Didn't Isa miss pre-season as well though? He definitely didn't play v Leigh or Catalans. Point taken in regard to Isa's defense. It's definitely not an obvious decision either way. I just can't see us winning if it is an arm wrestle sort of game, because they are accustomed to that most weeks against bigger, stronger players than ours. That is the way the Brisbane game in 2015 was going until we chanced our arm in the last minute to send Burgess 90 metres. Then we went back to conservative rugby in golden point and (inevitably) they won the field position battle. I'd rather have Tautai's strong runs and offloads if we do go down that route, even if it does mean Powell/Bateman/Farrell/Lockers having to work a bit harder in defense to carry him.

I think our only hope is if the Cronulla players go into it half heartedly, but even then, they have so much more quality than us that they could just click through the gears and get 3 or 4 tries in quick succession. We pretty much need 1-17 to have the game of their lives on Sunday and even that might not be enough.

What a night it will be if we do it though!

Isa missed the games but I think took part in a lot of the training whereas Tautai seemed to indicate he's missed the lot. I also gets the sense that Isa is a naturally fit bloke in comparison to Tautai who needs to work a little harder at it.

In truth I can see reasons for either player and it's just nice to have the options.

No charge for Gelling, quite rightly. I watched it again today on Wigan t.v. and it was nothing more than a grab. www.rugby-league.com/article/393 ... rs-charged

No charge for Gelling, quite rightly. I watched it again today on Wigan t.v. and it was nothing more than a grab. www.rugby-league.com/article/393 ... rs-charged

Checking out their retirement options.

Really hope we give them a good game for the sake of the sport in general over here.
The constant shots of that ever diminishing pile of Jonathan Thurston's kicking tees, whilst funny at first, didn't do SL any favours and you've got to ask did Leeds ever recover from that night ?

I recall Jeff Lima copping a ban before the 2011 WCC against St George. I could never understand the RFL banning a player and thus weakening the team against the Aussies. IIRC we only had three fit props left. Surely any ban picked up in a Super League match shouldn't count for a WCC?

Pretty sure we ended up playing Brisbane in Brisbane with one prop, Neil Cowie. Skerrett picked up a ban shortly before and Andy Platt was unavailable for selection for reasons that now elude me. However, Billy McGinty backed up in the front row, and the rest is history.

Not saying that kind of lightning will strike twice, but the gods were really against us that day and yet somehow we did it.

Didn't Skerrett get his jaw broken by the elbow of Dean Sampson in the Premiership Final v Cas?

i think it's more to do with punishing the offender and protecting his next opponents than whether we win or lose.

Anyway it's all immaterial as we go into this one in comparative rude health compared to last season.

I was relieved to see Sa'u come back onto the field, as a season ending injury would have created a clamour for a long ban. As it happened about 120 yards away from me I couldn't tell whether it was a bad tackle or not. Thankfully not as Gelling has become quite a decent player for us, after unpromising beginnings.

Yeah he looked to have been off-balance and made a clumsy grab to me. Fair play to Ben Thaler for not letting the home crowd affect his judgement. It did hurt Salford temporarily losing Sa'u and Lui at the same time to concussion assesments during the first half,. Whilst I still think we would have won, the game would have been closer IMO.