The 19 man squad in full:



LAMONT BRYAN

TONY CLUBB

RYAN ESDERS

LUKE GALE

DAVID HOWELL

BEN JONES

BEN JONES-BISHOP

LOUIE McCARTHY–SCARSBROOK

CHRIS MELLING

JAMIE O’CALLAGHAN

DANNY ORR

KEVIN PENNY

ROBERT PURDHAM

CHAD RANDALL

WILL SHARP

KARL TEMATA

DANNY WARD

OLIVER WILKES

LUKE WILLIAMSON

How different will the line-up be on game-day is up to two factors from here on out; fitness and Brian Mac.



1. Ben Jones-Bishop

2. Will Sharp

3. Rob Purdham

4. David Howell

5. Kevin Penny

6. Luke Gale

7. Danny Orr

8. Karl Temata

9. Chad Randall

10. Danny Ward

11. Luke Williamson

12. Tony Clubb

13. Ryan Esders



14. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook

15. Oliver Wilkes

16. Lamont Bryan

17. Chris Melling



18. Jamie O'Callaghan

19. Ben Jones



Please Mac, prove us wrong and play people where they should be playing, or at least where they are effective.

Couldn't agree more

You were doing OK up to here. After that I'm not sure.

No Golden.





I think I'd like Purdo at the back of the pack and Melling on the wing with Sharp inside him. But I've never seen Sharp play centre, so that may be a no-no.

Saints squad:

2. Ade Gardner, 5. Francis Meli, 6. Leon Pryce, 7. Kyle Eastmond, 8. Nick Fozzard, 9. Keiron Cunningham, 10. James Graham, 11. Tony Puletua, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Chris Flannery, 14. James Roby, 15. Bryn Hargreaves, 16. Scott Moore, 17. Paul Clough, 18. Matty Ashurst, 19. Chris Dean, 21. Gary Wheeler, 22. Andrew Dixon, 23. Maurie Fa’asavalu.



No Gidley, praise the Lord!

If you saw the Cas game from 2 years ago you'd wonder why his favoured position is as a centre. He was turned inside and out on several occasions. Sharp and Joc shipped in several tries down that left side if memory serves.



I'd go for Purdham in the centres because that is the first time we have looked dangerous in the centres this year. Clubb may look awful defensively, but David Howell doesn't have the excuse that he is being played out of position for Howell's quiet start to the season.



Golden a big loss in terms of effort. Melling will play some part of the game at hooker, better to come off the bench then to re-organise a team mid-match that is already suffering from a weak go-forwards and a brittle edge defence.

Whilst admittedly it would be a gamble to play Sharp at centre on Saturday, we must have had more players unavailable for that match than for any other game I can remember (and that's saying something!) so perhaps a bit harsh to judge on that performance, especially as Sharp must only have had a couple of months worth of SL games up to that point with JO'C even less experienced. In fact I think Luke Dorn was our chief tormentor on that occasion!

True, but it seems to have stuck in a lot of fans memories. We have one centre at the club in David Howell. We have Penny, Melling, O'Callaghan along with Sharp who can play on the wing. Would seem obvious that the last few selections have not worked properly, hopefully Mac can sort out the positional madness and play a team roughly where they should be and hopefully get the best 17 on the pitch, or near as to it without playing a full-back in the second-row.

I would go with



Melling, Sharp, BJB, Howell, Penny, Purdham, Gale, Temata, Orr, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Williamson, Wilkes, Bryan



Subs: Ward, Jones, Clubb, Randall

1. Ben Jones-Bishop

2. Will Sharp

3. Tony Clubb

4. David Howell

5. Kevin Penny

6. Luke Gale

7. Danny Orr

8. Oliver Wilkes

9. Chad Randall

10. Danny Ward

11. Luke Williamson

12. Ryan Esders

13. Rob Purdham



14. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook

15. Karl Temata

16. Lamont Bryan

17. Chris Melling



Unless the Chad and Danny stay as they have been. I'd prefer not, but it depends on whether the Chad is carrying an injury and Mac wants him out of the direct firing line.

FB) BJB

W) Sharp

C) Purdham

C) Howell

W) Penny

SO) Orr

SH) Gale

P) Temata

H) Randall

P) LMS

SR) Williamson

SR) Clubb/Golden

LF) Esders



I) Clubb/Golden

I) Bryan

I) Melling

I) Wilkes or Ward

What's happened with Chris Melling?



I thought he was one of the first names to be penciled in the starting 13?

BJB has been granted the divine right to play FB. Melling has been shunted around to use as a gap-filler: stand-off, second row, bench hooker, ...

Jack of all trades, master of none.

Out of position players have been very costly this season:



2009 - nine games in



1) Tony Clubb - 42 missed tackles, 5 errors and 3 penalties conceded

2) Chad Randall - 17 missed tackles, 16 errors and 9 penalties conceded

3) Chris Melling - 31 missed tackles, 14 errors and 3 penalties conceded

4) Danny Orr - 30 missed tackles, 11 errors and 5 penalties conceded



Totals: 120 missed tackles, 45 errors and 20 penalties conceded (185 mistakes, roughly 5 per game per player)



Typical performance in 2009 over nine games



1) Tony Clubb - 27 missed tackles, 5 errors and 5 penalties conceded

2) Chad Randall - 19 missed tackles, 5 errors and 3 penalties conceded

3) Chris Melling - 10 missed tackles, 11 errors and 2 penalties conceded

4) Danny Orr - 22 missed tackles, 7 errors and 3 penalties conceded



Totals: 78 missed tackles, 28 errors and 15 penalties conceded (121 mistakes, roughly 3 per game per player)

I presume the top one is 2010?

Must admit I'll be surprised if we see Howell or Temata (the latter wasnt walking that well at the game last week and the vibes re Howell aren't good).



Sorry to see JG not playing (and what the hell has happened to Dave Williams? Surely not injured again.)



Hecks was watching the game in the stand last week (poor devil!). We asked him if he had his boots with him. Sadly he didn't..

Spot on there.



So Golden wasn't in the squad but played. How does that work?

He's out for 8 weeks now. We'll miss him.