It's incredible the commitment and forward planning that BMcD puts into these big games

What's the betting he ends up having to use all 17 tomorrow to scupper his years of planning..?!

Warrior Mentality.

With all the hurrumph over hardaker there's been very little discussion on the game itself.

I think to win, we'll need to keep cas to 2 scores or less and Watkins will need to be 100%.

It's hard to see us doing that as cas have cut through our defense at will this season. One of the keys will be how we handle cas when they are on top, busting holes, getting quick ptb and moving the ball quick. That purple patch has basically been our undoing in every game this season, to differing degrees.

With all the variables taken into account such as our experience, hardakers omission, McGuire and burrow leaving, the simple uniqueness of gf night I think cas should still actually win, it just maybe closer than neutrals would have thought.

I know sport doesn't work like this, but I just feel like we're due a gf loss, you know?

I wouldn't count on Hardaker not playing yet....

If it's the same bench as last week then he'll use them all. 2015 was the one for me, seeing Walters on the bench and telling some Wigan fans that he won't even get on the pitch. For all the bad games he's had with use of subs his timing of introducing Keinhorst & Walters that night was one of his best.

If he does, im sure Hardaker will be delighted the club dragged his name through the mud, allowed speculation to run rife, made him look a dick and allowed him to be accused of anything you can think of for no reason. Seems great man-management.

He can't. They can't change the 19 unless an injury occurs that vacates a place.

Whilst I don't think we'll see Hardaker playing tomorrow, on the above issue they could just chuck Joel Monaghan in a room with a dog for 10 mins and next thing you know he'll have a groin injury.

The club absolutely should have made him unavailable for selection whilst they investigated the allegation made against him. This was not resolved when the 19 man squad was announced so, at that point, he was unavailable for selection.
If they have interviewed Hardaker today and concluded that he has no case to answer (as yet) or he has accepted some kind of warning, Cas should not prevent him from resuming his duties.
Not sure what Hardaker would have to moan about. In fact, he will probably appreciate the club conducting their investigations so quickly.

The club have said he is unavailable because he broke club rules. They have already found him guilty of the offense that they dropped him for. Their silence on what that offense was has allowed speculation to run rife and Hardaker to be accused of plenty that he didnt do. So the club would be saying he was guilty before they had come to that conclusion, were wrong about it, and had needlessly hung Hardaker out to dry for an offence he hadnt actually committed.