You're in the chair. Who are your 17? And what kind of game plan are you going with to pull off an upset on Saturday? Something has to be considerably different than the last half of the season. We can't go into this game without some kind of marked change in approach.

Saints are gonna come out and literally tan our backsides in defence. They're going to play over the line and they're going to get away with it. We won't be afforded the same luxury. So what are we going to do to render that null?

Run harder than Saints.
We allowed them to boss us and effectively lost the game in the first 1/4.
The next 3/4 of the game there was nothing much between us and we had more chances blown by ourselves than Saints.
We could have won the game had we not allowed Saints that early advantage.

Tommy Makinson runs harder than every member of our pack put together. We aren't going to run harder than they...

Kick early - turn them around, try little chips over the top early in the tackle count - put doubt in the mind of their defence, throw it wide as often as possible. The one area in which we are superior to St Helens is speed, so utilise it as often as possible - get them thinking about Dufty and Ashton. Turn their quick defence against them. We can't play through the forwards (and certainly not whilst without Vaughan).

I think we need to pick Russell ahead of Thewlis as well - those extra ten yards coming out of our end will be a big help.

Yes, their speed off the line needs a quick pass back inside to Dufty on the shoulder. It needs Danny Walker jumping out from Dummy Half and belting the ball down field, as many 40-20 attempts as possible, but the more pressing point of those attempts being to pin them in the corner in case we don't get it back. Something we also never see on the line, don't bother picking the ball up and chipping to the corner - just kick it as soon as its played backwards, through the legs before they even have chance to react. This is the stuff we need.

Bring Heyes in for Drinkwater.

Move heaven and earth to get Robert Hicks to be the referee.

lol. did he really make any other blunders beyond the Knowles try?

Have to play them at their own game with a Saints approved line speed & NFL passes.

it has baffled me that we've not tried any hit and hopes for dufty and ashton this year, yes its a low percentage play but with their speed its worth doing it once early in a game to keep their defences on edge, wingers might drop back a little earlier creating space.

Imagine running back towards your line and you've got both of them chasing you down.

you saw last week in the wigan leigh game, french hairing down field to put pressure on catchers on his own. thats when the tide and momentum turned.

He didn't blunder then, but has been living rent free in the head of Eamonn McManus's head ever since.

When you say " french hairing down field" the mind boggles, but yes well worth a try IMO

Tony Barrow Plan B. "I want violence"

Saints will want to blast us off the field in the first twenty like they did the other week. We need to try to negate that by turning them around (I like the early kick idea) and frankly by making the game a bit stop-start: which was ugly but effective last week.

Our pack suffered from a lack of Vaughan last week, so unfortunately I expect the same this week past the half hour point. But I don't think the Saints interchange forwards are that great either.

it is going to be hard I feel we have to be faster than them playing the ball but then really slow them down in the first 20min around the play the ball I would want 3/4 people in the tackle. frustrate their forwards

fb duty
wings Ashton Russell
centres wrench matautia
half backs Williams and currie
forwards bullock mikalele
hooker walker
second row Nicholson Harrison
loose forward casino

would be my starting 17 bit left field but I feel if we are to stand a chance then we have to go with grinding out a close win with defence key if we win 10-4 we still won the game and progressed

you've only got 13 in your 17

I wouldn't mind Hayes in front of Drinkwater and your LF is a bit of a gamble

see im thinking back to the cc final where we played Hughes or currie in the half due to injury but it paid off

I would go as big as we can early on in the packs hence kasiano at loose but playing as a prop can change over for crowther

Interesting re Currie with your Hughes comparison but not for me, particularly Kasiano at LF. BTW in your team who's kicking our 8 conversions?

Maybe the new fullback is a goalkicker?

All in the line of duty...

Interesting team selection.


fb duty
wings Ashton Russell
centres wrench ratchford
half backs Williams and currie
forwards bullock mikalele
hooker walker
second row Nicholson crowther
loose forward harrison

Bench
Kasiano
Dudson
Clark
Thewlis

If you do the same thing and keep getting the same result then we already know what is going to happen so if Chambers does make some bold calls then I think it's a no lose situation for him. Not necessarily to the half back combination but I would like to see some eyebrow raising selections. But where the "plan" shows itself in the interchanges. Thewlis for Harrison move dufty to half back currie to loose or something where we can change things up with an interchange.

I'm not really optimistic at our chances I don't think the squad is fit enough compared to saints to live with the intensity for the full 80min they would need to. Vaughan Harrison and bullock are our forwards that can do good minutes dudson and kasiano cannot really be relied upon for more than 10/15. Vaughan missing too only makes a hard task even harder. And why I do think to win we are going to have to see Something different from the players coaches.

I think we’re in for a really tough ride in the first 20/30 minutes at least. 16 of their 17 face the prospect of retiring a legend if they don’t run through brick walls and tackle for all they're worth. Wellens will have that ringing in their ears on the way onto the pitch, and the crowd will be foaming at the mouth having that force fed into them, as we’re already seeing on Sky Sports etc.

Need to take the crowd out of the game and to hang in there for that first onslaught. I’d be looking to take any points on offer early on and turn the ball over on our terms in the corners, as others have said with Walker kicking from dummy half if needed.

Try and see out the Walmsley spells and when he goes off rotate with Philbin, Kasiano, Bullock and Clark and use those periods to try and dictate the tempo and try and get Williams some space.

When we kick off at what ever stage in the game instead of kicking in the air for a simple dolly catch for who ever bang it low and fast along the floor preferably towards the sticks..a ball can do funny things..also anyone who remembers the class of 86 premiership winning side that walloped Wigan away in the end of season semi..Paul bishop kicked 5 drop goals..let's bore everyone to death drop goal mania

Is Drinkwater injured?