Your going to say that aren't you and being a bit one eyed imo. These who'd get in who's side are always a bit subjective and hard to comapre player X against player Y, just because they're playing in different teams, in different structures etc.

For me though Fifita's our best Prop, almost umpayable at times and just about always takes 3 or 4 to take him down and has a good offload when he wants. Huby's played well and got better as the season's gone on but I'd have Fifita over him.

Although stats aren't the be all and end all but as good as you can get especially for Forwards. Fifita's made most meters for us as a forward at 867, 161 tackles & an average gain of 7.61. Which are better stats than most of ypur Props, Just Moors has more meters & Lynch as a slightly better AG of 7.76. He'd get in your side for Millington, Massey, cook or Springer imo.

Also Ashurts stats stack up very well against your second rowers 247 tackles, 598 meters at AG of 7.38. Compare that against McMeeken who I really rate who's made 201 tackles , 637 meters, at AG of 7.32. Or Jesse Sene-Lafao who's made 152 tackles, 548 meters and a AS of 7.31. Ashurst stackes up very well against any of those. As for Oliver Holmes, give over he's no where near as good. I also think Arona would make your team imo, can play anywhere in the back row, he's the top tackler in our side last year and this year so far and makes good meters, a kind of player every teams, who just generally does all the hard graft, a really under rated player a bit like Ashurst it seems.

It would and hopefully find his form from last year before he got injured.

Yes that's about what I'd go for tbf, but as a Eastmoor lad I have no problem sticking Arona at Loose.

Grix
Johnstone
Tupou
Arundel
Jones-Bishop
Williams
Finn
Allgood
Wood
England
Ashurst
Kirmond
Arona

Miller
Hadley
Fifita
Huby

That would be my team for Friday! Why rest anyone and look ahead a game when we're full of confidence? Won 5 of our last 6, playing really well...very healthy injury wise...one change for me would be England for Hirst...that's nothing against Hirst as he's done well but England is a better player, simple...that would be a cracking bench too if the starting 13 could hold Cas for as long as possible...

Two in form teams, both with all their big guns playing...should be a cracker! Can't help but think the bookies are being totally disrespectful as to how good a side we are and how well we are playing by giving us a 22 point start...

I can only recall a handful of games where we have played each other when 'supposedly' both at the top of their form... and each time I recall a good thumping win for Cas.

hope we can break that mould on Friday... would love to be there but I shall be glued to my late evening TV screen watching instead.

Agree, should be a great game and hopefully we come out all guns blazing & actually play like we know we can and have done particularly the last couple. Don't do the usual Trinity thing of having a few games that we look good in, then suddenly stink up the place.

The bench does look really strong in your line up. The only real question regarding the staring 17 for me, is how match fit is England gonna be for this game. It's a month since he last played and has only played 3 games this season. So maybe starting Huby or Fifita instead, who are our best Props atm, may be the better option for that reason. Last thing we need is a slow start against Cas, who'll punish us if we don't turn up till the 2nd half.

Keys for us is completing sets, no penalties, keep the errors down, getthe ball out wide to TJ & BJB, once we've done the hard yards down the middle.. Also we've got to start with some real intensity from the whistle and get into their forwards and halves as much as possible. If we let them have chance to play and we don't match them set for set, they'll beat us, simple as that.

We're playing well, they're playing better and I'd have thought a 14 point start considering how well they've gone so far would be fair. Then again, if they play like they have been doing and we start like we have in a few games, they'll be more than a 22 point difference all day long.

In all honesty If I was the coach of either side I would go with the players that have been doing it the last few games as the saying goes ...Why change a winning team

Exactly

Any body got any info regarding the ticket sales. We got ours yesterday but forgot to enquire about general sales.

Interesting point that and one that is probably creeping under the radar a bit....here's a league table of combined errors and penalties conceded...

Castleford - 139
Wakefield - 144
Widnes - 151
Wigan - 154
Catalans - 154
Hull - 159
Salford - 160
Leeds - 161
Saints - 163
Huddersfield - 174
Warrington - 174
Leigh - 201

Maybe Widnes are a bit of a surprise in that but I think it shows, especially for us a huge improvement, as I'm sure in previous seasons we'd always be one of the teams making more errors and conceding more penalties than most teams....we're actually bottom on errors! We're also 3rd best in the league on missed tackles too...another huge improvement... It shows that if you start at the basics and get them right you've half a chance!

Just as an FYI, the match at Cas is probably going to be an all-ticket entry, so i'd buy them in the next few days to avoid missing out.

Really good numbers those. I think the biggest problem we had defensively last year was having the worst discipline in the league. It's a lot easier to defend when you're not giving them set after set on your own line.

If I were picking a team from both squads

Hardaker, but he's playing no better than Grix so either or
BJB, all wingers are scoring well but BJB has created more for himself
Tupou
Shenton
Johnstone
Roberts
Gale
Sene Lafao
McShane
Huby/England
McMeekin
Ashurst
Arona

Miller
Moors
Millington
Fifita

Webster is our best Centre at moment. Playing like the Webster of a few year back.

Gunna be a real corker this. Could go eitherway. Many are expecting us to win on Friday but Wakey always come down lane and put up a good performance. Can see less than 10 being in it eitherway. Packed house so lets hope for some glorious sunshine for you to enjoy at the railway end.

Wouldn't even have Tupou in the Wakefield team if Lyne and Arundel were fit so definitely wouldn't get in if we're including Cas players as well. Whilst Grix has been good for us, Hardaker is much better than him too.

Now....where do we build the stadium

Aslong as we give it a good shot and don't let ourselves down, no one is expecting us to win but it's a derby and it would be good to get a result.

Wrong on every count I'm afraid, not your best effort.

You make me laugh alot Vasty but dear oh dear come off it. You're saying Grix is as good as Hardaker? Honestly?



Tupou is a poor mans Webster (although he has improved of late). Lyne will be a far better player in the long run and from what I've seen of the two has more dimensions to his game already than Tupou.

Also thats his opinion - doesn't make it wrong or yours right as you like to think...

I'd take him with a pinch of salt, Matt. I agree. Ad good as both Grix and Tupou have been for us I think Hardaker and Webster have pipped them in terms of form so far this year. However, in terms of performance levels all 4 have been high. I think we'll lose on Friday but I'll be happy as long as we're competitive because when I traveled to Cas last year the gme was over at half time.

Stats are a beautiful thing. One way of looking at this is that those most likely to give away penalties are those who do a heavy lot of defending. Similarly, those who make the most errors are more likely to be those who have their hands on the ball the most (e.g. ourselves)

It would be interesting to see if this is reflected in the stats in some way. With Widnes, it could be that they play a safe brand of rugby when they do have the ball and in terms of penalties, they don't really give them away as their defence is leaky (missed tackles maybe high?). Be really interesting to analyse if there is a link between certain factors.

Why what's wrong with it? Centre is probably our weakest position so it's no surprise that I think the team that is top of the league is better stocked in that position. Tupou might be a stronger runner than Arundel, but Arundel is far better at bringing his winger into play, and our wingers are our biggest strength so you'll have to forgive me for preferring centres who bring them into play. Tupou is also a bit iffy under high kicks.

As for Hardaker v. Grix, I'm pretty happy with Grix as Wakey full back but lets not kid ourselves. Hardaker will likely be the starting full back for England come the World Cup, so I look forward to you suggesting then that it should be in fact Scott Grix lining up for England in Melbourne against Australia, presumably followed by everybody laughing at you (again), you throwing a hissy fit (again) and then accusing the moderators of being Stalin like dictators for letting people pick on you (again).

Yeah, it came as a bit of a surprise when I notced it the other day when looking at player stats, Like you say we've had the least amount of errors this year at 79 and 6th best on Penalties conceded. Like you say huge improvemnet so far this season. I know last season we gave the most Pens in the League. Also noticed we were 4th in average gain, which is also much improved from last year, where we were last and generally shows we're making good meters every tackle.

Although they are quite similar players, strong lads & big meter makers , imo it's unfair to say Tupou's a poor man's Webster. Webster's probably the more well rounded atm with better hands and has far more experience playing there but it's not as if there's a a huge amount at all between them for me. Like you say Tupou has improved this year, especially in the area he was weakest, his passing.