I’d love to see French at FB & Field/Cust in the halves together at some point on Thursday. I think that’s really well balanced, and if you get the back rowers providing good options it’s in theory “just” a case of picking the right pass. If you ignore Faz’s lead and he gets it he’s through, if you rush him and it goes out to French you have a 3 on 2 or he’s through, and if you push past Field and someone is half lazy on the inside he sticks and goes. I’ve over simplified that massively, but I think even the best of defences make a compromise somewhere defending that and we have the strike to punish it if we’re on it.

I think the choice will come down to either Singleton or Partington.
Thornley to start on the wing with French on the bench wouldn’t surprise me at all. If Thornley is fit I’d be amazed if he isn’t in the starting 13. French and Marshall on the wings is too lightweight against a team like Hull.

Personally the 4 I would omit would be O’Neil Miski Shorrocks and Isa.
There is no way Isa will be omitted but for me he’s done very little so far this season to command a starting 17 position. We haven’t got a 13 in the entire squad but for Thursday I’d rotate Smithies and Partington at 13 even though in principle I’m anti a prop at 13.

Their front row will dominate therefore, for me we need to compensate elsewhere physically to give us some go forward in what I’m pretty sure will be a decent contest.

Reckon Miski is unlucky Thornley and French have come back in the same week, from the little I've seen of him I reckon his size would be more than useful bringing the ball back against a side as big as Hull.
Isa/Singleton can consider themselves lucky if they're in the 17 and really need to perform.

I reckon we will line up like this:

Connor
Swift
Griffin
Tuimavave
McIntosh/Wynne/Mitch
Lovodua
Gale
Satae
Houghton
Sao
Ma'u
Savelio
Lane

Brown
Evans
Fash
Wynne/Johnstone

Looks just about as strong as you’ve been all season. It should be a good game.

Yeah it is for sure. First we were short of forwards and then short of backs, now there are decisions to be made for both.
Our record at your place is abysmal but I'm hopeful for a decent game.

Time to step up Patrick Mago! This exactly the kind of game we signed him for.

Satae and Sao have been great for Hull when I’ve watched them and Evans off the bench should be a handful.

Mago has been pretty quiet the last few games imo after a hot start but needs to step up here big time.

Really looking forward to this game and, as you say, Mago in particular. Shame Ellis not playing as would be good to see the difference those two guys have made to your front row against a big pack.

Like you say, shame Ellis isn't playing as a front row rotation of Ellis, Byrne, Havard and Mago should be good enough to mix it with any in the league if they're good enough (if you get my drift). Plenty size, metres, workrate and impact in those 4. It's early days in some ways as Mago and Ellis are new to the country, although they seem to have settled quite well so far, and Havard is only 1 game into his return.

Hull are a big pack and probably start favourites to win the middle but we need to see our guys at least compete.

Those 4 just need to keep improving. It feels like a 4 prop rotation that isn’t quite ‘there’ yet in terms of taking it to Catalans or Saints but there’s loads of development in them all and we just need to make sure they keep progressing. I’ve been really impressed with the strides Byrne has made this season and the early signs are that Havard will make similar progress as well. In terms of a middle forward (as annoying as that term is) Morgan Smithies has also had a good start to the season and is playing well.

I agree NK, and is what I meant by 'if they're good enough'. Individually they each bring something to the table. They need to do it consistently and, perhaps just as important, as a unit.

I think the comment that it's not quite 'there' yet is also right. However, as I've posted elsewhere, it's early days in many ways. There is improvement to be had across the board.

Byrne has had an excellent start and now just needs to go out with the attitude that he's there on merit. I think it's easy to forget he's only 22 and he probably still feels like a young player coming through, which of course he is. The sky's the limit with both him and Havard but we need to give them time.

Smithies has surprised me a little this season. He seems to have curbed his temper and is concentrating on his rugby and he's much better for it. He's gone well at prop in an understated way. Solid rather than spectacular but putting good drives in and his usual quality defence.

They’re all going to be good players. Let’s just hope it’s with us and for a long time. I’ve been happy with Ellis and Mago but with the feeling that there’s more to come. As well as our homegrown players being young, it’s easy to forget those two are reasonably young and certainly in experience terms they are.

I look at the elder statesmen of that front row in Singleton and it’s he that we really need to make sure he’s leading them and is playing at his best. The side were awful at the back end of last season but Singleton was actually very good for the last couple of months. He started this season slowly bar one really good showing against Huddersfield. We need that level out of him on a regular basis. I feel we’re one experienced prop light at times but when Singleton is at his best, he can be that man. We just need it more often, starting tonight if he plays.