I think yesterday's game will take some of getting over. We took a bit of a physical battering. It really showed up just how tough Catalan are. When they get all their troops back they will be a right handful.
The Wigan & Saints games will be even more of a test than we thought.

We will have 3 key pack players out (clark, bullock, harrison) and dudson. If we lose against Wigan and Saints we will still be 8 from 10 and 1st or 2nd in the league with a series of winnable games to follow. It's a long season.

With 16 points in the bag already we shouldn't need to bust a gut getting into the top four. Winning the hubcap should not be a priority for us but getting to the play-offs with a fit and relatively fresh squad should be. We can afford to lose a couple of matches and make sure that we don't pick players that are carrying knocks, as there are eager alternatives from the Academy to fill their boots. Certainly they are not equivalent replacements, but the experience they gain will pay the club back in the future.

This, winning 1 from 3 of these tough fixtures, given were light in the pack, would not be the end of the world. As long as, like yesterday, we can stay in the game against Wigan and Saints, I wouldn't complain. If we can one of them, then happy days*. Hopefully, we'll be stronger across the park come the next run of tougher fixtures and the playoffs. Mikaele looking a bigger miss than I ever would have thought last season!

*If we win both, then there will be a huge shortage of Harvey's Bristol Cream in the borough.

You've got to remember Wigan are bashed up too. Cooper out, I'd guess, plus others bruised and battered. Should be a great game.

I was hoping to see Cooper "tear us a new one"

Almost every GF had been won by the top 2 in the regular placings, and the majority of those by the team that finished top..
We make every post a winning post.
We can rest big names in the final couple of regular games of the season if required. No use resting them now.

Could potentially add Philbin to that list maybe even Ratchford.

I wouldn't be surprised if your mate King had a significant role in determining the result, whether leaping high to win it for them or a terrible defensive misread for us to win, who knows...

I’m the cold light of day… the dudson thing is terrible. Obviously not 3 games and more like 6… the punch in itself isn’t that bad, and he doesn’t throw it with a huge amount of intent.

The real nasty part was the smug grin after being sent off though. Missed that yesterday.

I think were at an all hands on deck situation with the pack for the next few games, which is just incredible when you think that Harrison, Bullock, Clark, Dudson and possibly Philbin could all be missing and Mikaele going home from our squad at the start of 2023.

Were looking at the possibility of having Vaughn, Walker, Kasiano, Currie, Nicholson and McGuire as starters, with Thomas, Green and Whitehead on the bench.

Once we have more available forwards than places within the 17, then I'm sure we'll see some rotation as we haven't quite gone a third of the way through the season.

Just watching back on the highlights from yesterday, the one thing that still absolutely astounds me is just how the video ref came to the conclusion that Currie's pretty heroic defensive effort warranted a penalty try for Catalans?

I mean Phil Clarke and JJB can waffle as much as they like about an infringement on the Catalan centre, but when a player just stands there hesitating over a bouncing ball, then surely a defender has every right, especially as RL is a contact sport, to contest for it?

The more I watch it, the more it's obvious that Currie is genuinely going for the ball and it's the bizarre hesitation of the Catalan player, not to make an effort to ground the ball, that causes contact between the two of them.

As for the Dudson situation, I think his behaviour yesterday may have increased the urgency behind the scenes for Fitzpatrick and Powell to bring in a replacement for Mikaele.

How far away is Bullock? We need him back ASAP and I’m slightly relieved about Dudsons idiocy yesterday as had a feeling Dudson would be preferred to Bullock if both fit due to Dudson being a ‘signing’. Bullock is a far better player.

A massive FU to the fans that. "I'm getting banned for three months but don't worry you're paying me anyway."

On Friday coming up (14th) it will have been 5 weeks since he broke his hand, recovery time was 4-6 weeks so there might be a chance he plays but it might be more like the saints game, Clark possibly back for saints as well.