Having secured my seat with the modern day version of Gavin Murray I look forward to a 4.45 start to venture the M62 to Hull (heaven help us). Hoping we arrive for kick off following a decent intake of alcohol on the way what can we hope for. Will we leave West Hull in fifth or seventh position and does it make a difference?

I think for coach Brown and the perception of him it actually does. We finish fifth and he possibly gets to put a spin on things, finish seventh and that will be much harder when at a club who in my forty two years of supporting we have almost always been top five, I really don't know of any other club with that consistency.

Hull will be up for this and we really cant start like that again. Walker and Howarth need to be stood down and if Robes is fit we need him out on the park. Hull are like ourselves you don't know what you are getting from one week to the next.

If I am totally honest and it kills me to say this I think we will not quite have enough in the locker. My thoughts are with next season. Walsh is what is needed if he wants to be here. Wheeler is the answer and he is on last chance and he must know this himself. Walmsley has had a good preparation season and lets see if the kids we have seen can make the step up. And finally at least the cladding gate issue is almost at an end. He isn't half good with a drill that Eamon.

Well if he's fit Wheeler for me would be a shoe in for 6.

Quite simply I would go

Lomax, Swift, Meli, Turner, Makinson, (Wheeler, Wilkin) [with GOB out of the side this has been our best half pairing for the one and a half games it lasted]
TP, Roby, Walmsley, Manu, Sia, LMS

BENCH

Lance, Clough, Laffranchi, Walker (some may pick Jones)


For me above is our best possible line up.

But with Wellens a shoe in for a spot if I had to adapt it, I would go with the St. Pete adaption®


Wellens, Swift, Meli, Turner, Makinson, Lomax, Wilkin
TP, Roby, Walmsley, Manu, Sia, LMS

BENCH

Lance, Clough, Laffranchi, Walker (some may pick Jones)

What's your thoughts behind not picking Jones? Baffled me that one.

Don't get me wrong, I like Jones, but given the lightweight nature of our pack and with a prop at Loose Forward, I would rotate 3 props on and off. Walmsley still does not do long minutes, TP tends to not be full on for the whole match. Laffranchi is not big enough to prop it really. So it gives us quantity where we lack quality at prop.

If Roby played a full match then Lance would not be required.
If our props were props or not short minute props then I would drop a prop for a 2nd rower.

For me though, Jones provides a real steel, particularly in defence and hits well above his weight. I'd start with Manu, Jones and LMS as the back row. I'd bring Soliola on to replace LMS playing a similar style as I think he could do well chiming in unpredictably on a hard line. That would leave us still with 5 props (TP, Laffranchi, Walmsley, LMS, Clough/Walker) in the 17 but would give us more options, in my opinion anyway.

There are several options that you can go with, I guess I'd just like some extra bulk out there to make certain. I doubt it will be either of my line up's.

All things being equal I expect to see.

Lomax, Swift, Meli, Turner, Makinson, Lance, Wilkin, TP, Howarth, Laffranchi, Jones, Manu , LMS

Roby, Sia, Walmsley, Wellens.

I think if sia is fit after his injury, he has to start. He brings power, aggression in defence and attack. He's been our best player for two seasons and he has to play from the start with Manu.

LMS has impressed at 13 so IMO deserves to play there in the big game team.

I don't understand the thinking behind moving LMS from 13 against Warrington when he had looked so much better there against Wigan and Catalans. It was as though Brown had found a winning solution and then changed it again. Baffling.

That's what he does tho. He even commented on finding Lms position and it being 13.

As I said on Friday, we should have took the 2 points to make it a one score to win but then we also took off Lms and sia when we was on top. Those two brought the us up to scratch physically with the wolves and we went flat when we took them off.

Correct. And we brought Howarth on when we were on a roll as well and he just slowed everything down again.

Exactly! Lance was causing them problems and he brought the awful howarth on.

It looks as though we could finish in 7th place now. Warrington will have nothing to play for next week and could rest quite a few players to give Catalan a win. With just +1 in our favour on points difference with Hull, I suppose a draw will do.
As already mentioned will Brown bring Lomax into the halves to cause problems to Hulls fairly reasonable defence.
We are miles away from Huddersfield and Warrington in rugby terms do we need all this torture in the play offs.

I don't think we have a cat in hell's chance of beating Hull. Their defence is superb and our attack is useless. Without a kicker on board we won't be able to get over the line. They have halfbacks, and one who can do a lot of damage (except at Challenge Cup finals) while our defence has been iffy all season.

They've conceded more points than us this season and we have scored exactly the same amount of points.

If their defence is superb then the stats would suggest that so is ours. Their attack must also be equally as useless as ours.

Howarth shouldn't get anywhere near the 17. Never seen a hooker so slow around the ruck or fall off so many tackles. As per Friday, I'd expect Wello to take over at stand off from the bench & Hohaia to hooker when Roby needs a breather.
Wheeler will not play & wont be in initial squad. Im told he's light years from match fitness to even be considered.