No Faz as well as Mossop, Flower. Some fitness tests on Thursday.

Sam Tomkins, Josh Charnley, Darrell Goulding, George Carmont, Pat Richards, Brett Finch, Thomas Leuluai, Paul Prescott, Michael McIlorum, Harrison Hansen, Gareth Hock, Sean O'Loughlin, Jeff Lima, Chris Tuson, Gil Dudson, Anthony Gelling, Joe Mellor, Jack Hughes, Tom Spencer

Gelling and Spencer to miss.

1. Tomkins
2. Charnley
3. Goulding
4. Carmont
5. Richards
6. Finch
7. Leuluai
8. Prescott
9. Micky Mac
10. Lima
11. Hansen
12. Hock
13. Lockers

14. Tuson
15. Hughes
16. Mellor
17. Dudson

Looking at the squad its likely Hock will move to prop at some point with Tuson in the second row. Dudson will interchange with Lima, unless he uses Tuson as a second hooker.

Very weak bench who ever misses out IMO, We need HUGE games from Prescott and Lima

I'd like to see Mellor on the bench again, but if the weather stays as it is, I reckon him and Gelling will be the ones to drop out.

Leave Lima on the bench and tell him to do 60 from 20 mins in!

1. Tomkins
2. Charnley
3. Goulding
4. Carmont
5. Richards
6. Finch
7. Leuluai
8. Prescott
9. Micky Mac
10. Hansen
11. Tuson
12. Hock
13. Lockers

14. Lima
15. Hughes
16. Mellor
17. Dudson


Not sure he'll start with both Prescott and Lima because when they come off we will be considerably weaker so I think he may go with the above or start Dudson

The way Saints have started games lately id be starting the strongest pack possible and knocking them about for the first 20. That pack would be Prescott, Micky Mac, Lima, Hansen, Hock and Lockers

Maybe. Depends on the weather though. Will it be a dry track? I'm actually thinking start Hansen at Prop and stick maybe Hughes in the back row. I just think we need something strong on the bench and Lima has been providing that.

With the way that Saints have started the last couple of weeks, we need Lima on from the start firing IMO a long with Prescott as the front 2. Or possibly Lima and Hock as our starting props with Prescott on the bench to replace Hughes who would start and then Hock back into the 2nd row. Either way we need to make sure Saints don't get a sniff especially in the first 20 minutes.

I agree, get in there faces and knock them about. Roby has run riot the last few weeks off the back of Saints forwards dominating, they will be missing Laffranchi and we can certainly take of advantage of that. We need the pack to get on top of Saints early and get some good field position. If they score early we are in trouble IMO.

Farrell and Mossop are the 2 big misses out of the 19, both have played out their skins this year. I think Spencer could do a good job though providing he's match fit. They have TP back for them who always causes damage against us, we'll need to wrap him and Roby up. Laffranchi won't be that much of a miss for them IMO.

True, our forwards have been very good but we'll be without a big part of that - Laffranchi has been enormous for us the last couple of weeks.

Hopefully Rush will resist the temptation to bring in TP at prop and keep him and Sia running wide where they are performing so strongly. There's certainly an argument to start Flannery in the back row and have TP from the bench for impact, but we need to get off to another good start and it's not like Wigan have oodles of impact on the bench. For me that means something like:

Perry
Roby
LMS
Soliola
Puletua
Wilkin

Clough
Magennis
Flannery
Flanagan

Whatever 13 we start with our bench is going to be very weak will be the weakest bench we have had this season.

We need to counter what have been strong starts by Saints in the past 2 weeks whilst not effecting our ability to keep a good lntensity level up during the game by having little impact coming off the bench. To do that I'd put Hock on the bench which will give us some impact from 20 mins on whilst ensuring the lad is fresh at the back end of the game should we be chasing it. I'd start Tuson who works overtime in defence but doesn't add a great deal from the bench ahead of Hughes who's a big, athletic lad who will trouble them around the edges later on.

Tomkins
Charnley Goulding Carmont Richards
Finch Leuluai
Prescott McIlorum Lima
Hansen Tuson O'Loughlin

Subs-
Dudson Hock Hughes Mellor

I'd be happy enough with that team infact I'm pretty excited by it.

Agreed, im quite concerned about whats going to happen when we have to start making interchanges. If we pick up an injury in the forwards we are goosed.

Considering just who we have out that's still a surprisingly strong 19. I've felt confident all week and even with the injury's within the squad I haven't changed my mind on that.

I'm with Bilko. We're gonna have relativley inexperienced bench so Lima coming on alongside some of these youngsters will help. I know we need to get off to a good start, but we can't give our all in the first 20 when there's another 60 to go, and expect kids to hold their own in arguably the toughest part of the match, the last quarter.




I we'd better watch out, because the Saints bench your proposing is littered with game breakers.