I expect McCarthy and Blythe to miss out dependent upon no other injuries before friday and the team to line up as follows:

Hicks (Not best position - but best person to play there)
Riley (deserves to play on last seasons performances)
Johnson (was great in cup before injured and hopefully can reproduce that)
King
Penny (partnership with King hopefully better for time together scores against saints and better defence now

)

Briers
Monaghan

Morley
Higham
Rauhihi
L Anderson
Westwood
V Anderson

Bridge
Wood
Carvell
Harrison

Team good enough to win but whether mentally ready to win i hpoe so - either way will be a great game and i cannot wait!!

Briers
Riley
Johnson
Hicks
King

Bridge
Monaghan

Morley
l. Anderson
Rauhihi

Westwood
Harrison
V.Anderson



Carvell
Wood
Blythe
Higham

Not as stupid as it looks actually



Though I would have Briers at 6 when we're in possession, at 1 when in defence

I think he'll play Hicks at full back, Johnson and Riley or Penny on the wings with King and Bridge in the centres. Half backs and pack fairly obvious. McCarthy and either Riley or Penny to miss out.

So....

Hicks
Riley/Penny
Bridge
King
Johnson
Briers
Monas
Morley
Wigwam
Rauhihi
LAnderson
Westwood
VAnderson

Wood
Carvell
Harrison
Blythe

Hicks
Riley
Johnson
King
Penny
Briers
Monaghan
Morley
Higham
Rauhihi
Westwood
Anderson
Anderson

Bridge
Carvell
Wood
Blythe

At fullback you avin a bubble bath..

now that would be a phornominommmmmm.

mind games my booty, do you really think Saints care whether Penny plays fullback or if its Riley or Hicks

Riley will play FB

This is great, not because Gleeson is out because I think he is a great player but because i reckon if the same thing would have happened 12 months ago we would have strapped Gleeson up and sent him out to play.
PC was very reliant on players with heaps of SL games under their belt.
I know players have played with injuries under Lowes but mainly towards the back end of the year when we had run out of bodies.

There is a good chance Gleeson could be going at the end of the season and we might have to find a replacement. If he is not fit then dont play him and give a youngster a chance off the bench.
It would be even better if whoever steps in plays well enough to keep him out of the side rather than an automatic place as soon as he is fit.

Gleeson has never really tore Saints apart since he left them for us whereas PJ looked like he was giving them problems in his last outing against them.

Only 2 more sleeps.

Whats next, Rah at full back?

Good point. We need to make full use of the whole squad throughout the year - even resting players when theyre fit to play. That way we wont end up having to play a high percentage of the fringe players towards the end of the season - as happened last year.

He always seems to score a try against them though,
won me a few bob over the last couple of seasons...