No one has mentioned Luke George, he is fit, played a good game in the reserves.

Murphy to centre is a must and George on the wing.

The problem is we are all talking about young guys who although good, are inexperienced.

I disagree that JD is washed up. He is playing in the forwards so is bound to look tired when moved out to centre during a game. He is not a fast a he was but we are talking about shoring up the defence. He will do that. He is also our best line breaker so that can't hurt.

I wouldn't be offended with Murphy at centre but would have preferred not to throw him into a (recently) unfamiliar role with a recently dropped young winger. Cas will attack that side straight away.
Moving Grix all over the place was what did him in too. Lets give Murphy a chance at sticking to one.
If we intend playing him at centre from now on then great but not just as an experiment in a big game like this one.

Based on friday night i wouldn't want Blanch in the seventeen...not saying that long term he won't earn his keep, but thought his defence was awful and he looked well short of match practise....

NB Thought Warrington were very good and really pressurised Obst who for me struggles as a scrum half in the tougher games........I would go with Obst and davey (bench) at Hooker, Latu in the backrow, Southernwood at 7 and jeffires if fit at 6 (if not cooke).

Still happy with the way we've gone so far,,,our defeats have been to good teams...

some weeks we hardly have any halfbacks (starting with JD/Morrison at 6 vs Salford) and now people seem to want half a dozen hlafbacks/hookers in the team (SO, BJ, PC, TLL, JDavey, CS) which isn't really a sustainable plan.

Once Cooke gets sorted and everyone is fit i suppose our plan is to play Obst, BJ and Cooke at 6,7,13 with TLL and Davey sharing hooking duties with TLL playing a running role if required. But this reduces the number of running back-rowers we have in the team if JD is going to play.

I prefer BJ playing 6 instead of 7 but i also prefer Obst at 9 rather than 7, so i am torn whether to play BJ/Cooke as HB pairing with Obst and Latu hooking or the option with Cooke at 13 described above.

Just think we are in danger of having too many playmakers and not enough runners if we are not careful.

Don't think anybody has called JD "washed up" - but we can probably all agree he is out of form and appears as though he could do with a rest. As you say playing in the forwards when you have spent the majority of the last few years in the backs must take its toll.

Reference Murphy - I think the point is those in the know who watch the A team say his preffered position is centre, and we are currently playing him in an unfarmiliar role on the wing (and before Byalmire's return at full back). We have a centre who is struggling for form, and appears massively exposed defensively who will no doubt be targetted on Friday, its no secret that we struggle down his flank. Murphy is just about the most defensively reliable back we have in my opinion, so I would have no worries at all him moving inside. We also have a specialist winger who has played extremely well in all bar 1 game this year (he took the fall for Gleeson's poor display against Hudds in my opinion) who has been rested recently, why would you not swap it round? I agree about the 2 relative youngsters on the same side, so swap the wingers round and pair Blanch with Murphy and Morton with Millard.

Reference Grix, I think the big difference is that Muprhy does have a specialist position, and Grix didn't. Strangely I think Grix's greatest strength (his versatility and utility) was also his greatest weakness - a problem that Murphy will not have if what the lads who watch the A team say is true.

I agree to an extent with Blanch - but given the defensivley/positionally weak Gleeson was inside him I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt and let him have a few more games to prove himself. I don't think its any coincidence that he played outside Gleeson, and so did Morton - I reckon the problem is inside him and he deserves a bit more time.

why play southernwood who seems to be destined elsewhere if the earlier thread is true against cas? a local derby, you might as well just put a target on him ! couldn't make friday so can't comment but who was the centre inside blanchey please?

jd should never play in the centres ever again! his position is in the back row(if chosen over several other good back rowers) ryan atkins walked around him without him even being able to put a hand on him. murphy for me and poss george on the wing in place of a clearly unfit blanch, also davey back in is a must

davey was a bit upset about being omitted last week.

Just watched wakefield highlights on bbc and would have to say if Luke George fit would replace Blanch as well as Gleeson being dropped. Both showed equal defensive frailties. It could be that the pairing doesn't work but looking replays both players were out of position and didn't even get a hand on the oposition at times. Both can show that they are more than capable at high level but think they need to be replaced for friday.

I don't think that JD is the force he was, but he still puts himself about in defence. And for that reason I'd put im in the centre instead of Gleeson, it'll certainly shore that side up defensively.

my team would be

blaymire
morton
millard
murphy
george
cooke
obst-would rather have bj butcant see him been fit
henderson
latu
tronc
fergurson if fit
moore
morrison

subs,davey,korky king and kirmond---if bj was fit i would take davey out start with sam at hooker and bench latu

I'd go...

Murphy
Blanch
JD
Millard
Morton
Cooke
BJ
Korky
Latu
Tronc
Fergie
Kirmond
Morrison

Obst
Gledhill
Moore
Henderson

ye atkins beat jd that time but other than that it sorted our right edge out, he even took grix and then ran down wire young winger.Last tim jd played in centres was when george went off early against leeds and he played very well in that game. Jd is coming back from a major knee op and could do with our backing, we say how great hendo work rate is and thats true but if you look at the stats jd is vey close to kh in terms of workrate, i believe he will come good as he always does, i just wished we used him a an impact player even kh was tired in the second half. in terms of gleeson he is offering nothin with ball in hand. Look at jd and kh stats as opposed to say gilmour and fa'ologo its interesting reading.