Really looking forward to this game especially with today's hit out. Some good combinations in the halves as we saw today and I certainly feel we can hit Hull out wide and score some points. 1on1 tackling especially in the collision could do with some improvement but our defence was fairly solid. A good start to the season I feel is on the cards.

Hull still seem all over the place. Don't get me wrong Whiting can be an effective full back and Turner a clever stand off but it just seems that Agar isn't 100% about having those players there.

Morgan seems to have been very clever with his pre-season games, using this last one as a proper run out albeit not at the same SL standard tempo.

A derby usually throws up a dire affair and with this one being the first game of the season I do not see it being much different. Rovers will no doubt have the better halves running the show and I honestly cannot see Hull being strong enough over 80 minutes at this early stage of the season.

Looking at Hull's pack they have some very good players in there but other than Fitzgibbon and O'Meley I think our pack wins on top trumps! Vella, Clinton, Newton and Galea are obviously the ones that stand out but even Murrell, Watts and Fisher have impressed me this off season and I think they will be just too strong down the middle.

Not to be too complacent though it could be a tough game as both teams will no doubt want to get off on a losing run. Likewise the pitch will be heavily cut up after 6 previous games along with the slippery surface due to the roof being closed all weekend. These things could be a leveller and as I say make this into yet another dire derby!

I find all derbies are nigh on impossible to call and a derby right at the start of the season doubly so.
No chicken counting here.

6 weeks ago I was looking forward to the game and thought it would be a close affair, since then our paper thin squad has lost Berrigan will be without Radford and Horne (and his back up Nicklas) and then of course Tansey.

You of course look to be without Lovegrove and Mason but your squad has much more depth and balance.

If the squads stay the same I can't see past a hkr win.

What is pleasing is the fact both sides look to be producing a wealth of talent in the back row which is, bizarrely, where most of our imports play.

maybe you should've been at cas today if you wanted to pass judgement, the match to me seemed like a full blooded superleague game where both teams treated the game seriously and gave all.

Not quite sure why I cant pass judgment anyway? I did not say Hull didn't take the Cas game seriously by the sounds of it the desperation to win was there in abundance just the lacking of direction at times.

All I said was that Morgan was clever in the way he treated the Salford game. He'd done a lot of homework on Patten who was shut out of the match by our centres at any given opportunity and although you could see what he was trying to do the line speed we played with was too much for him.

And when I said about Hull being all over the place I didnt mean on the park, I meant in terms of where players will be playing. Agar has got such little depth to his squad he's forcing players to play in positions they have not trained for in such a long time. In no way did my post ever mention the Cas pre-season fixture nor the mindset of your players.

If anything my post was on the negative side of Rovers in the fact I think the game could be close when really on paper I think Rovers should be putting a clear 20 on Hull at least.

I agree with most of that except I think Hulls pack is stronger than ours whereas ours has more mobiltiy.

It will be like most derbies, the team that handles the situation better will win the game, seen far too many derbies go against form book / logic to call this one.

There is no way in this world a pack which hopefully by the start of this season will have Vella, Clinton, Newton, Mason, Galea, Fisher, Hodgson, Lovegrove, Wheeldon, Cook, Watts, Netherton, Murrell and Taylor will be classed as worse than Hulls.

They have lost their best player and hooker and replaced him with nobody as yet, they have two outstanding players, one prop and one back rower who is quite possibly ready for being moved up to prop, then their pack doesn't throw fear into the heart of anyone. Manu is good but has a couple of off days to make up for his one great game, Westerman will probably shine but that isn't certain, I just do not get frightened by Lauaki or Radford running at Clinton and Vella.

Pack we will match you, you forgot to mention Westerman, Manu, Moa, Tickle and Houghton who are excellent players. In fact without Mason I feel that our pack including subs is better than yours.

Your backs don't really scare me that much either, I'm sure that ours dont scare you either.

You should win the game in 2 ways though your Coach and Dobson.

We have a fully fit back line In Briscoe, Fox, Webster Welham, Colbon. I'd be much more worried about Rovers back line if I was a Hull fan. Those backs scored 7 of Rovers tries yesterday and look very very sharp.

I think moa will have a good season for them this year, as for the derby i suspect it will be another close game, we are looking pretty strong defensively but they will be up for it after the playoff defeat. Like the previous derby i think it will all come down to the halves and without horne or nicklas they could struggle.

Briscoe - England
Fox - England
Welham looks bigger and better
Webster - New Zealand
Colbon is solid, nothing spectacular but kick returns are very good.

Might not scare you but with three internationals and a potential fourth it's got to worry a little.

I don't rate Tickle, I think Houghton is good but drifts in and out of the season. Moa is far overrated by your lot and I'd take Wheeldon over him any day of the week.

Got your red and white glasses on early Nick.

Wheeldon over Moa? You don't rate Tickle? When did Webster last play for NZ?

None of these players are current internationals, houghton is better than anything you have got and if you would have Wheeldon over Moa you are deranged.

Think we'l all have our own views tilted towards our side being the best, in all honesty as a starting line up we are pretty matched, we have more depth and better halves than Hull and unless FC sort out cover then this will be the telling factor over the season.