I think you're wrong about Roberts. He's a very intelligent rugby player, he reads the game very well as a fullback and is a very good passer, offloader and good at picking the right angles to run. At the start of last season he was playing better at fullback than Sam is now.

The problem is that the above is Roberts at his best. As it stands he's far from his best, and Sam is playing well at fullback. Tomkins definitely has plenty to work on, but his performance against Bradford showed exactly why he was put at fullback in the first place. I have doubts as to whether Roberts will ever regain form anywhere near as good as it was early last year.

1. Roberts
2. Charnley
3. Tomkins
4. Carmont
5. Goulding
6. Sam
7. TL
8. Lima
9. McIllorum
10.Coley
11.Hoffman
12.Hansen
13.Locky

14.Farrell
15.Prescott
16.Mossop
17.Marsh


Tuson out and give Deacon a rest this week.

1 - Sam
2 - Goulding (Needs a good positional game after being caught out in the WCC)
3 - Charnley
4 - Carmont
5 - Roberts
6 - Deacon
7 - Leuluai
8 - Coley
9 - McIllorum
10 - Prescott
11 - Hoffman
12 - Hansen
13 - O'Loughlin

14 - Lima
15 - Mossop
16 - Joel
17 - Farrell

Not for me.

Last season he was sensational with ball in hand and running at teams. He’d come from deep and beat players with his excellent step and turn of pace we saw that against Cas away, Wakey at home and his two excellent tries against Wire away BUT I can’t see where you’ve got that he’s a very good passer from? You only need to take a look at his pass to Goulding in the WCC to see an example of him simply being unable to hit the man when the pressure is on and defence is tight. It may seem like I’m picking out one instance there but I happened a few time last season as well. I remember him doing almost the exact same thing vs Wire away which cost us a walk in.

I

With both Marsh and Charnley in the squad, id be nervous if I was Goulding.

I agree with people saying give Charnley a shot at centre, but would you put him with Goulding? If Goulding doesn't play next to Gleeson he seems like he loses confidence in the centre and goes wandering in field leaving space on the outside. He'll be on the wing against broughton won't he, who's pretty nippy if he's given a bit of space to run into. (Although not all that great at getting round people)

I'd maybe swap Goulding and Amos about.

I think Goulding has been given a bit of a bad beat after the St. George game. Martin Gleeson wasn't 100% fit and St. George were able to expose this out on the left with their very, very fast, accurate and clinical handling, which was too quick for a half-fit Martin Gleeson, who subsequently wasn't sliding fast enough, which subsequently left Goulding exposed & fans have given him the wraps for it. Sometimes Goulding had to come in field, had he stayed on the outside it would have left a massive whole in the defence. I wouldn't want fans to forget that we won the Grand Final with this lad on the wing.

I wouldn't change a thing next week. I have every confidence in Charnley & Goulding.

And Salford are not St George..a combo of Charnley and Goulding is the way to go.

Goulding has always had that problem where he rushes in off his wing causing a massive overlap and teams click on to this and target it either by kicking behind him or a long cutout pass, this season we will see him exposed a lot more with his poor positional play. He is a steady clubman who probably is cheap to throw on the wing, he did ok last year I'd go as far as saying he over achieved, if he sorts his defence out he will be ok but I'd rather have Charnley or Marsh on that wing as they are a lot faster.

I'd give Charnley that right centre spot ahead of Joel Tomkins as he's a natural in the position and I really thought Joel struggled in alot of areas there against St George. I see Tomkins long term as a second rower that play as a centre in an emergency whereas Charnley long term looks to be a centre that could also play on the wing. We need to give guys like Charnley and marsh as much gametime as possible because they'll be first inline to take over from Carmont and Gleeson over the next 2 years.

I'd go-

S Tomkins
Goulding
Charnley
Carmont
Roberts
Deacon
Leuluai
Mossop(he's earned a start imo)
McIlorum
Prescott
Farrell
Hoffman
O'Loughlin

subs
Lima
Coley
J Tomkins
Hansen

Tuson and Marsh to miss out for me.

Have Salford named their squad yet? I haven't seen anything published. I was under the impression that the 19 man squads had to be submitted 28 hours before the game.

rlhttps://www.superleague.co.uk/preview.php?id

Patten, Broughton, Henry, Nero, Gibson, Ratchford, Holdsworth, Neal, Boyle, Jewitt, Godwin, Adamson, Wild, Smith, Sneyd, Parker, Paleaaesina, Sidlow, Cashmere.

The squads been on my site match preview since about 2pm yesterday. I don't know why I bother sometimes.

I'd go with that, but would have Coley starting instead of Mossop.