That's not an unfair summary. I rate Westerman highly and would include him in your "class" list, but he won't play in this one anyway.

I would be very surprised if Connor gets let off and whilst I hope I am wrong I am not expecting Kelly to play either. If I was to have a stab at the team I reckon it will be this:

Shaul
Faraimo
Griffin
Tuimavave
Dawson-Jones (don't rate him fwiw but I think that's how Radford will go)
Washbrook (I would go with Miloudi but again I think Radford will take the safe option)
Sneyd
Taylor
Houghton
Paea
Hadley
Minichiello
Manu

Matongo
Lane
Nzoungou
Fash

I would also find a place for Litten on the bench but think Radford will go for 4 (relatively) big men on the bench.

Edit: Keep forgetting about Jordan Thompson. He will probably be in instead of Levy or Fash.

Liam Harris will play before Washbrook surely?

No I don't think so. Washbrook isn't a match winner but he is dependable and Radford trusts him, and in an important game likely to be played in poor conditions I think he will go safe.

As I said my personal preference would be Miloudi, but that would be a bold move.

That's an embarrassing Hull side Washbrook at half back FFS and a shocking bench for a so called top club. The mismatch in quality at prop is equally shocking. Rovers by 24 points and onto an actual contest in round 2.

Can't quite decide if that's just straight up trolling or if you are a little bit delusional.

Here's hoping. Lots of doom and gloom west of the river going into this one. Can't see passed a rovers' victory, start the season off with a bang. Most looking forward to seeing how Dagger does hopefully he is rewarded and Sheens picks him. RRTR

What do you disagree with?
Washbrook in the halves an embarrassment?
A bench of 21, 21, 22, 23 year old against Masoe, Lannon etc?
Matongo, Taylor, Fash and Nzoungou vs
Garbutt, Mulhern, Masoe..

Delusional indeed mate if you think those are anywhere near equal...

Said a while back this is a dream set of opening four games. With Wire perhaps disrupted regards Brown we should be looking at a target of 8 points.

An embarrassment? Really? He's average and unspiring, I'll give you that, but he will do a job.

We have head and shoulders the best prop in the fixture in Taylor. You edge the rest of the head to heads, but it's all pretty much tit for tat. I like Garbutt, he's better than Paea, and Mulhern is a good young prop, but so is Matongo. Masoe has his moments but often goes missing. I fancy Nzoungou to be the surprise package of this year. Lannon is a nothing player, you must have just as good in the academy?

Anyway, we don't have long to wait to find out.

I'm not saying you won't win this game, there's every chance you will, but your prediction of 24 is either just bravado or you are massively over rating yourselves/underating Hull.

If you are really that confident then the bookies have you as sizeable outsiders. I'm sure you'll make a killing.

Mulhearn is one of the best props in the division, never mind just young and good. He’s light years ahead of Matongo.

[list=[/list
Completely, shows how things have been turned on their head since the end of the season and even since the fixtures came out. Seemingly everything has gone right for Rovers this off season whereas across the river they is a lot going wrong there.

This thread is starting to fill me with dread.



I’m hopeful about this fixture and the season ahead. However, I do wonder whether after relegation and having to drag ourselves back from that, we’re getting carried away just because we don’t have any glaring deficiencies in the squad for the first time in a while.

Not being cannon fodder doesn’t automatically mean we’re going to take a Great Leap Forward.