I thought I'd better start a new thread as the Leeds one seems to be getting derailed.

Thoughts on approach to this game? Do we rest clearly fatigued players or go for a win and rest against Hull?

I'm not sure we win this one anyway so I think, on balance, I'd rest players with a view to being back to our best come the end of the season. If French isn't playing I think I'd even go Farrimiond and Field in the halves with Eckersley at fullback. Maybe look to swap defensively.

It won't happen but I'd go:

Eckersley
Douglas
Keighran
Wardle
Marshall
Field
Farrimiond
Byrne
Leeming
Dupree
Farrell
Walters
Mago

Hill
Harvard
Forber
Ellis

Rest Farrell and Wardle (at least) against Hull. Maybe start Ellis and bring Mago on but, either way, Mago to play bigger minutes than he has been.

If French is close I'd give him another week anyway, better safe than very sorry, half a game against Hull would be the ideal way to ease him back in.
I'd still have Field at fullback next week, Eckersley and Douglas on the right against Saints and swap them to the left for Hull

I'd be tempted to sacrifice the 2 points and give the majority a weeks rest.

I hope we play our strongest team and do everything to win the game.

Fatigue may of been a factor yesterday but it wasn’t the only one.

A morale boosting win against Saints is just the tonic we need.

Interesting to see what Peet does next.

Playing our "strongest" team may not give us the best chance of winning anyway and may compound the current issues further down the line. Our strongest on paper may not be our strongest on current form. It certainly wasn't yesterday when I think fresher players would have made a better fist of it.

I know what you're saying Zig but I think there's a trust issue here. We said the same last year but on the occasions he did longer minutes he was fine. I think his defensive frailties are over stressed anyway. He's hardly the weakest link and Nsemba, for example, is (understandably) far more often caught out in defense but plays regular long minutes. Mago's defence was good on Saturday even in an overall poor team performance.

He needs to be given the opportunity to show he can do it, otherwise what's the point? 10 - 15 minutes spells are of no real benefit to us. He's the most destructive prop we have and regularly ties up 3 and 4 defenders whilst still making good post contact metres. No one else in our rotation does what he does.

I'd be tempted to go with Mago at 13 and rest Ellis, Mago did ok at 13 in some games earlier in the season. Dupree, Byrne starting props with Havarad and Hill on the bench - giving Thompson a rest (BTW where is Cooper - seems to have been missing for quite a while).

Maybe go with Forber at 9 and Farrimond/Leeming at halves - leave Field at 1 and have Eckersley on the bench as cover and to come on of we need to switch Field to halves.

Walters to start giving Nsemba a rest as he looked well off the pace against Leeds, maybe have him on the bench - Walter can move to prop if needed. There are other who on recent performances are lucky not to get dropped but would mean too many changes.

It was his defensive error that led to Leigh scoring, after 10 minutes on the field his legs look like they have been filled with lead. I wish we could get longer out of him but his lack of fitness tends to prevail. Maybe you’re right and we need to play him longer to increase his stamina. Another option could be to bring him on at the 30 minute mark and get two bursts out of him either side of half time. Peet doesn’t trust him the close out a game.

Again, I understand what you're saying but you could equally point to misses by other players that lead to tries. I've already mentioned Nsemba who is, quite rightly, a fixture in the team playing good minutes regardless of the number of tries against his defence but there's any number of other examples. Obviously Nsemba is a a young lad learning his trade but other players are responsible for leaking tries too. Look at the right side defence lately. It hasn't stopped us playing Keighran and Miski (or Nsemba or Farrell for that matter). Mago's defence last time out was good and I can't think of him being responsible for any tries conceded despite the team suffering a shellacking.

I get your ( or the coaches) wanting him to be better. That's fine. All I'm saying is he's not the weakest link defensively in this team yet seems to be singled out as though he were. Plus what he brings offensively is individual to him. We don't get it from anyone else.

I'm not saying he displaces Ellis, or anyone else for that matter but he hasn't missed a game this season so they clearly think he's an asset. Use him as such instead of these bizarre cameos.

I never want to lose against Saints, Itchy, but I feel we're in a "bigger picture" situation at the moment and losing Doris the tea lady (see other thread ) has tipped the balance in Saints' favour again.

Being serious for a moment, I think that, were it not for our form, this would be a bit of a banker. I know we have players out but Saints' losses are probably bigger than ours now. It's just that, looking how gassed we were on Saturday and knowing how the week after Easter used to go, I don't feel the players we have left will be at anywhere near their best. I hope I'm wrong, of course and maybe the fact that it's a derby will raise them.

Regarding Mago, I don't agree he can only do 15 mins mate, and that's my point. His defensive deficiencies are overstated in my opinion and he did long minutes several times last season with no drop off in quality. It's worth checking out what was said on here during that period as most agreed that he tended to look more gassed than he actually was and his performances bore that out. I haven't seen anything that suggests he couldn't do 20 minutes either side of half time at the very least.

2 games for Knowles

Smith referred to tribunal- Grade E

Not going to complain too much as it was stupid from Smith but was it really any worse than Hiku on Field?

A break won't do Smith any harm, if French is back in the next week or two then him and Farrimond together for a couple of matches will be something to look forward to