It's a decent squad considering it's cobbled together nature - but it feels like an uphill struggle without the main playmakers *and* finishers available.

I think we can match them up the middle - but our backs and 3/4's are going to be hard pressed. Never feel confident going into a Cas game - they've got the hoodoo over us good and proper.

Cas have been cobbled together for most of the season themselves and despite an excellent start to the season, they to are desperately short in the halves and at 9. I agree that they have an excellent 3/4 but, as has been the case recently, they are beatable and I agree that had we had Brough and Miller, we should have really fancied this one.

Brough will be a HUGE miss but, lets see what happens.

The bookies are giving us 10 start on the coupon but, lets hope it's a tighter game than that.

I’m not sure Brough is a huge miss. Him and Miller first choice no doubt but Hampshire and Reynolds are no mugs.

Most wanted Hampshire over Brough at the start of the season anyway so not such a huge loss as Hampshire was playing well at HB.

As for Reynolds we shouldn’t have signed him if we didn’t think he could do it. He’s no novice, think he played 30+ SL games for Leigh and scored a fair few from HB and whenever I saw him play he looked one of their better players.

Finally him and Hampshire played together in that Leigh team though I don’t know if they were ever HB partners. All the same they aren’t strangers.

I reckon they might surprise a few as Reynolds is a good kicker. Hope so anyway.

Do we really fear their three quarters that much?

Do we think Minikin and Clare are much better than Arundel and MCB? On the other side Shenton and Eden...brilliant two seasons ago playing off Gale and Hardaker...is Lyne & BJB not a better pairing at present? I think collectively we edge it in the three quarters and I think our forwards could come out on top if the big minutes against Wigan haven’t left a mark...

It’s then down to the pivots...Gale and McShane are huge misses for them, bigger than ours IMO...

I think with all the positivity around the place at present we can go there and get this monkey off our back!

It's amazing what happens when some logic is applied to a situation!
Totally agree with you although before reading your post I was thinking that we will struggle against cas

Yes our outside backs are fairly evenly matched you are right, specially now we have mcb

We have them in the forwards for me. Plus we have Dave!

Cas like us have a very good full back playing in the halfs
No one has seen Renoylds play for us yet but I agree with the early poster he's no kid and should know his roll

It looks like we have one of our main strike players in
woody playing where as mcshane will not play for cas at hooker

Plus we can field a strong bench

This is going to be a very even match
A lot will depend on rocky and renoylds play and our kicking game

I'm going with wakey by 4

Personally I would have liked BJB to play full back & put young kershaw on the wing then at least we have a player who can tackle at FB & a good tackler in the wing, Controversial I know but we need to know we're covered in those areas

Full back play has changed since BJB played there.
His kick return is second to none but his link in the line which our game plan really needs would need to be relearned so I'd stick with Max.

BJB plated FB for us a few years back and it went badly IMO. Max is a better FB and BJB is a really good winger and thats how I think it should stay. Kershaw will get his chance but not over Easter, it could break the kid.

I actually liked the Horo BJB combination for their defensive efforts last week. Even though it was an enforced move I thought they worked pretty well together

To me its not too much about the teams as I see them pretty even, its more around A) How clinical we are when in an attacking position B) Playing that 80m pitch as good if not better than Cas C) Mindset of players knowing we haven't beat them in 5yrs!!

With MCB in the squad it makes it a little easier.
Agree re the Porn Star at the side of BJB last week, the only slight issue for me is if he played at centre, could he do the full 80?
I say that as i think the bench will be full of forwards!

If MCB plays I agree. Love the Porn start tag for horo

Sorry to disappoint you about Reynolds. Yes , he is a very good goal kicker, but his tactical kicking from the hand was very poor, while his lack of pace meant he could never take on the defence. So I do not know what matches you saw him shine in, all I can remember is him kicking 9 goals and a try when we put 50 past a virtual Wigan A team. Most Leigh fans were up in arms because he was always preferred in stead of Raidyard by the then coach Jukes. As for Hampshire, he was also very disappointing but was played mainly at full back, but I do admit he has been very impressive when playing for Wakefield.

If his distribution is ok and he guide us round the park and kick some goals, that will be just fine.
There is enough pace in the squad elsewhere with BJB, Lyne, Caton Brown, Hampshire and Fifita, assuming you saw his break last week

.

With Brough and Miller missing, it's distribution and kicking duties that need to be filed.

IIRC, he played in 2 pre season games and he certainly went ok and if I'm honest, I'm not sure how he's got on while at Fev but, let's see how he goes.
There's plenty of experience around him so, hopefully he'll grab his chance with both hands.

He made 76 appearances for you and scored 23 tries for you according to Wiki. Think you’re being a touch blinkered as assuming those stats are true they are pretty good by any standards! I accept that a lot of that would have been in the championship but all the same.

Against us obviously

ripped us apart in one game, that’s where I first noticed him. No offence but I rarely take much note of fans who go out of their way to slag off a former player though I accept your point of view.

All the same I’ll judge him on what he does for us as every player we have ever signed was rubbish apparently and that includes Fifita and especially Lyne.

sorry guys Horo will get to be made look silly in the centres straight out to slow.

I think we should preserve and go for the win Monday but that is just me probably

Horo was an on the run patch up, and shouldn’t be considered a starting centre. He was at fault for 2 of Wigan’s late try’s by shooting out. He’s a very capable back rower and needs to be kept there. Nothing to fear at Cas or Leeds. We have the team to take 2 points off them both.

If nothing else I'm praying to the rugby gods for no more injuries.

Slightly off on a tangent, anybody else notice that PP is no longer wearing the strapping. After an injury dominated few weeks that has to be a positive.

Indeed.
May be wrong but, last week was the first time that his full leg was on show.

Although we are having a hard time with injuries Cas are not too far behind us in that respect, quality wise tonight I don’t think we are too far apart so hoping for a good game. Reynolds been playing very well at Fev, looking forward to seeing what he can do and can’t be much worse than his opposite number tonight in Aston who looks very ordinary at championship level.

He didnt look "silly" against the pie eaters....
Yeah, it is.
As usual.

Will Leeds make their home match against Huddersfield or away to Wakefield a priority? That is, IF they have a priority. I can't quite see them playing their second team on Friday to preserve the players for Monday!

I doubt that it will make much difference, but Leeds have an even smaller turn round time between matches than Wakefield do. I've seen in the past what disaster my football team have suffered when more concern is given to one match rather than another.

I'm hoping for two victories each this weekend for Wakefield & Queens Park Rangers. Certainly going into Monday with that still a possibility would be great!