Not convinced by Meli or Foster in defence. Not sure which side they are on, but I hope Lulia and Crookes try to expose this. Sooo excited by this partnership.

I'm anticpating a tonking on Saturday. We really are crap. You are looking a lot better (based on watching you against HKR). We hadn't adjusted to Jammer's loss and then Robes got himself injured and now Soliola has a bashed up face. In addition, we have a left partnership that can't defend to save their lives and halfbacks who panic at the first sign of winning a game. Lomax handed the ball to Hull five times. Five times!

Last year when we were struggling there was a reason: we had terrible injuries from early on, we were at Widnes, we had lost Cunningham, one halfback was injured and the other useless. This year though there are no excuses. We are just s h i t e!

So ... I can only see a big loss for us this weekend.

I hope you're wrong. I can't cope with another loss :/

We are the team with the least number of penalties awarded in our favour so I very much doubt he will be sending anyone to our rescue!

Besides, even if he did, Gaskell will kick into a Bradford player's hands* or Lomax may pass to your fastest player**. And then the whole Saints team will amble back to their defensive line, backs to the ball, while whoever happens to be playing in your no.7 spot this week taps the penalty and races off towards the line without a Saints player even noticing!**



* true scenario from the Hudds game two weeks ago
**true scenarios from the Hull game on Friday night

I assume that is fact Mick? I was aware that we seemed to behind in the penalty count in almost every game this year. It's something we'll need to improve on to have the best possible chance of a play off spot.

Team I Would Put Out - providing Purtell and Elima are fit:

1. Kearney
2. Crookes
3. Lulia
4. Purtell
5. Ainscough - (although lacks physical presence of he has pace, I can see Foster/Makinson run ning riot against Pryce)
6. Addy
7. Jeffries
8. Hargreaves
9. Diskin
10. Manuokafoa
11. Elima
12. Whitehead
13. Bateman

14. L'Estrange
15. Burgess
16. Joseph
17. Walker

To be fair Lomax played with an arm injury the whole of the second half. As soon as he got the ball he passed it on to prevent being tackled. He should never have played the second half Royce should have put Wheeler on.

Foster couldn't run rings round Douglas Bader.

While obviously I sympathise with Lomax carrying an injury, he should have at least passed to a Saints player. I think he could have managed to do that even with an arm injury!

gardner, mcarthy-scarsbrook and lomax all came into the hospital today, to have niggles checked out.

On the assumption that Sammut will unfortunately receive a one game ban from Red Hall the following would be my starting Seventeen for Saturday (again on the basis that both Elima and Purtell are fit).

29 Platt
33 Pryce
2 Purtell
3 Lulia
24 Crookes
1 Kearney
6 Jeffries
15 Hargreaves
14 Diskin
16 Manuokafoa
12 Whitehead
26 Bateman
23 Addy

Interchange:

9 L'Estrange
4 Walker
21 Burgess
11 Elima

At some point all of our recent efforts will result in a dipped perfomance, more so with the likelihood that although those taking the field will be "fit to play", a few will be carrying injuries already given the nature of the game.

Hopefully we can get a win, but if we do, it won't be a big one and we'll have to play well for most if not all of the 80 mins.

I think we might just come up short, as I think Saints are a bit like us, with preferring to play away from home at present. Injuries seem to be effecting both sides so we could easily see more than a few players playing out of position.

IF, and its a big IF, Elima, Purtell and Sammut are all available (and Langers has a come back like Lazarus) then I reckon we could beat Saints - moreso if they are still missing Roby (as expected) and possibly Lomax.

Saints are likely missing Soliola, he suffered serious facial injuries at weekend in merseyside bar.