Anyone confident? I feel like our defence is just not good enough at this moment in time and Warrington could expose that massively. Especially with still no Lockers or McIlorum. I fear another dull evening at the HJ but I'll be there anyway.

Team:

Bowen
Charnley
Sarginson
Thornley
Burgess
Green
Smith
Taylor
Tomkins
Clubb
Farrell
Bateman
Flower

Pettybourne
Gelling
Williams
Dudson

Gelling to cover second row.

Goulding, Crosby and Hughes just aren't doing it for me at the minute and shouldnt make our 17.

Warrington aren't exactly crash hot atm. Probably won't be one of the higher quality games between the two teams.

I do agree with you on Goulding, Crosby and Hughes but I feel Goulding has earned a bit of faith and Hughes to me is a confidence player who would benefit from a run of games.

I would like to see Crosby replaced with Clubb though.

I also don't think Bateman can be rested until O'Loughlin is back but I think Wane is right in his intentions to use him sparingly this year.

Wire aren't on fire themselves but we know they save their best for the double winning Wigan team so they'll be all over us like a rash again. It'll be a tough ask but I have a decent feeling about Thursday.

I'd go-

Bowen
Charnley Goulding Thornley Burgess
Green Smith
Dudson Tomkins Taylor
Pettybourne Farrell Flower

Subs
Bateman Clubb Hopkins Hampshire

I'd give Hopkins a shot in this one I think. I'm not sure there's any chance of that being the case but hope I'm wrong. I also think we need to get Hampshire a route in to the side. He's too good to be playing in the u19's. We can throw him in at 7 with Smith moving to 9 or just give him a go out of dummy half.

Not sure Sarginson is a better option than Goulding at this point. I fear Atkins would have a field day against Sargy. Don't think Dudson is above Crosby in the pecking order either. Other than that I agree with your team.

If we can stop Higham/Monaghan scooting from half (i.e. slow them down), I think we have a decent chance. I definitely don't fear their team as much as I used to.

I think we're in for a thorough beating here. Glad someone else said it first about Goulding. I'd go:

FB 1 Bowen
RW 2 Charnley
RC 23 Sarginson
LC 4 Thornley
LW 32 Burgess
SO 6 Green
SH 7 Smith
P 8 Taylor
H 15 Tomkins
P 24 Clubb
SR 22 Pettybourne
SR 12 Farrell
LF 10 Flower

S 16 Dudson
S 17 Crosby
S 25 Bateman
S 26 Hampshire

Last season was one of the few times we have performed at the HJ, the Grand Final has broken any hoodoo Wire had over us, and our tormentor in chief has retired. Time to repair that awful record at HJ.

Two horse race, and neither horse has hit any sort of form yet. Should be interesting.

If it's a two horse race it isn't Wire and Wigan, I think this will be one of the poorest derby matches in a while. You can't defend but we just seem to build pressure with no end product.

Can't call it, hopefully the crowds lift the teams and I know the players love this fixture so hopefully 34 players prove me wrong.

For me this is two teams having to reset after losing a hell of a lot of in club experience during the off season. This will be a telling game for both sides.

Should be interesting, we have started to hit a little form, but our creativity and kicking is very poor at present. Can't predict the result but wouldn't expect many points to be scored.

You will score 20+ against us mate, everyone else has. Our defence is nothing short of embarrassing at the moment.

we were very poor in defence against HKR, caught out too many times down our defensive right side with an overlap. Also Farrell was too lazy in getting off the player after making a tackle twice pinged for lying on and gave a penalty and another twice not back infront to stop the dummy scoot. Against Wire Higham will milk it all day, we don't have a general on the field, would be nice if Green or Bowen started dishing out some instructions and gave a few players some good old fashioned boll*ckings

Warrington like to blow teams away in the first 20 minutes, this tactic is still used this year (albeit less successfully).

If we can go toe to toe with them in the first 20 minutes the game is ours. If we are behind but in touching distance we're in with a shot.

great opportunity for Logan to prove he can mix it with the best.

Whats wrong with SOL? Is he injured ? When is he due back?

Aye injured, should be back next week. I'm glad they're not rushing him in at least, we'll need him in the knockout games and it'll hopefully make the rest stronger not being able to rely on him in the weekly rounds

it was reported as a slight shoulder strain, a couple of weeks rest

I'm not feeling confident at all about this one, after the Cas game and then the first half against Hull KR. The defence has been shocking.

I'm beginning to think that too much experience has been allowed to leave the club. Others pointed this out at the time and I was keen to be very supportive of IL after winning the double but the evidence of the 4 league games and the WCC isn't great. We miss Sam, Pat and HH. We can't seem to play without Lockers.

Only Burgess out of the youngsters has really played well. Too many of the senior players are playing poorly by their own standards (eg Goulding/Green/Flower) and really only Faz has kept his performance level consistently high.

The Wire game could be pivotal to our season. If we lose we are miles behind Leeds, Saints and even Huddersfield and Wire will be well ahead of us.

I need cheering up!!!

Don't even think this will sell out 12-13k

Not sure why you aren't more confident for this one, our defence has probably been better than yours on the whole, but our attack is not great, I would say you have a better attack than us at the minute. If you attack down our left hand side all game then it's highly likely that you will win.

wires biggest threat has gone, they seem incapable of shifting out wide quick which used to kill us and the kicking game has gone.

be interesting to see if joel Monaghan scores his usual 2 or 3 tries.

I think our problem is we don't know how to fit 3 players into the hb spots, we have Ratchford, Myler and GOB.
Russell looks lethal at fullback, the two games he's played in he looks like he'll break the line every time he gets it, a real exciting player that has you standing up when he gets it.

Personally I think we'll come good, just too soon for that at the moment.
The forced retirement of Briers caught us cold, we are just starting to look like a team that knows each other. We certainly shifted the ball well v Salford and GOB for such a slight player is as brave as they come.

If you're having trouble fitting Ratchford in - we'll have him!

We're only having trouble fitting ratchford in because smith is too stubborn to drop myler who has been poor for a while. Now russell is fit, ratchford should be at halfback where his squad number suggests smith wants him to play. The problem is that o'brien has been much the better of the two halfbacks and can't really be left out. Saying that, scoring four tries doesn't seem to guarantee you a starting shirt the following week at warrington at the moment, so it wouldn't surprise me if o'brien got dropped. Or even worse, monaghan at halfback. We are a bit of a shambles at the moment!

GOB is an excellent player as well as a great goal kicker.
As we all know a top class goal kicker is priceless.
Agree with your view over Myler, can't see how he gets in in front of Ratchford or GOB.
I think both sets of fans are going into this match not quite knowing what to expect.