talk about their players getting a bit bashed about (like Paul Anderson did), I suspect Steve Rapira is one of the names in the frame for that.

Regarding the 'Hit Squad', the Leeds game was the first time for a few weeks that we haven't ended up with a coachload of players sitting outside the Headmaster's office at Red Hall. Makes a change to not have a player suspended.

Quite right.
Just cannot understand all the crap about Rapira.
He's a fundamental part of our tough pack.
Also,I understand that Tomkins was ill but played to help out so lay off him as well

Lunacy this talk of Rapira being dropped, thought he was sensational in defence on Friday and genuinely hurt people during the tackle. Something which he has been doing for the past several weeks too. Just because he doesn't do the noticeable flashy stuff in attack doesn't mean he isn't as important to the team as Rangi or Caton-Brown.

Rapira has impoved game on game, gaining more confidence in his body. got to play

Agree 100% - Rapira a quite different player these past 4 weeks. Hard man indeed.

Can you pay on the gate at Wigan?

Steve Rapira's best game in a Salford shirt vs Leeds.

yes £23 apparently you save a couple of quid getting a ticket

yes tomkins was ill last friday but was determined to get his chance and play, he had the same bug as tasi , but played no matter what, he deserves some respect and a pat on the back for pulling on the red jersey for the cause and nothing stopped him doing it well done logan and hope you get a chance now your over your illness !!!!!!

In front of Lee?
Sorry, no sentiment in sport i'm afraid.
Lee plays for me.

Okay so if we leave Rapira in ( although am still not convinced by him) who do you leave out? Locke (if fit, which apparently he will be) plays, he has to. Why should we rest him for winnable games? This is a marquee signing who people want to watch.Surely we are at the business end now and every game is a must win? Evalds on the bench, covers all the backs and the halves which means if you want to spell tommy Lee you can push Theo at hooker and Evalds to stand-off. Which means 3 forwards on the bench.

Locke
Johnson
Sau
CB
Griffin
Theo
Chase
Moz
Lee
Tasi
Ashurst
Hanson
TP

Walton
Wane
Evalds
Griffin

Drop Tomkins & Rapira

Nice problem to have!!Thoughts?

Odd question has Evalds ever played hooker? I know people say about playing people out of position but Peter Edwards was no bigger than Evalds and he didn't do too bad, Evalds is bigger than Theo and being a full back a much better one on one tackler.

Edwards was a totally different type of player to Evalds. Evalds is an outstanding open field runner, there's nothing to stop him coming in and scooting when defences are on the back foot to get us going forward as he has been doing, but playing him hooker is big no no IMO. All that extra defence and following the PTB all over would make him less dangerous going forward. We don't want one of our best young attacking weapons killing himself at 9 by making 30+ tackles a game, you'd just get the likes of Peacock, Huby, Lynch Weyman etc targetting him and taking his energy away.

Agree Ave It - but who to leave out? - maybe Ashurst & Tomkins in order to leave Rapira in the team as the Terminator. For me Locke has to play IF the coaches etc can agree he WILL play 80 minutes.

I agree Locke will play if fit and that’s the dilemma Harris has with Evalds as you surely can't leave him out? However if Locke manages to complete the 80 as he nearly did against Huddersfield having Evalds on the bench becomes a waste of bench spot.

Selection head ache for Mr Harris.

I meant only if Evalds was on the bench and a hooker option was called for and not a long term move or solution.

I agree Edwards was unique and one of the hardest players I've seen in a Salford shirt, ploughed himself into the ground every time I saw him play.

Wigan are likely to be something along the lines of:

Bowen
Charnley
Gelling
Sarginson
Manfredi
Williams
Smith
Flower
Powell
Crosby
Farrell
Bateman
O'Loughlin

Clubb
Taylor
Dudson
Tomkins

Sunday was one of the worst games I've seen us play for some time, hoping for a backlash, but with how you guys have been playing recently I can see it being a close game.

Jason Walton covers the back positions as well as the second row, so why have a second back on the bench? That's why, for me, Locke and Evalds is an 'either/or', not an 'and'.

As for not being sure about Steve Rapira, you need to look at the way he's playing now, not how he was at the start of the season. He came to us after spending most of the last three years lying on the treatment table. He clearly wasn't fit and was only used in short spells. Now, as he regains that fitness and the confidence in his own abilities, we're seeing what a brutal forward he is. In the old days, he would have been referred to as a 'bruiser', and we haven't had one of those since...I don't know...Dennis Boyd in the 1980s maybe.

The questions then are Locke [ior[/i Evalds, and Tommy Lee and/or Logan Tomkins. If Iestyn goes for both Tommy Lee and Logan Tomkins, one of the forwards would need to drop out, and I doubt that would be Steve Rapira. Not sure who it would be though.

I'm not too keen on having Wigan's coach on our bench, by the way.

"I'm not too keen on having Wigan's coach on our bench, by the way."

Lol fair point!


I don’t think we can class Walton as cover for outside backs, he has been caught out quite a few times due to his lack of pace and I just feel he is better as a strong running second row.

I think we can go round in circles about which forward to leave out, some people will have different view points on certain players.

Next question, what happens if you throw Dixon in the mix? Who would take preference then?

God I love these problems!