Liam Harris will play before Washbrook surely?

No I don't think so. Washbrook isn't a match winner but he is dependable and Radford trusts him, and in an important game likely to be played in poor conditions I think he will go safe.

As I said my personal preference would be Miloudi, but that would be a bold move.

That's an embarrassing Hull side Washbrook at half back FFS and a shocking bench for a so called top club. The mismatch in quality at prop is equally shocking. Rovers by 24 points and onto an actual contest in round 2.

Can't quite decide if that's just straight up trolling or if you are a little bit delusional.

Here's hoping. Lots of doom and gloom west of the river going into this one. Can't see passed a rovers' victory, start the season off with a bang. Most looking forward to seeing how Dagger does hopefully he is rewarded and Sheens picks him. RRTR

What do you disagree with?
Washbrook in the halves an embarrassment?
A bench of 21, 21, 22, 23 year old against Masoe, Lannon etc?
Matongo, Taylor, Fash and Nzoungou vs
Garbutt, Mulhern, Masoe..

Delusional indeed mate if you think those are anywhere near equal...

Said a while back this is a dream set of opening four games. With Wire perhaps disrupted regards Brown we should be looking at a target of 8 points.

An embarrassment? Really? He's average and unspiring, I'll give you that, but he will do a job.

We have head and shoulders the best prop in the fixture in Taylor. You edge the rest of the head to heads, but it's all pretty much tit for tat. I like Garbutt, he's better than Paea, and Mulhern is a good young prop, but so is Matongo. Masoe has his moments but often goes missing. I fancy Nzoungou to be the surprise package of this year. Lannon is a nothing player, you must have just as good in the academy?

Anyway, we don't have long to wait to find out.

I'm not saying you won't win this game, there's every chance you will, but your prediction of 24 is either just bravado or you are massively over rating yourselves/underating Hull.

If you are really that confident then the bookies have you as sizeable outsiders. I'm sure you'll make a killing.

Mulhearn is one of the best props in the division, never mind just young and good. He’s light years ahead of Matongo.

[list=[/list
Completely, shows how things have been turned on their head since the end of the season and even since the fixtures came out. Seemingly everything has gone right for Rovers this off season whereas across the river they is a lot going wrong there.

This thread is starting to fill me with dread.



I’m hopeful about this fixture and the season ahead. However, I do wonder whether after relegation and having to drag ourselves back from that, we’re getting carried away just because we don’t have any glaring deficiencies in the squad for the first time in a while.

Not being cannon fodder doesn’t automatically mean we’re going to take a Great Leap Forward.

Hope Zook is right but looking at Mr Zucc's likely line up their pack is fairly intact. Don't think Its a huge drop in quality from Green/Bowden.Westerman has hardly played 2nd stint. The halves are yet to be confirmed and I expect 2 of the 3 big earners to play,possibly all 3 if Connor gets off? The bench is where we look much stronger. I've been pretty confident in build up so far and just hope we do the business

I doubt Washbrook will start in the halves, i get that Radford might not have faith in Miloudi yet but just cant see Washbrook starting there.
Its a similar scenario to Dagger for us, Sheens see's a lot in him but does he have the faith to give him a shot? Im not sure he will play againt Hull.
As for comparing packs, Hull have always had one of the stronger packs in SL but it doesnt look that way this season, losing Watts and Ellis has hit them hard, i dont think they'll really miss Green that much, but Westerman if fit is a big loss. Like the look of Matongo, big future ahead of him.
As for Rovers pack we need Garbutt to stay fit, he only played 9 games last season and some Leeds fans questioned his attitude too. For me Mose doesnt do enough, couple of big drives and he's hiding behind the play the ball IMO.
Weve got a good set of fixtures though as someone above stated and should hopefully get points on the board, 8 from 8 im not so sure

6 from 8 id snap your hand off. 4 from 8 would still be ok as long as 2 come in Friday.

I was thinking 6 from 8 myself, for me i think if we can start well on Friday we'll win it. Tough game away at Warrington though.

I rate him highly, but you are really stretching it calling him one of the best in the division, how many are on this list? He has the potential to be, but he is still developing. He is better than Matongo, but light years is really over exaggerating.

Mulhern is first forward down on team sheet as far as I see it. Amazing progress in relatively short period.
Matongo looks the part. Seems not to have pushed on as expected but still plenty of time. Light years? Maybe maybe not but Mulhern is turning into a leader and as stands is well ahead imo

Zooks predictions have been pretty disastrous in recent years who can forget him predicting us going through the qualifiers unbeaten with ease only to get relegated so although I’m hoping for a win and we will have a good chance I’m not that confident to come out with the sort of hammering Zook is predicting after all this just about the same Hull side that beat us with 12 men last year

One of the best in SL I think. Could even be the best on show but definitely not head and shoulders above everyone else. He did not even make the final England squad.

It does look like being a similar Hull side to last year's home game which ended sourly despite the early red card. That freak early Houghton try just set us back and then played tig with Connor and Tuimavave and lost a very winnable game again. Our middle and edges look so much stronger now that I just can't see it going that way. Attack has never been our problem,even when struggling we play attractive rugby as Phil Clarke often alludes to. Its the nasty rough stuff we lacked. Not now, that pack is as big and aggressive as they come imo. No brain farts and daft cards or McGuire getting pinged for gobbing off at ref (can see the Zeebrugge stand howling every time he opens his mouth) and we should win the day.

Disagree about Lannon. Very shrewd buy. Every time iv seen him for Salford he has been very good and gone very well in pre-season. The fact he may not make the 17 tells us we have a much stronger side than past years. Rumours another forward due in to replace Josh Johnson and Jewitt and Scruton due back shortly and Lunt and Quinlan back at the crucial end of season and its pretty positive from CP. Apart from the floodlight falling down it's been best preseason for ages.

Rovers by 10+ Tommy Lee anytime try scorer. Printing money

Taylor? I think that was more due to injury than not being selected. Think he had a shoulder op in the off season. Of the English props in SL there aren't many I would swap Taylor for. Thompson, Walmsley if he can return the same player from his injury. That's pretty much it. Mulhern is a really good young prop, but he is yet to reach his potential yet and is a way behind Taylor right now.

Think he did say he was disappointed not to be selected. If he had the op then maybe this was when he was not called up.

No reflection on Taylor, but it would have been dfficult for any international coach to pick from a team on the end of so many poor results/performances.Hopefully it may be a blessing in disguise for Taylor.