I Would rest a few but on the whole as strong a side as possible, It is still mathematicaly possible for us to finish first, success breads success and momentum is vital at this point of the season.

Barring briers monas we have decent enough cover, i wouldn't be too worried aboy injurys tho and for me id only rest lee morley and hodgeson rest should be fine

I worked it out at the hudds games.

Hudds could miss out on a playoff spot if bradford win all their games and so do wakey, but hudds would have to lose by at least 50 points a game for that to happen and wakey would need to win by 50-60 points a game, whereas bradford would just need to win their remaining to fixtures and they are in the 8.

Which is no easy feat but they did run hull fc close when bradford had a depleated squad and now hulls is depleated, and they have never lost a league game in france.

Hope that answers your question

I think I will buy you a keyboard for X-mas.

I am feeling generous after the cc win. And Dezzie did say he only had a ps3 to type on. I am not entirely sure what a ps3 is mind you, but it certainly doesn't sound as good as a ps1 or a keyboard even.

Whatever Smith decides is fine with me.

He dropped big hints after the Salford game as to his plans for the season and what our targets are, so far its worked out great, we dont want to be getting smashed by Salford and London but at the end of the day if we have the players in best shape possible for a Grand Final spot thats what matters more, I reckon we could rest more this week as dont forget our Grand Final rivals bar Leeds had a week off, an then see a stronger side against Widnes, last two seasons have been gutting ways to finish off we were so close last year, just mins away from Old Trafford we really need to atleast make it there this season.

Lol lol lol

Its its a nightmare to type with the pad and also time consuming that often i just can not be bothered to go back and correct it. But saying that spelling and grammar were never my strong points, im mildly dyslexic not that its an excuse tho.

i'd rest bert this week, he's took some knocks to the head this week.

In fact, what i'd say we should've learned from teh london and salford game, is not the number of changes we can't make, but that we shouldn't be resting both briers and hodgson at the same time.

One or the other. not that that really matters now, i guess

I'd like to see us playing at our best all the time, but given that barring a miracle we are finishing 2nd no matter what, I guess it doesn't matter so much if we rest a few players. The Hodgson or Briers thing does seem to be the case, which worries me as I thought we had got past the relying on one or two players deal...

It does mater for two reasons.
1. We have to keep the momentum going.
2. I am travelling over for the match this week and want to see us win.

He needs to put out the strongest squad possible, we have to keep on Wigans tail

I think that we will rest a few against Hudd's, but, hopefully not as many against Widnes (momentum and derby). Whether that's fair for the Competition I don't know but a fully fit Play Off squad at the top of their game has been the obvious priority

Whilst many on here, me included, have assumed that we have massive strength in depth, it hasn't really worked when TS has changed half the team. Does 'the panel' think that barring injuries/suspensions to the CC Final line up, anyone can force their way into the 17 at this stage and if so who?

grix?
coops?
currie?

Going the match this week will be like going between 1995 and 2001. Proper box of chocolate "never know what you're going to get" stuff. The match for the sake of the match, not league points.

Despite the unpredictability, I would like to contradict myself and predict 3 things:-

1 - Crabtree will score.
2 - Robinson will make a break around our 40 and either score or will be tackled close to the line and Scott Moore will go over from dummy half.
3 - We will lose.

I think the club would be in the deep brown something if TS put a team out that was cannon fodder for Huddersfield especially if Hudds win & the result falsely affects play off positions below us just because we didn't put our strongest team out. Imagine the outcry from other clubs involved.

I think we will rest the bumps and bruises v. Hudds, then full strength against Widnes, give them another good pasting in their own back yard!!

Nah i reckon the (i)njury pitch will mean anyone with any form of knee/ankle complaint will miss out with possibly Solomona being the exception.

Against Hudd

Riley
Evans
Blythe
Bridge
Williams
O'Brien
Myler
Cooper
M.Monaghan (needs game time)
Harrison
Tyke
Currie
Grix

Dwyer
Solomona
Hill
? Someone from the under 20's depending on fitness

I don't think I would like to bet against any of that.

I would quite like to see Laithwaite get a run. Considering he has been back from HKR for a while, I am begining to wonder if we can not play him due to the salary cap.

It happens in most sports and is largely unavoidable no matter how the league system works. Say we had "top of the table = champions" and the Challenge Cup Final as the climax to the season a week after the last round of league games.

If a team wins the league with a game to spare and reaches the CCF, would you expect them to pick a full strength side in their final league game out of some sort of duty to the other teams, or would you expect them to rest players for the CCF?

As far as I'm concerned we have earned the right to pick whichever team we see fit over the next two games. Other teams contesting other matters should be concentrating on their own results, not counting on us doing them favours.

Plus I'm in Berlin this weekend so won't see a minute of our match, meaning I really couldn't care less what happens as long as no key players get injured!

Do we though? Look at the team selections and results in recent weeks - surely the London game well and truly smashed any momentum gained from the Saints and Wigan wins? Not so, 1 week later and we are dominant against Leeds at Wembley despite having one of the bottom sides put 60 on us.

I think Tony Smith has proven that having a fresh team correctly prepared for the big games is more important than momentum. Hopefully we'll learn a few things from that London game and avoid repeating them against Hudds and Widnes in order to get 2 wins, but I expect to see at least 4 of our Cup final team left out of both matches.