I'd have given Lima a starting shirt over Prescott but it doesn't matter at the end of the day. They are both fantastic players and will get a lot of game time regardless of their numbers

I can`t believe some of the negative comments that have been posted already. Let`s give everyone a chance. We shouldn`t be crticising players 3 months before the SL starts!

In terms of which props will start the game, I am sure it will be the same as it has been in the past, that is selection may well be influenced by the starting props for the opposition.

i dont agree with sqaud numbers if some one is handed the 1-13 number at the beging of the season its basically telling the player you dont need to earn it week in week out. All the players should go to work on a monday as say right time to earn my place and put the graft in. i understand it as marketing benift for the fans shirts but if i wanted lima on the back of my shirt i would just get him with either 8 or 10.

I highly doubt any player would agree with you on that.

Some people have questioned the depth and talent of the squad in comparison to last year and I can understand that but I think it's a squad with more potential to get better. I think we'll see Fielden and Hock step in to the shoes of Coley and Hoffman and if both play as well as we know they can there isn't a great deal of difference. I think we'll see a variety of players starting with Leuluai and in time Mellor and Powell take Deacons place and whilst Deacon did an improtant job for us it wasn't the most challenging of tasks (basically just to feed Sam and the players outside of him). On top of that we'll have young guys like Tomkins, Charnley, Prescott, Mossop, McIlorum, Farrell etc a year further on in their development and that'll be key.

The only area i'm concerned with is that right centre berth. If at all possible we could do with a new signing but it looks unlikely. Anybody got any idea's whats happening with Martin Gleeson? I've not heard anything about him let alone any rumours but if only that lad could sort himself out and could build some bridges with the Wigan management.

Wishful thinking mind.

they probably would but i still think it will be in the back of the mind, and i think madge agrees and all of the nrl or why wouldn't they name the sqaud like us?

Its up to the NRL what they do, but It still doesnt mean a player will think they are guaranteed a spot simply because of a number. How do you Madge agrees? He gave the number 2 to Goulding yet 25 to Charnley, and who played more in that position. Finch had 17 but played 6, Hoffman often started yet had the number 16, Mossop had 21 but was consistantly in the 17. Squad numbers dont mean an awful lot these days.

Its not proving you right its proving that squad numbers can be irrelavent, nobody is guranteed a starting spot and professional players will work hard to get into the starting 17 regardless of what squad number they are. Its not to say Goulding didnt work hard because he was given the number 2 shirt and thought he was guranteed a start, Charnley got into that spot and deserved to stay there. You seem to think that someone who gets a squad number 1-13 will think that they are guranteed a spot, which again I highly doubt is wrong. It would take alot of niavity and arrogance for a player to think that.

Squad numbers are here to stay, and I dont believe for one second that players work rates change based on what sqaud number they are given.

27 Matty Russell *
28 Logan Tomkins *
29 Sam Powell *
30 Ryan King*
31 Greg Burke *
32 Tom Spencer *
33 Dom Crosby *
34 Liam Carberry*

Those three all played U18 level at some stage this season, and are all excellent prospects. Carberry is certainly a player who I think has the makings of a first team player.

Just for comparison's sake, Hull FC also released their squad numbers today.

1. Wade McKinnon
2. Will Sharp
3. Tony Martin
4. Kirk Yeaman
5. Tom Briscoe
6. Richard Horne
7. Brett Seymour
8. Mark O’Meley
9. Danny Houghton
10. Andy Lynch
11. Willie Manu
12. Danny Tickle
13. Joe Westerman
14. Aaron Heremaia
15. Richard Whiting
16. Eamon O’Carroll
17. Sam Moa
18. THE 18TH MAN
19. Jordan Turner
20. Jamie Ellis
21. Reece Lyne
22. Martin Aspinwall
23. Ben Crooks
24. Liam Kent
25. Liam Cunningham
26. Jack Briscoe
27. Chris Green
28. Danny Nicklas
29. Laurence Pearce
30. Josh Bowden
31. James Cunningham
32. Lewis Brown

Hock given number 12. Show of faith for the big lad

Suprised at Prescott over Lima and Hock over Farrell. Other than that it's pretty much as expected. I wonder if we will see Lockers getting any time at HB so Leuluai can give McIlorum a break. I would do that for about 20 minutes of the early big games then introduce Powell, Mellor or Logan from the bench in some of the smaller games to see how they get on.

Martin Aspinwall has really fallen hard hasn't he? He was our starting centre in '05, now he can't even hold down a spot in a mid table side

Is Carberry a Hooker Rogues? If he's the one I think he is I heard good things from a sintellins friends of mine a couple of years ago.