i really do fail to see how cording can get in the 17 to face st helens based on both pre season games

for me:

Grix
George
Wardle
Cudjoe
Jerry

Brough
Robinson

Eorl
Faiumu
Kopczak

Ferres
Chan
Fairbank/Ferguson

O Donnell
Lunt
Fielden
Patrick/Mullally

have to be aggressive against saints

Saints fans already drooling over their displays,and how the good times seem to be on the way back.It's gonna be tough over there,but we knew that anyway.

Hope it's like last year opener at Wigan and they are a bit rusty when they start putting their passing moves together.

If LOD is fully fit he comes straight in for Bruno at 13 for mine,and just tackles anything that moves in the style he did before the knee injury.

Mullally showed up well on Sunday,must be close to making his full debut from the bench.Fairbank great to see him back,looks bigger than what he was,but really like watching his all action style.Hope Chan's knee will have recovered and if so I would have him in second row with Ferres.

OB's as your choices,still trying to figure out why Luke George did not go low for what should have been a try in second half.

Grix
George
Wardle
Cudjoe
Jerry

Brough
Robinson

Eorl
Faiumu
Kopczak



Chan
Ferguson
Ferres

Lunt
Fielden
Patrick
Mullally

LOD has to earn his place and prove his fitness before he gets near the team

20 mins for fooey then Lunt for 60 at hooker.

Fooey to have a rest then interchange with Ferres.

The other three subs to rotate the props and second row

DG that is a massive bench! It could be the way to go against Saints, good players that they are Perry, McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Laffranchi (sp?) are not big props.... well unless compared to Lee Gilmore



I would be slightly concerned over the back row balance, Ferres, Ferguson and Chan are all willing defenders, but none are in my view dominant in the way that Bruno and especially O'Donnell are. We might need that against Saints, so while I can see the logic in not playing LOD without a pre-season match, if he is available for selection and Bruno is not, I would play him. If Bruno is fit then I would go with him, but that seems unlikely.

I remember a couple of years ago we smashed Wire on opening day and then again at our place a few weeks later, we looked set for a dominating season, by mid summer we had fizzled out. I can't help viewing the Saints optimism in that light. I may be wrong or unfair in that but the big games in the season will be in August, September and just maybe October, not February.

few going with ferguson/fairbank over cording... just felt cording had played more minutes but wouldnt be bothered if the other two played instead of him. would like lawrence to play really above all 3!! but not looking good for him poss ankle ligaments, annoyed me when he carried on playing on sunday and poss made things worse...just get off the pitch in a friendly!

yes luke george didnt have the best of games on sunday... got to be worried for his place i reckon with dawson and blackmore about now.

Cording is going to have to start winning rucks if he wants to get into the 17 in the longer term imo.Ferguson would only get the nod for me if LOD had to miss out,but as PA stated LOD had nothing to prove to anyone in pre-season games,and I'm sure that crosses over to the SL just as long as he (as DG stated) is fit enough in a couple of weeks time.Who knows it might even be Fairbank who replaces Bruno.

George is more the old fashioned type winger with pace to burn on the outside given the space,so don't really expect to see him carting it up to any real great effect that often.

Good point from Dee about the relative sizes of the front rows vs Saints,could be an important factor,but then the markers are going to have to work hard to stop Roby around the ruck,not an easy task.

I don't agree with you re our second row. Chan is as solid a defender as Bruno - and is one of the few players capable of running good lines into the pass- something Patrick seems to have lost the ability to do. Ferres hasn't got the wherewithal to run anything but straight-which is effective in a different way

with lawrence confirmed as out then someone is going to have to step forward and do the tackling he does...

fairbank maybe? similar type of player...

as for george maybe losing his place this season, forgot that murphy is ahead of blackmore and dawson for the wing spot and came on v widnes so def a battle for that wing spot at the moment.

saints 2/9 for the win

giants 7/2

+12 on the handicap

fairbank playing for batley tonight... so think ferguson and cording are ahead of him for this game.

odonnell??? will he be thrown straight in with no minutes under his belt?

No it doesn't mean they are ahead of him. Like PA said hes just getting more game time in

Yes O Donnell will be playing next saturday, hes a aggressive big game player with a winners mentality something we need against st helens

think they are ahead of him at the moment till he gets upto speed.

good that odonnell will play.. with chan and ferres..and ferguson. in the second row.

notice that hemingway and johnson are also playing for batley tonight!

18-18 the batley game

giants off to leigh sports village today to train on a full size pitch.. weather causing us problems in run upto saints game



saints wont have had many problems!

How did our boys go at Batley?

Ref - R Silverwood

dont mind him, ones of the better ones for us.

that could all change though



ferres named vice captain with robbo now... really has come on alot since joining the giants, a big season may put him in the england frame again.

andersons bessie mate

Think George is safe for a while, strarted last season on fire then never seemed fully fit after April, hopefully now at top fitness level and whilst his defence is not the best at times he is a threat to any side we face and if the problems with his positional play and defence have been addressed his place will not be in doubt for much longer.

Far too good a finisher to leave out at this stage.

Would not consider backing us on the handicap as keep it tight and we will could well be looking at 2 points and if Saints win it will by a fair margin I fear. 7/2 about right I'd say and if we step up to the plate could look very big come Satuirday Night.

Hopefully there will be some tryscorer bet value once the bookies price it up....and remember Lunt never scores for us so any bookies reading go 10/1 anytime scorer at least

The Cas mafia closing ranks is that LOL.Need a big game from Ferres on Saturday.

btw VR is Ganson.

YES

Just how good a perfomance was that.

Fair glowing I am

That was 100% a shocker, was looking for a platform to build off and the result wasn't important as long as we didn't get blown off the park! So proud of the lads!

Wow! That was stunning. The forwards were particularly good, the first 20 was awesome. Fielder looked like he used to, but bigger. Hugely impressed by Chan, Ferres and O'D in back row. Leroy is also very classy. Well done boys.

what a night!!

my head is sore now

awesome from 1 to 17 all of them.

1978 the last time we won their



we know not to get carried away after the last two seasons but still got to enjoy the good times and this is one of them

First time any Huddersfield side has ever scored 40 points in St Helens,and the 36 point winning margin beats the previous Huddersfield best 27 point winning margin from a fixture played way back in 1913,the final score then being St H 5 - 32 Hudd. (Just 3 point tries)

awesome!!!! more records to come i hope.... leeds and bradford ones off our back in recent times too

won at all the grounds away from home now