Give o'brien plenty of breaks this year no need to flog him, hopefully with love grove lauaki is kept out 10min game time is pointless.

Has anyone else noticed that the Whitehaven website has gone?

They have the internet in Cumbria?

Cameo if injured it would be due to him actually sprinting to make a tackle, his muscles aren't used to it!

34. Richie Mathers
2. Omari Caro
4. Kris Welham
3. Adrian Purtell
22. James Clare
6. Lee Gaskell
13. Danny Addy
10. Adam Sidlow
9. Adam O'Brien
27. Johnny Walker
11. Tom Olbison
28. Kurt Haggerty
23. Alex Mellor

30. Joe Lumb
35. Rhys Lovegrove
12. Dale Ferguson
14. Jay Pitts

Blythe and Clark to miss for me. I think in Cumbria (weather and all) it will be a forwards game. So Blythe usually offers utility off the bench, this may not be needed. And Clark misses due to it being a forwards game (may not be fit enough for a proper arm wrestle) so hopefully give him small spells next week against a potentially easier Swinton team.

Although I can see Lowes keeping Blythe on the bench instead of Lumb.

If he is injured let's hope it's nothing trivial!

Yeah, it's powered by pigeons

I am hoping lauaki is dropped/rotated rather than injured. Jimmy needs to show that no one can just plod around and expect to get picked this year as that person will be a liability come the qualifiers.

Harsh...

... but

Did anyone feel that Ferguson's fitness isn't up to scratch yet against Fev? He didn't drive as hard as we saw last season and though he was reasonably ok in defence, he looked knackered by the end of the first half - if you watch the set where we conceded the second try, Fev ran at him all set and by the end he was out on his feet and his sluggishness ultimately conceded the try.

Anyway, what I was getting on to is that he might be better rested

I wouldn't expect many players to be at full fitness at the beginning of the year. Everything we do will be mainly geared towards the middle 8's and that will include getting the players to as close as peak condition in Aug/Sept. I'm sure the players will be a bit more match fit in a few weeks time.

Big guys struggle on the heavy pitches, he had to do extra minutes because Kavanagh was injured, Lauaki was being Lauaki, and Olbison actually moved to prop at one stage.

Oh, and it was the first game of the season.

I think that's probably enough reasons

Bulls starting line up:

34. – Richie Mathers
22. – James Clare
3. – Adrian Purtell
4. – Kris Welham
2. – Omari Caro
6. – Lee Gaskell
13. – Danny Addy
10. – Adam Sidlow
9. – Adam O’Brien
11. – Tom Olbison
12. – Dale Ferguson
28. – Kurt Haggerty
14. – Jay Pitts
---
15. – Matty Blythe
35. – Rhys Lovegrove
20. – Mitch Clark
23. – Alex Mellor