I know. If those BIG 5 had been available you'd have been world champions we all know.

Another day another PhD on the shark's injury crisis in the local paper. Get over it. You have had two good seasons and won cups because your 1,6,7 and 9 didn't miss a game with an injury for those two seasons.
Typical of your terrible sense of entitlement that when it goes wrong half your lot blow their dummies into orbit. Best thing I thought Radford did was address this but looks like it's not gone away.

We have our first choice 2,3,4,5,6,8,9,11,12,13, and 16 not available today 4 making their debut. Only Quinlan, Atkins, Blair and Mulhern would be in our starting 17 for sure. Maybe Jewitt, Scruton, on the bench. Yeaman was better prepared than all of ours when he played in the last derby. At least he knew the plays and defensive set up. It was worth him playing just to see him try and pass it again. That pass for the winger who had a walk in was priceless.

I miss the days when Newton made a mug of him each derby.


Derby just what you need after that wretched humiliation at Wakefield.

Your forwards will bully our ineffective back row. Sharks by 20-30.

Maybe. We have fewer 'big' players to start with, so the loss of those we do have is more of a problem. Basically, one of our challenges is that you have a better team.

It's a good game for bans to fall, if we had to get them, so I'm not going to moan about that - it doesn't help our chances any though.

Who are your 'big 6' missing btw? Kelly and Connor, I'll give you, but if you're including Hadley, Bowden, Green and Westerman it's a bit of stretch - no disrespect to them, but they're hardly your stars.

Tonight is go with:

Shaul
Faraimo
Griffin
Tuimavave
Talanoa
Harris
Sneyd
Taylor
Houghton
Matongo
Manu
Mini
Abdull

Paea
Fash
Washy
Lane/Downs

I really don't think that's too bad a team and with the diatripe that was served up last week, I fully expect that team to win tonight. Which worries me, I hate being confident before a derby

All would be in the first 17 Mild Rover regardless of the subjective star syndrome

Looking for a big performance from Jordan Abdul tonight, a few are saying he will be released with Westy signing, can see that booming left peg undoing the opposition tonight, and a chance for him to display his talents to any future employer watching, or indeed to stabilise his position at his parent club.

You will be bit light on the bench, I admit. There's more quality but less quantity in your squad.

I'd say our current best 17 is as follows, although we have a good few at its edges who would be arguable.

Quinlan, Shaw, Heffernan, Vaivai, Carney J.

Carney T, McGuire

Mulhern, Lunt, Masoe
Blair, Tomkins
Kavanagh

Jewitt, Scruton, Greenwood, Atkin.

So we'll be missing about 9 of those. For a variety of reasons, I admit, and players like Tickle, Lee, Salter, Donaldson and Clarkson can do an adequate job covering. Crooks and Hall arriving means we won't be as reliant on neophyte three quarters in the 8s, but tonight they'll be playing in their way into a new team.

This is a contrast from 2016 when we ended up [irelying[/i on youngsters like Jubb, Moran and Marsh, and is something you seem to found on a smaller scale with a few injuries this year.

It's not just the 6 who aren't playing, the issue is having Sneyd, Griffin, Talanoa, and Abdull all recently returning from long term injuries, and Shaul, Mini and Carlos carrying injuries and who probably shouldn't be playing.

And it's going to be hot and humid tonight.

Injuries, a lunar eclipse, floods and lightning, perhaps an early sending off, flying ants, and a heatwave, anything is possible on Derby night, even a good ref is possible. At five quid a ticket roll up.

Jesus the poor lambs. I'd blame the coach who picks them in their broken unhealthy condition....where's my bed sheet....Radford out!

..........You went too far with a good ref.

Thank goodness this is the last derby of the year - make the most of it, you might not be playing a competitive derby next year.

Not bad but I think Lawler and Addy make the 17. They've been out that long though you forget how good they were.

You'd better hope not. Without you're points haul from us youll be in the middle 8s next season.

There’s nowt wrong with our Gareth. History maker

You can make a case for them certainly. However, I do think that for long-term absentees there can be a tendency for 'the less they play, the better they seem', especially in a struggling team.

It's the same with youngsters - they're often potential worldbeaters until they start getting game time. I can't help but feel that Litten's stock is on the rise versus former great hopes like Fash, Turgut, Logan et al., in part because they're being hit by SL players and Litten isn't. For example.