Full strength for me, then weak against Saints. If we mix and match we risk getting 0 points out of 4 instead of 2

Play our best team and win

(I seem to remember saying something similar before the HKR game).

Correct. We are just beginning to click, now is not the time to start tinkering.

You were absolutely correct on that one but these are different circumstances wouldn’t you say? Would you go full strength for Saints and then Leeds also? That is one hell of a tough ask on those players, especially the older guys and the forwards who play big minutes.

I'll never advocate playing a weak team against St Helens no matter what the situation. Just isn't an option for me.

Of course I want to win the semi final (and the cup for that matter) but losing to saints will never feel right

Were talking about the wakefield game
I've said it before, were not good enough to pick and choose.
Make no bones about it, if we drop 10/15% wakey will smell blood and then it becomes a real dog fight.

I'll tell you what I would do about the saints game after weve played wakefield.
Lose to wakefield and WE HAVE TO WIN against saints. Beat wakefield and we can pick our best/fittest team for saints
Dont get too far ahead of ourselves.
Wakey will have 8/9 days compared to our 6, theyll be smarting from their recent losees, every loss their 1 closer to the win. Let's give them respect and not get caught as Grimmy put it worrying about next week, mixing and matching, and losing both.

You would hope if we play our best team against Wakefield and turn up with a good attitude we'll win. Even if we play our best team against Saints we could still lose and get no points whilst draining the energy of our players.

Weighing it up I'd play the best side against Wakefield, play a weakened team against Saints and take the hit to ensure all is good for Leeds.

Plus they have a good few of their better players back.

Are you the person who follows round a newly appointed coach and tell him in Tesco - “ I don’t care what you do just beat saints”

I’d much rather Saints beat us in a random weekly fixture and we win the challenge cup.

We simply can’t play full straight 3 time in 8 days and expect to get results.

Full strength for Wakefield and heavily rotate for Saints.

The semi final should be the priority.

I’d have much preferred to be playing Saints this Friday and wakefield in the week but not to be.

Yep that's me. I usually tell to win the cup too.

I understand the situation, it just won't feel right.

A Liverpool fan would want to win a CL semi final above a Utd game, but they will still hate losing said Utd game.

I’d be up for them going full strength against Wakey for sure but regardless of the result we’d then have to rest players against Saints. We couldn’t lose the game and then say ‘we need points against Saints’ so throw the same 17 in again and then again against Leeds IMO. That would be potential suicide on all fronts. It leaves you the two options I mention-

1-Wakey-Full strength, Saints-8 or 9 rested, Leeds-Full strength

2-Wakey-Rest 4 or 5, Saints-Rest 4 or 5, Leeds-Full strength.

The Wakefield result wouldn’t have a baring on my Saints team personally. Win the Wakey game and it’s happy days with pressure off that Saints game but lose against Wakey and I wouldn’t panic and throw important players in again. We can pull two league defeats back (although it would be tough) but we can’t pull a cup semi final defeat back.

Full strength against Wakefield and give Wells Killner and Hankinson a chance against saints they've been waiting long enough for a chance and we may need them further down the line

We have lost Eddie Battye and Liam Kay but have a decent amount back for for Friday
Fifita
Arona
Green
Tangata
Ashurst
Miller
Tom Johnstone

For me you pick your best available team for every match regardless. After seeing our lads complete 'Mission Impossible' where we played 8 games in 18 days to win the title I have high standards.

We've already been burned by Hull KR this year by resting players.

It's always the same problem. Deliberately picking an understrength team implies to the opposition that you think you can beat them with your subs. It's a red rag to a bull.

And the truth is that we can't beat people with our subs, as we've already proved ... especially when we're up against a team who are even more determined to beat us.

Even the John Monie Wigan team avoided resting players, and that was 1,000 times better than this one.