Quote: Stu M "If Vaughan doesn't win his appeal or they don't bother then their lack of forwards evens it up a bit more from what I first thought.
We'll know at 12pm definitely when the squads are named but it seems like Batchelor is back which is a huge bonus however Sironen and Paasi are still missing plus Wingfield failed his HIA last week so that still leaves us with Knowles, Walmsley, Matautia plus the above 3 missing.
Paasi I believe may need an operation so not sure how long he is out for but he's been playing with an injury all season so it needs sorting whatever it is.
Lees thankfully escaped a ban. However on that subject its not hard to see why Saints fans are frustrated with the process. Thaler didn't penalise him on Friday and only binned him after consulting with the touch judge. Thaler said he connected with the HKR players chest. Lo and behold the RFL then say there is no case to answer for it.
This is the second time this season that Lees has been binned, the opposition have scored a couple of tries whilst we have been down to 12 men and then the RFL say there is no case when it comes to the MRP.'"
I’ve just seen the Vaughan one and I’m not sure why they’ve appealed it (well I know why but they shouldn’t win it) It looks pretty standard in terms of what they’re banning people for. It’s somewhere in between Smithies and Knowles tackles IMO and with other men in the tackle and his feet leaving the floor, it looks pretty clear cut when judged alongside those 2 Good Friday incidents.
It should be a good game. One thing I think Wellens needs to do is to put a bit more faith in young Delaney. I saw the stats from Friday and I presume he got extremely limited minutes. The kid is a good player and can help take pressure off Lees, LMS and Wingfield.