Lanes the top tackler in the league!

Hull were 18/1 to beat Wire but I see this as even tougher and I’m backing FC but want 46 start to feel confident

Some expect FC to have a real go

I don’t see that - sorry to say

We are in a long rut going back to last season and it will take something spectacular to break the rut

Uncle Tony’s honeymoon period has long gone and the ‘new coach’ impetus has fizzled over time.
Simon Grix seems to have had little impact and Stanley may just be another Lee Crooks type of temp appointment


I think the only chance we have of a spark is winning at Caravan park - win there like 2016, and TH at could change things but not this week

With Brown definitely put I'd go with this.

Walker
Russell
Carlos
Mcintosh
Martin
Hoy/Brown
Smith
Sao
Brown/Houghton
Ese'ese
Okunbor
Staveley
Houghton/Lane

Bullock
Ashworth
Balmforth
Lane/Gardiner

Walker
Russell
Tuimavave
McIntosh
Martin
Hoy
Smith

Ese’ese
Houghton
Sao
Okunbor
Staveley
N Brown

Balmforth
Lane
Ashworth
Bullock

As good a servant as Danny has been, for me Brown is the better hooker and is just as sound defensively. I'd also go with Balmforth on the bench as he offers a different threat as he has a bit of pace about his game and is quite a smart player with some guile that we are badly lacking.
I'd like to see Ligi actually given a run at 13 which is the position he was brought in to play but was moved to prop due to us having a lack of quality and size when he arrived.

So 1 to 13 would be pretty much same as you have but with Brown in at 9 instead of Houghton, Hoy in the halves (subject to any internal discipline issues) and Sao at LF with Ashworth as a starting front row with Ese'ese.

Bench would be Bullock, Gardiner, Balmforth and Lane.

Think at best Hoy will be on the bench and probably no chance of Balmforth been included sadly.

No chance in the world Houghton gets dropped out the 17, I'd be amazed if he doesn't start hooker, think it's in his contract.

Unfortunately I don't disagree as just think we are now back to playing a player for the sake it, rather than the overall picture and balance of a 17 that takes to the field. Looked to have more cohesion and more organisation at Warrington with Hoy/Smith even with a very inexperienced team and a man down.

Sunday seemed a deja vu moment under Hodgson with strange team/bench selection along with the non use of players on the bench.

Can see the points about Houghton and he certainly needs to be spelled. But I think more pressing problems are our halfbacks.

Problem is we just simply haven't got any quality in the halfback positions and in all honesty we are back to having makeshift halves until Trueman is back, who can hopefully have a good injury free run the rest of the season. Though I do think Morgan Smith is doing a decent job for us currently so Trueman/Smith may prove a good pairing.

Having seen the difference specialist halves can make and given the need for a geniune specialist half, knowing we were already resigned to not having Trueman back until at least Easter, then Clifford returning home it makes the recruitment decision to give Houghton an extra year and also sign Brown a poor one and possibly a poor/complacent contingency plan. I know that the game here is not awash with 6 & 7's but we always seem to be the one club that struggles in this area of recruitment.

But it just makes me wonder if the club has not learnt anything from previous poor/lack of halfback appointments and trying to put square pegs in round holes that its tried so many times until we had Kelly/Sneyd and latterly Trueman/Clifford, granted they didn't play much together but the quality and specialty was most certainly there.

At least it sounds like we are trying to prep properly for the game, going over the day before.

Should be better but I do wonder if less flights out of season were a factor. Hopefully this mini break helps with the team building!