If you're from Hull you're Radford's mate, if not then he doesn't like you & will look for a reason to drop you.

I get the feeling he's pretty close to Crooks & Pitts.

And he clearly doesn't like Yeaman & Tuson as evidenced by when players don't perform are instantly put on the naughty step.

Apparently Horne is a very likeable bloke so he probably get's on with Radford.

Expecting Houghton to give a full 80 against Rovers is a big ask. He'll inevitably tire and most of our close losses this season have been lost in the last quarter. Heremaia must be injured. Who if anyone, is Radford intending to spell Danny with?

Everyone's an armchair coach !!!!

How did Hadley get on at hooker in the fev friendly? Could he spell Houghton for 15-20 mins?

Wouldn't be good enough in SL..Shaul was a hooker he could play there..he's very quick out of dummy half.

I don't but all this, your from Hull you play, why would he drop Shaul early in the season.

Anyway bold move to drop/rest Heremia, if he needed a rest surley it would be against London, I would have also left him in the squad, as Rovers would have had there game plan to play against two hookers, now all the attention, will be on tiring Houghton out.

Massive game this, haven't won two on the trot all season and not won a game away, time to start our season. On paper we look too strong for them, but need to turn up or they will beat us.

Bloody awful

Radford isn't going to declare his hand until 60 minutes before kick off.

Shaul and Talanoa were doubts after the Huddersfield game, so let's wait and see.

Keep Rovers guessing, and hopefully we'll put out a near full strength team.

shaul wasn't dropped against widnes he was ill

Not sure, was subbed the week before, so thought he was dropped, although Crooks didn't live in Hull, he came through the academy and his dad is a big a hull fan as any of us, he been dropped a few times.

Think Radford is picking the team he thinks best to win the game, even though at times he had got it wrong.

IMO it would be a mistake to play houghton for the full 80 and no one but azza will offer enough at dummy half. Can see radford putting horne on the bench and using him to spell houghton and/or one of the halfs. Poor decision to drop heremaia for me

I agree, let's hope we are proved wrong.

No, he just wasn't selected. He spoke about it in a subsequent match programme, saying that Radford had explained the decision to him and that he took it on the chin and worked hard in training.

I think we'll lose the game and a big factor will be radford's team selection. watts and feka should have been in for hadley and bowden IMO and azza on the bench. Only other change I would have made would have been anyone for colborn. I really hope shaul and the bin man are fit or we are fubar'd and rovers will win at a canter

Fair enough but radford lied on the radio in the after match interview then

I think we will win, our pack should be too strong for the, you mention our backs, but who have Rovers got to fear in there backs? Last season, rovers had 4 players I was worried about Eden, Dobson, Paterson and Paea.

Both backs are average, halfbacks inconsistent, Pack is where the game will be won and that's were we have the advantage, Rovers have absolutely no skill in there forwards. Needs to get on the front foot and test the defence of there backs.

I hope you're right

[urlhttp://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hull-FC-Jamie-Shaul-hopes-forward-pack-set/story-20959633-detail/story.html[/url

Shaul [iwas[/i dropped, according to Shaul.




Agree. Aaron must be injured, or Radford's playing a double bluff and he'll be drafted in last minute to replace another injury. Surely...

Watts and Feka are in the 19.

I see the Dobbins potential new signing Wayne Ulugia has flown into the country and is now in Hull. I wonder if he will play against us?.

Sorry, I meant should be in, not have been in. Don;t think they will be

Shaul was in the next box to us for the widnes game and said he'd been dropped for poor training . Can't see him making that up .

Not saying he was, just that radford said on the radio afterwards taht he didn;t play because he was ill. Maybe radford was lying because rankin had a mare at FB and we would probably have won if shaul were playing.

Back to the game I think our strongest pack would include paea, carvell, feka, watts, thompson, ellis, tuson (although close with hadley IMO) and westy. I'd rotate 5 props and then use thompson in the 2nd row later on to give ellis and tuson a breather

I remember hearing on RH that Shaul had been below par at training and had been sent for a blood test.
Nothing untoward was found, so maybe being dropped and unfit both applied.