Lam Snr seems to have found his 17 match day squad with a few accidents on the way. The issue of starting 2nd rowers, first was O'Donnell being elevated from impact player to essential starting player, with the ability to play a full 80 minutes high intensity game. This was due mostly to the early injury to Joe Wardle, and then to Jack Hughes (a player who has failed to live up to any reputation as former Warrington Captain and representative honours for England and GB). Shorrocks made a real mark in the team and then cemented his place back with Wigan. That leaves Oliver Holmes who appears to be improving on a weekly basis. This means a pack of Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, O'Donnell, Holmes and Asiata.

The backs from 1-5 seem to scare the bejesus out of opposition fans, with Charnley the renaissance man. The conundrum of who plays Fullback was sorted when O'Brien was forced to miss a week with failure of HIA. Hardaker is good but Leigh lost all shape without O'Brien and having to utilise Chamberlain.

At half back, Lachlan is the best 6/7 at the club for a very long time. Pre-season the shirt numbers suggested the natural partner would be Mellor, but with injury issues, Ben Reynolds has got the nod. It is not all sweetness and light with BR, because I thought he was invisible against Wigan, but the last 3 games have shown the best of Reynolds and he is keeping out Mellor due to performances.

In my opinion the first 13 are now picking themselves, and there appears to be a core of reserves that are trusted at some level to do a job. These are Mellor, Davis, Ava, Wilde and Nakubuwai. On the fringe are Brand, Chamberlain, Hanley, Nisbet and Smith. What happens when Wardle and Hughes are fit is not clear.

Viewing the Castleford forum, I was annoyed that Castleford fans (and other fans) still see Leigh as newly promoted team and as such should be able to swat us away whenever they feel like it. I think now this is a serious wake-up call for Wakefield and Castleford, that one of the old guard is staring down a trap door.

Comment of the year to date
“The Bermuda Triangle that is Featherstone, Wakefield and Castleford”
I have to agree that pace has been a little lacking in previous years, but this year with his amazing fitness and growing confidence to take on the line, I believe that is way less of an issue. Look at Ratchford. He is a very confident and experienced player, who is all heart, keeps himself in too shape, and is willing to play where ever and do whatever is needed. He is also a player who has been pointed at as lacking ultimate pace, yet he is an ever present for Wire.
He is certainly putting his stamp on the 6 shirt right now but he would always be in my 13 regardless for his place kicking, as we have nobody else stepping up, and his defence is relentless.

Ratchford is a funny case in point. For me he has never nailed down a position yet is versatile enough to play regularly with a degree of competence, but not necessarily brilliance, in any number of positions. He always seems to be filling-in for someone (perceived to be better in that position) to either be signed or to come back from injury.
He fills-in where necessary and never seems to do a bad job. Even today, towards the fag end of his career he is filling in, because of gaps in Warrington's squad, at centre and he is not a genuine centre at all yet he does this and whatever role he is chosen for competently each week in a team that is, most seasons, operating towards the top end of SL - last season excepted.
I also suspect that Powell really rates him and that he is one of the first names down on the team sheet every week.
I had also overlooked, until I saw him play against Leigh in the SL fixture a couple of months ago, just how niggly a player he is as well - and I mean that as a compliment. Clever niggle (he generally get's away with it) not disciplinary liability niggle.
Ratchford is the type of player that most opposition fans don't rate because of his versatility and perceived lack of brilliance - a Jack of all trades, Master of none - syndrome. Yet, i suspect that if he had ever moved to Leigh during his career that we would have treasured him.
Anyway, we have Ben R. Some similarities indeed with Ratchford and, as I have said, whilst I may not have been Ben's biggest fan before now I think that this season he is going along quite nicely and doing alright - and I am chuffed for him that he is doing so.

Septi. I agree with your comments on the 'first choice 13' that is emerging.
But, is this due to the small size of the squad and the lack of quality outside the matchday 17 (1icon_cool.gif, by that, a lack of genuine competition for places?
I know that British players are signed up for their teams and we cannot raid the NRL for gems such as Tom A, Kai O'D, Lachlan L, John A and Edwin, due to overseas quota spot limits, and I know that the club, from what they regularly say to the press, are constantly looking for additional players but I will not feel completely happy until we have some quality signings added to what we have already got.
Everything is just fine for the moment but all we need is an injury or two or suspension and we will be stretched uncomfortably thin, genuine quality wise

Septi, with regard to your comments on Cas and Wakey. The wake-up call is clearly happening in the minds of the fans of both clubs who post on their forums. Talk about doom and gloom. The proverbial trap door is opening in front of them, from which there is unlikely to ever be a return, and they are worried. Smug pre-season assessments about finishing in mid-table security are looking fanciful by the minute and by each defeat.

It's like the moment on the Titanic, after the bump with the ice cube, that someone does a headcount and works out the maths and suddenly realises that they don't have enough lifeboats.

Yes, I have seen the Derek interviews. Mixing my metaphors again, I suspect that Derek would say it was a case of chickens coming home to roost if Cas, or more particularly Wakey, now got relegated.

Two seasons ago when Leigh were last in SL they (Wakey) had the chance to vote against relegation and to boost SL to 14 teams. They even put their club's name to the proposal but ended up changing their position and voting against their own plan due to complete self-interest, as did the owners of several other clubs who had put their names to the proposal. They felt that by the time of the vote at the meeting of the club owners that they no longer had to support the plan. They chose instead to safeguard for themselves a larger slice of the SKY financial pie - do the maths, same TV rights money divided by 12 or 14 - under which of those calculations do you get the bigger figure!)

This was because, by the time of the vote, Leigh's league position had become so parlous that it was obvious that Leigh were going down under the existing structure and that their own clubs were safe from the drop. Talk about being short sighted for short term financial gain. Idiots!

Derek will have little or no sympathy when this season either Wakey or Cas drop through the trap door. He might just raise a bottle of San Miguel, or whatever he drinks, to toast them when this occurs. What's the Chinese proverb - he who laughs last, laugh's longest - or is it a case of revenge is a dish best served cold. Never cross a man whose personal wealth is so sizeable when that means he will always outspend you if he choses to do so and Derek's spending on the club since that vote 2 years ago has been somewhat impressive. I wonder what his motives for that have been. Let me think.....

Anyway, if you look at the comments of Leeds fans, they are not sounding so chipper either. They are lucky. Under the IMG proposals they will never go down, or can they this year before the changes come in? Maybe they are right to be worried as well.

For my money, Leeds may not be as good as their fans (and just about every pundit) mistakenly thought they were but they are not bad enough to go down, neither are Hull, but for Cas and Wakey.......Good luck chaps and welcome to one of you to permanent semi professional rugby in the Championship for the rest of your club's existence.