Does that still apply?
Tbh, I thought that idea bit the dust some time back and the only thing which seems to matter today is that you announce the team 48 hours before the game? I don't think it's like the old days when we had separate 'A' team players and first team players. Technically all players with a squad number are first team players.

I think that's right. It is a balance. The result doesn't matter a jot and we're better off not having another cup game imo. It would be great to play a full team (well, except we won't be able to as most of the loans won't be allowed to play anyway) and get a winning run going but it would be awful to lose players in a no account game which has no bearing on the main event this year. On balance I think losing our better players to injury could be catastrophic to our season and would far outweigh any benefit from playing.

Yes, they could be injured in the next game against Dewsbury - who knows, so why take the chance if we don't have to?

Without our loanees Oledzki, JJR, Murray, Lilley and Larroyer and without our injured players Caro and Keyes we may actually have a job scraping together a 19 if we choose to rest Leon. If Thomas and Roche are unfit we're really struggling not to mention Moore's possible absence.

Take all those out and we look like this:

Campbell
Macani
Mendeika
Oakes
Ryan
Pickersgill
Smith
Magrin
Lumb
Kirk
Wilkinson
Bentley
Halafihi

Peltier
Walker???
Tomlinson???
Rickett????

The income for a few rounds would be great, however, its staying in the Championship that counts

so we could rest a couple of players

There will be no resting a lot of players. We essentially have no kids seen as though the majority of the u19's are about 16-17! Plus as someone mentioned above, we will likely be without out our loan players. However I can see Leeds letting us have Hallas (if he's recovered) and potentially Oledzki as they won't be in their plans, even for cup games.

Larroyer is on a season long loan so not sure how that works in terms of cup. But Cas might turn round and say no. JJR is probably the closest to playing for Leeds so doubtful. Does Murray even feature in Salford's plans? Even so he's only here for a month at the moment anyway! So highly unlikely we will have any loan players.

Moore could be sent down. We might have him for Featherstone. We might not. And if Thomas has picked up an injury along with Keyes and Lumb. Could be struggling for a 17.

For me a win would be nice, keep the momentum going and hopefully get a decent tie in the next round (Leeds away). Saying that we have a 4 point game against Dewsbury next week so I'd sooner go into that with no more injuries. Plus as the season progresses and we get closer to our goal of survival those weekend's off (cup weekends) would do us the world of good!

On the subject of Hallas, I noticed on that crappy little programme thing they give you on entering the turnstiles, that Hallas wasn't listed in the squad. That being said, neither was Daniel Murray, so it's probably nothing to go by. But to not list him but have Oledzki & JJR on there, and be up to date enough to not list Lilley just set an alarm ringing that maybe Hallas has gone back (perhaps because of an injury). Or the person doing the squad list was too useless to remember he's here.....

Surely with all the disruption pre-season and the influx of new players it is important that the strongest side plays together as much as possible. Nobody wants to pick up an injury in a meaningless game but they could just as well do it in training.

Any danger of Phoenix arriving soon? Does the man even exist?

He's actually a Fax fan who's just changed his Twitter picture and name so it looks like an RL Player. He's renowned for catching people out with the trick and did the same to Cha-Lo a couple of months ago.

To be fair they also listed Gene Ormsby at one point when he was never signed. Only rumoured. Murray has had 3? games with us so should be on that list which shows whoever writes that is either incompetent or genuinely thinks these players aren't with us. Hallas is being treated at Leeds for his injury but his loan was extended after he went back along with the other 3. Only Lilley has been recalled. So Hallas is still available to us on a week to week basis.

As for Phoenix about a week or two he tweeted something along the lines of "Bulls fans, looking forward to being over in a couple of weeks". Not a direct quite but something along those lines. So should be here soon.

Murray is listed as number 33 but wore 22.