Pick 15 players to start and hope the officials dont notice

Short version - A ton of luck, no injuries/cards and throwing Lam's "game plan" out of the window.

Just let Jacko and Hardaker call it as they see it on the pitch and turn Lam's radio off.

And pay the Ref…

Firstly, select the right team to play. From what we saw on Friday, Field MUST start, I’d say in the halves ahead of Smith. Hardaker at FB. If Powell misses out with failed HiA, O’Neill to start at 9. (Not Shorrocks)!!

Improvement in our kicking game is essential. All our kickers just tend to kick long and it results in uncontested catching practice for the wingers every time. We need to mix it up and contest everything.

Discipline has be squeaky clean. Keep penalties and set restarts low and keep 13 players on the pitch!

Throw the ball about a bit! Imagine that…..

I fear as most do, a good hiding is on its way and the only way to minimise the damage is to have our share of possession and respect it.

Line speed, exactly the same as the GF last season. Give good players the time to think and they will burn you.

Do what Cas did last week get in their faces and not give them room to play.

Heard that Bateman and Powell are out of Fridays match.
Time to move Hastings to hooker.

I’d just go with Brad O’Neill. He looks very comfortable when he plays, has good aggression and I don’t think we’ll lose a great deal (if anything) on Powell’s poor form this season so far (and I’m far from a Sam Powell knocker). Harry Smith needs a break IMO. A Saints derby looks beyond him on current form. He had a great game against Leigh but has gone backwards since. I’m still confident he’ll crack it at some point but not under this coach.

Bateman being out would be a big blow. It’s been a nothing season for him so far sadly. I guess his illness is him being pinged or having had Covid with him now missing two weeks. If they are out I’d go-

Hardaker
Hanley Bibby Gildart Marshall
Field Hastings
Havard O’Neill Partington
Smithies Farrell Isa

Subs
Bullock
Pearce-Paul
Byrne
Shorrocks

I’d start Isa and Partington in the middle together because we need to set some sort of defensive tone and guys like Clubb, Bullock or Shorrocks won’t do that (for varying reasons). If we don’t start quickly we’ll be out of the game by half time.

Agreed, though I fear the worst Friday. If we start like we did v HKR the game as a contest will be over by the 30minute mark and it’ll turn into nothing more than an opposed St Helens training session.

Field and Hastings must start in the halves. What we can’t have is Field sat on the bench for a ridiculous amount of time like last week, it’s utterly pointless in even having him in the side if that’s the case. Sadly though I fully expect the team to be

Zak
Hanley/Halsall
Bibby
Gildart
Marshall
Smith
Hastings
Bullock
O’Neill (or Powell if fit)
Clubb
Smithies
KPP
Isa (the back row is interchangeable so irrelevant who’s where)

Field
Havard
Partington
Shorrocks

Why does nobody pick Clark last two games he played scored in both games and improved 100%

I keep thinking this. He's not the long term option, but he offers more than Clubb.

Likewise, I'd have him in over Shorrocks. That's not because I don't like the lad btw, it's because we need size.

I don’t because I find it a pointless waste of energy thinking he could be in. It clearly looks like he’s being frozen out. On the flip side I do find the energy to leave Clubb out, even though it’s equally pointless doing so.

This, plus you can bet anything you like Bullock will be dropped for Partington on Friday

Agreed. And Shorrocks could do with a break, more than most. Saying that, Lam will probably play him at dummy-half again...

Glad Powell's missing out.
Sam has left the field with a head injury two matches out of the last three and subsequently failed both H.I.A tests. Over 16 days.
That's too much to ignore and I do hope his missing the game is due to looking after his medical welfare.