So, given the very pessimistic outlook by quite a few posters how does the club approach this game. yes it's three weeks or so away but given the injuries thus far does the club adopt a more strategic POV and ensure any players that aren't 100% don't play and thus take whatever happens in the game on the chin but players who might have been risked otherwise have yet another period of time to get right for a big push toward cementing a top 4 spot?

As per every season we have players being jabbed up, strapped up and simply running on one leg, if people are already rating out chances with the best theoretical side we can put out as having no chance or very slim chance of beating saints then is the long term better option simply to play only those whom are 100% fit, even if that means a spanking but is a nod to player welfare.
We all want to play to win and even with a very weakened side out things can happen out the blue, it would be no shame to lose and know that not forcing players to play, or come back too soon is the right thing to do.

Depends what happens these next couple of weeks. Lose against Rovers and Wire and the top four could be a struggle. I think we're in a position where I would like us to get our best 17 out on the field to defend the cup again. The sport and fans deserve a big game atmosphere, which you wouldn't get if we didn't pick our strongest 17 IMO.

Get the best team possible on the field.

Its worth seeing what the injury list looks like after the wire game, not just for us, but as we have seen one game can yield several injuries then its possible Saints may be in a similar situation.

I dont like using the expression of being a free hit, but we are not expected to win, a loss and its business as usual in the league. Could be a ideal game to give first team experience to a couple of younger lads or use it as a game to get some returning from injury back up to speed for the league run in.

Worth trying to win any game and I’m sure we will . But I’d probably take a win this week , lose against wire and saints , then win the next 3 home games and see how we sit in the league and hopefully have most players back . Then kick on and concentrate on the top 4 .

This. We're defending a trophy for goodness' sake.

Silly question, of course we play our strongest possible side.

There are ony two major trophies on offer, why would we purposely reduce our chances of winning one of them.

… playing Kelly, say, this weekend, [imay be just too soon[/i, and could mean losing him for the cup game.

That's different though. Next week is not a one off knock out game. Losing it does not end our chances of winning a trophy.

…. but we can't afford lose this weekend's game, in reality, can we?

Well it accounts for about 3% of our potential points in a season like all the other games.

Not when we've already lost 6 games.

Top 4 after 30 games is going to be very difficult - we can't afford to lose any games, which, in normal circumstances, we should win.

There are already plenty more matches we [icould[/i lose.

Jesus, can't we ban these negative posters? Bend over and take a bumming in the trophy we hold? Are people mad?

Go for it all guns blazing, there are only two trophies to play for so we throw everything at it.

Go for the win. We're going for 3 CC wins on the bounce, I'd be well gutted and disappointed if the club chose to effectively throw the game.
Granted we could win with a load of players out/not risked, but it's very highly unlikely.

The way Lee Radford speaks of his passion for the challenge cup I can’t see no other side but our best possible line up taking the field , little knocks and all , which I totally agree with ! It’s our trophy, and has been the past two years, I want it to still be our trophy next year .however unlikely it may seem

It's not a silly question because our 'strongest' side is usually half full of players not fully fit and jabbed up, thus making them more susceptible to injury and actually not performing during the match anyway.
The possibility that player welfare is put at risk on top of potentially losing them for longer against sitting them out for a game where it might not be worth the risk and simply trust to the players that do out there is a genuine poser.

Our strongest side is the one that is fittest and players in their normal positions, that doesn't mean putting out players who are a risk/only just come back after a long lay-off and not match fit.

Have you anything to contribute to the thread or are you just whining for the sake of it. How is it negative, it poses a serious question, clearly you're unable to get involved in a serious discussion about rugby or anything else for that matter.

I agree. Jab 'em up and throw them out there. Let' s not die wondering.

Not with someone with as little knowledge of the game as you have. I'd get a better debate out of the average 5 year old

That post sums up your lack of knowledge of the game. Every club will have players carrying knocks and jabbed up every week. If they didn't no one would be able to field a team.

We save every player for the CC game
We are one game from Wembley
Because if we beat Saints then we win the Semi
We won’t make GF - way too inconsistent
Our best team lost at Salford earlier

The CC is a massive money spinner and I truly believe if we beat Saints we will win the Semi v Giants or Dragons lol
Really we will win the Semi if we beat Saints
So being only 1 match from wembley we go all out to win that match
That’s obvious to me as a Fan and would be to me as an owner

Go for it guns blazing

Make it our game of the season

If we can beat Saints then we’d stand a good chance of winning the cup again, that’s the way I see it

No, it sums up your ignorance and understanding of the question I asked in the first instance, all you could come up with is to attack me.
Promoting young/squad players to play in a game can not only bring you the unexpected which we've seen Radford do in the past but also doesn't risk players who can pick up yet another injury that could well scupper any chances of performing further down the line/deeper into the season.

You also ignore player welfare, yeah, play players jabbed up and look what happened to Carlos. Playing players carrying injuries that don't end up performing as they should week in, week out and that has a negative effect in game and then end up being out for far longer due to being played carrying a knock and having a bigger effect than simply resting them for an extra game or two.

You're clueless if you think managing some players injuries means we would never have a team to field

I was clearly talking about risking players who if they break down again would have a massive impact on our season, I asked the question, I did not say that is what we should do, hence why it was an open question to debate, something you are clearly not capable of doing yet again and all you can do is throw childish insults!

Can we all develop a thicker skin please?

I've seen nothing but pointless arguing on this board for a while, with toys out of the pram over the most minor things. Frankly I'm bored with it. If people can't discuss issues without descending into playground insults then the mods will take away the opportunity for posters to take part.