Suspended.

Shouid have just done a Leigh and played him.

He was very good last season.

Reed is almost as injury-prone as Mossop... Their starting XIII looks strong on paper. Hopefully our English contingent will give Bennett food for thought...

I shall be cheering on my beloved Wigan as well as Leeds out of mutual respect but i just can't bring myself to cheer any St Helens side on. It doesn't matter what it means or who they play i always want them to get stuffed. I will toast every single try they concede so by the end of the night i should be completely obliterated

If it at all helps to calm the nerves, you could always buy a copy of Wiganosophy. I'll be signing copies in the Southstand bar before kick off.

Plus Burgess is turning out for the Roosters so it's only right we support him and his team (don't tell Leeds fans we're doing that though or else they may not think we're being disrespectful enough to ex players).

I think you need to win this if the WCS has any longevity, no excuses really- Edit: actually is Williams playing?
Brisbane's best 3 players last year were Hunt Milford and Reed, 2 are injured whilst milford is playing next to an new centre and a new halves pairing so should be out of timing, plus I dont see much of a kicking game from that team
You guys need to win to give SL some pride, I would usually think we could pull one out the bag but at 8 injured we need a miracle (still backing us though

)
I would say the same about Saints with Pearce and JWH out but I think they have some injured as well

Oh no you don't. You don't kop out that easily. We have injuries too you know. Just because SKY don't mention it doesn't mean it isn't true. All 3 sides are up against it. YOU are the league champions and treble winners. Everyone in Australia is expecting you to give North Queensland a game. We will try and do what we have to do but none of the 3 sides can use the injuries argument.

Well in fairness Brisbane have their best players injured, whilst NQC have 16/17 of their grand final team (only missing a winger)
Who do you have injured? I bet theres not 8 first team players out or your captain
Im still backing us to put in a good performance and if our young players step up then we could shock everyone, my point was that your opportunity (as well as Saint's tbf) is about as good as it will get when playing a top NRL team
Therefore if you (or Saints) cant win or even worse get completely outplayed then whats the point in the series?

Sam Tomkins, Joel Tomkins, Dom Crosby, Lee Mossop, George Williams (until told otherwise)

That is 5 STARTING players. I doubt you or Saints could boast that in your injury list although i haven't checked. Anyone would have thought that against Huddersfield we had a full side against an amateur team but SKY conveniently failed to recognize our injury list. We were being put down because our strength in depth was a lot better than Huddersfield's. Blame Paul Anderson, not an injury list.

We cant really call Sam Tomkins an injured player, he hasn't played for Wigan for over two years, play them with what we have got.

Some will say that Wigan had already signed him when the fixture was announced, but he was already injured when he signed, although not thought to be as bad as it turned out.

Ha I forgot about Sam tomkins

and I wasn't sure about williams- the other 3 aren't starting players but would probably be on your bench
We have got more out than that but I take your point, you and Brisbane are about matched in terms of full strength
still think Saints should win though, given all the problems the Roosters have, I think their halves have about 5 starts between them

Edit: just so you know our injured are: Mcguire, Ward, JJB, Ablett, Briscoe, Falloon, Mullally, Golding- some may be rushed back
theres only Golding that wouldn't be in our first 17 and Sutcliffe is clearly playing injured aswell

In the five games v Leeds last year at least two of those were in the starting X111 in four of the games. In the other game at Leeds Crosby was out injured.

The other 3 aren't starting players? You sure about that?

Are all yours starting players? Also how many of them are confirmed out? and why are you trying to make it look like Leeds are hard done by. i thought you never knew when you were beat. Isn't that your motto?

Like the bit about Sutcliffe. Somehow he is playing with an injury and because he plays for Leeds he is more injured than any other teams players so it counts as another injury. You are the champions and we all expect a champions performance with all your strength in depth to cover injuries.

Well Im not Shuan Wane but Id start Flower Clubb Bateman Farrell and O'lochlin- so the three players wont be starting players when your at full strength right?

I didnt say ours were staring players but I think all would be in the 17 except golding who we only need because of other injuries
Not sure who's back, all I listed were injured at the end of last weeks game, Mullally and Falloon I think are possibilities but both would be coming back early
I think that is actually a Saints motto

but I dont think we are beat, if you actually read my post I said if the young players play like they did against NZ weve got every chance, I just think its unlucky to have lost so many coming up to a big game

I only mention Sutcliffe because if Mcguire or Falloon was fit they he would probably have not played last week and would have maybe played on the bench this week
We do have strength in depth I think- its just you don't expect to need 5 halves by round 2 (I guess we could play moon but were better off keeping him in the centres given NQC backline is their only weak point imo)

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That is so wrong to be playing a young player in the 1st/2nd game of the season when you know he is clearly injured, clubs take a risk at the back end but not in the first couple of weeks.

Its nice to hear your concerned


I agree but if they're playing him it must be a cork he got against Wire and not related to his knee injury (hopefully)

Leeds will only really miss McGuire, the rest are very replaceable with the squad they have. There are no excuses for Leeds really. They're at home in their old fashioned stadium and are playing with an English referee (we're being reffed by an Aussie). I suppose the worry is the lack of those experienced heads in Sinfield and Peacock. When the going gets tough who do they turn to? They've papered over some of the cracks over the years and helped out a limited coach in McDermott massively. If it is a tight game who kicks the goals (or drop goals) to bring it home?!

As I say though there's no excuse. Those lads have retired and are done and dusted. They're in the here and now with every advantage.

This is a weird post, you say no excuses but list a bunch of problems with the team



Mcguire is the biggest loss yes but there are other problems
weve now got 3 second rowers out- arguably our starting back row meaning less experience players like Keinhorst will be starting- though hes a good player and I dont think its too bad a problem, the thing is though if you take out those three plus Falloon we are missing a lot of big tacklers in the middle and our bigger forwards could get exposed
You also mention Sinfield and Peacock, which would not be a problem if McGuire or JJB or Ward (who will likely be our captain in the next few years) were playing, Im just hoping that burrow and Hardaker can really step up as leaders
As for kicking, no problem, young half called Lilley will be playing who was very good against NZ and in preseason, whilst Burrow has kicked DGs in Finals before

Having said that I dont want any excuses, I dont want us to lose!
It was just before I realised about Williams (and remembered Tomkins) I thought you guys or Saints had to win it if there was any point in the WCS- given the players the Broncos and Roosters have lost

Sinfield and Peacock can't be an issue, they don't and will not exist anymore as Leeds players. The issues their absence creates need to be fixed up by what you've got. You've spent their salary cap space so you have to presume you've solved any issues that have been created.

McGuire is a miss but besides him who's missing? Potentially Briscoe who will be replaced by a top young player in Handley. You've brought in an England international back rower in Ferres who can slot in alongside Delaney and Cuthbertson in the back three if Ablett is missing. You've got options at prop in Garbutt, Galloway and Singleton plus some other back up. You can move Burrow around and young Lilley looks a top talent.

All in all there's plenty of quality and there's certainly no excuses to be making out its a lost cause.

Brisbane have Ben Hunt and Jack Reed missing by the way. Not as many as we have missing and they've replaced them with James Roberts (The NRL centre of the year for 2015) and Kodi Nikorima (who is a Kiwi international).

In comparison we've got Lewis Tierney in for Sam Tomkins who is making his 6th first team appearance. We're quite clearly not as well blessed!

You might not start them but Shaun Wane does, so you are wrong.

Well if you read my posts youd know that i forgot about Tomkins, my point was that basically 2/3 of their best players last year were out and it was a great opportunity
Also I dont know if you watched Brisbane last year? but the players Milford links with most were Hunt and Reed so I thought hed have an average game except maybe a few individual runs

Now that I know tomkins (and someone said Williams aswell) are out as well I think you and Brisbane are probably about equal given your at home

With a full team? who does he drop out of who i said, especially in the backrow?
Surely you would start Bateman and Farrell over tomkins and at least Flower over Mossop?

Its not a lost cause, I just found out antonio winterstein is out
We're gonna rinse 'em, Im betting on a Handly hatrick

MOT