So how would you cover the loss of SOL and Greenwood on top of Flower, TT and Hamlin? For me it’s Hankinson to cover second row (tough on him) and Sarge returns to centre.

Hank’s defence is superb and he certainly wouldn’t let anybody down in that department. I’ve suggested this a few times because of the number of times play breaks down when Isa is involved. He works his plums off but Isa bombs chance after chance on that edge. I’d definitely be happy to try a right edge shift of Williams, Sammut, Hankinson, Sarginson and Marshy. If Hardaker launches himself in at the right times it could be very fruitful.

Leave Hankinson at centre. Sarg makes the bench at best but is a waste of a spot really if he just there to cover injuries.

The backs are not the problem at the moment. We are going to be horribly light weight up front again without pushing Powell into 13 but it might have to happen.

Who would have thought that we stick 52 points up against HKR watched the matches previously against the Broncos and Hull thought it would have been much closer than the score that it was.

Clubb went off after 8 mins Naverette had an awesome game and played a lot of minutes helped by his 10 mins in the sin bin .Smithies gets better and better each game Farrell had a stormer in fact the whole pack out played HKR pack .

I agree. I think that having Smithies pack down at second row but having him, rather than Powell, filling in for SOL in the middle allowed Powell to continue his fine run of performances. The pack was immense but HKR played into our hands by being so one dimensional.

Tony Smith has apparently turned HKR around but nobody has mentioned our form.....

I thought we would struggle even before Clubb left the field, Navarette had a good game the sin bin was stupid one, the hit looked like payback for something.

An intriguing game in prospect this weekend. Big change in mindset amongst your fans on this board and clearly some better form.

My gut feel is that you've had a pretty kind fixture list, with the upturn in form coinciding with that before what was obviously a commanding performance against HKR but it could by my saints-specs again!

Will be very interesting to see how the form holds up on Friday - I worry that derbies are about who wants it more and Wigan are more desperate for the points, but then I thought that about going to Hull at the weekend TBH.

No argument with anything you’ve said here. I suspect a fairly comfortable Saints win though. Let’s face it, your pack will dominate against ours missing Flower, Clubb, Tautai, Hamlin, & Greenwood and O’Loughlin who all would have been in the 17 at the start of the season.

You will not miss TT. The rest you will - are they confirmed absentees? There is usually a long Wigan injury list in derby week, with SOL always on it then always playing!

Watched the highlights of your game at the weekend and good to see Liam Farrell seemingly hitting some form after a tough time with injuries.

Flower, Clubb, O’Loughlin, all definitely out. You might say we won’t miss Tautai and you’re probably right but he’d still have been in the squad, Hamlin as well but obviously neither are Wigan players anymore. Greenwood out indefinitely with recurring concussion injuries. The emergence of Smithies & Partington has been great to watch but they’re both still very young and raw so it’ll be good to see how they cope with your pack. Farrell is always been a consistent performer for us and yes, great to see him back.
Bigger picture for us is to put in a good performance and not get hammered. We can then move on and consolidate our position in the play offs. I’m sure we’ll be a handful when the times comes.

I agree 100% and don't expect anything other than a defeat on Friday. My point was that everyone believes that Smith has transformed Hull of late whilst we are still fighting relegation according to some people.

Aye, get out of Friday night with a competitive performance, some more experience for a couple of youngsters and no more injuries and I think we can feel like it’s job done. We’re decimated in the front row and we’re playing against a team with an international class front row, so I don’t think we can be unrealistic.

Let’s rattle a few cages and leave us going in to the rest of the season with confidence that we could make a go of the play offs with 4 or 5 forwards back on board.