Part of the game, Phil, as you like to say.

What a confidence boost to our strength in depth though if we can pull it off.

Are we missing Eden?

I'd imagine Catalans to line up something like this:

Webb
Blanch
Duport
Millard
Pala
Pryce
Bosc
Bousquet
Henderson
Casty
Taia
Menzies
Mounis

Pelissier
Anderson
Elima
Fakir

Our forwards really are gonna have a job on competing with that pack even though they're still missing L Paea. Taia and Menzies look a frightening second-row pairing and they'll also have impact off the bench with Elima and Fakir.

With Eden missing I suppose a lot may depend on how much we've practiced with Hall at full-back.

The one thing that does give me hope though is the pre-season form of Lincoln Withers who has shown why he was a first choice half-back at Canberra Raiders ahead of Dobson. So hopefully if Dobson and Withers get enough of the ball we may be able to pull off a win.

looking forward to the game tomorrow.
hope we get off to a flyer and end up at the right end of the table this year.

Doesn't sound like Eden will make it so I'm guessing we'll go with Latus at full-back to minimise disruption. Moving Hall & Withers is still an option if it isn't working.

Think Barthau will probably start for Catalans ahead of Bosc.

Looking forward to this. We had 3 close games with them last year, fancy us to nick this one.

It is part of the game but missing 4 of your starting back 7 while only spending 1.2 million of a salary cap is going to hurt you against a team spending 1.65 million I'd guess

Well the season is finally arrived, hopefully we can start with 2 points, I can see todays game being a close fought battle i think our forwards will be able to create a good platform for dobson to hopefully pull the strings. I will be watching on facebook as i doubt my internet here will stream the radio coverage! I would obviously rather be in the East stand, but that wont be happening til April! Come on you Reds!!

I will be boarding a flight from Hong Kong so won't know the score until I get to Amsterdam.
Gutted to be missing the first game of the season.

I get the impression most fans are hopeful of our chances this afternoon because we beat a very average and overrated Hull FC side in pre-season but Catalans are a better side with better forwards.

I was encouraged by the way our pack dominated a small and ageing pack at the KC but the likes of Casty (who was the best prop in the league last year), Elima (one of FC's early targets) and Fakir are a different proposition all together IMO. Mounis is one of the most underrated 13's in SL too.

Taia and Menzies must be the best second-row pairing in the league bar-none and this is where we really have to be on our guard because I can see them doing some serious damage if they are not contained.

If Catalans do start with Barthau at 7 he's a really unpredictable player and a player who Bobby Goulding rates very highly but I'm not sure about his organisational skills..

If we manage to beat Catalans today then it would be an indicator that we could exceed a lot of expectations this season but I think Catalans have to be favourites because they have a better pack.

I just hope people don't start to get upset if we get beat because Catalans are a proven top-four side at the end of the day - not a fictional one created by the media...

Lets hope for a win and when i click on the tv part at the top of the page it does not work i need to know if its on humberside and Yorkshire radio if yorkshire radio i can listern to it on my tv sky

Apart from the usual daft Hull digs I agree with a lot of that shorty.

Mounis is a very dangerous player who covers an awful lot of ground, and I really think that if he hadn't had terrible luck with injuries then Fakir would have turned into one of the best rugby players of his generation.

Roopy has been telling us that Taia will be one of the best signings in SL all off season.

I'm assuming that Frayssinous will carry on in pretty much the same style as Robinson so I don't think the new coach factor will really apply.

Got the same fears as you and Zoddy, with a little added optimism.

Reasons to be optimistic, you can't underestimate the importance of Dureau in their team. We are all unsure of Frassynous' ability as a coach really and finally Catalans tend to start fairly slowly (albeit normally ending their bad runs against us.)

I think we will lose a narrow contest but I wouldn't bet against either team.
Anyway, win or lose, rugby is back at an improving Craven Park!
Rally round the Robins!

]

Not sure about Yorkshire Radio but BBC Humberside are scheduled to cover the game on 95.9fm.

Ah well, disappointed but not seriously disheatened. Very impressed with Catalans, like watching Huddersfield last night. They just got too much ball & field position in the 1st half (a fair bit of it thanks to Bentham) & their big forwards just went through us. Momentum is hard to stop unfortunately, we scored points when the penalties dried up & the possession started to even up a bit but just had too much to do. Thought Tui, Carlile & Lovegrove did well off the bench.