It does look like being a similar Hull side to last year's home game which ended sourly despite the early red card. That freak early Houghton try just set us back and then played tig with Connor and Tuimavave and lost a very winnable game again. Our middle and edges look so much stronger now that I just can't see it going that way. Attack has never been our problem,even when struggling we play attractive rugby as Phil Clarke often alludes to. Its the nasty rough stuff we lacked. Not now, that pack is as big and aggressive as they come imo. No brain farts and daft cards or McGuire getting pinged for gobbing off at ref (can see the Zeebrugge stand howling every time he opens his mouth) and we should win the day.

Disagree about Lannon. Very shrewd buy. Every time iv seen him for Salford he has been very good and gone very well in pre-season. The fact he may not make the 17 tells us we have a much stronger side than past years. Rumours another forward due in to replace Josh Johnson and Jewitt and Scruton due back shortly and Lunt and Quinlan back at the crucial end of season and its pretty positive from CP. Apart from the floodlight falling down it's been best preseason for ages.

Rovers by 10+ Tommy Lee anytime try scorer. Printing money

Taylor? I think that was more due to injury than not being selected. Think he had a shoulder op in the off season. Of the English props in SL there aren't many I would swap Taylor for. Thompson, Walmsley if he can return the same player from his injury. That's pretty much it. Mulhern is a really good young prop, but he is yet to reach his potential yet and is a way behind Taylor right now.

Think he did say he was disappointed not to be selected. If he had the op then maybe this was when he was not called up.

No reflection on Taylor, but it would have been dfficult for any international coach to pick from a team on the end of so many poor results/performances.Hopefully it may be a blessing in disguise for Taylor.

Taylor was never going to be playing for England, as you say, no national coach would pick anyone from a team that had lost 11 on the bounce.

He looked injured for a lot of back end of season when I saw him? He and Houghton both looked cream crackered? Asking a lot of them to do big minutes again this season when will Connors eligibility be confirmed? No ref appointnent yet and squads will be Wednesday so it's just hot air and gut feelings at moment.

Jake Connor???

Apparently KR are fully fit for Friday and that's the only reason it will be close with Hull missing raft of stars? Some interesting views over the road .Garbutt no better than Huby? Some straws being clutched already

Connor was a special case tbf in that he had already stolen the show in Denver. Had he not performed well in that game then our form might have been an issue for him, but I think Bennett had him pencilled in for a while. It would indeed be a big call to give someone a debut from a team who were playing so poorly. That said Connor was injured for a good few of those losses, including the 2 big hammerings.

Maybe I'm wrong about Taylor, maybe he got the op because he wasn't picked rather than the other way around. But he was certainly struggling for a lot of last season and yet still pretty much carried our pack.

Thaler is the ref... One things for sure he will card anyone for backchat whatever tonight's outome on Connor

Is Jake the Snake banned or not then?

Certainly is...

Connors appeal unsuccessful,teach him to keep his big gob shut.

He's a good player nothing more nothing less. You'd think he was Wally Lewis the way the Unwashed are carrying on? So probably Sneyd and Kelly in the halves which is decent enough although fitness must be a doubt. The only positive I can see from an FC perspective is Jake the Snake will be frothing at mouth come the Cas game.He owes his teammates massively after missing this through a very avoidable act of Jakery

Earlier on I said I didn't expect Kelly to play, but given Radfords comments and the fact no time frame was ever put on his injury I reckon you might be right. Now that Connor is definitely banned I reckon we will roll the dice and throw him out there. How fit he is going to be is is a different matter, but even a 50% Kelly can be a match winner.

19s announced tomorrow I believe. We will have a better idea then.

Even if Kelly isn't named in the 19 he will probably play.Think if he is named tomorrow it may help fans morale a bit? We've had it last few Derby with McGuire and Lunt and when they don't make it the fans deflate a bit. Been a strange build up so far

neither side will be 100%, a derby as a season opener is far from ideal.

Looking at the squads, cannot see anything other than a HKR win. No pace, no creativity in the Hull side, very forward orientated - and an under strength forward pack at that!

On paper, I think we look a little better, looking at those 19s.

With home advantage, i’m hopeful. It’s not like some recent seasons when i knew deep down that we were probably going to get metaphorically kerb stomped. Not just against Hull, either. And not knowing it doesn’t mean it definitely won’t happen!

That said, first game of the season it is likely to be even scrappier than most derbies. Depends as much as anything on where the teams are in terms of preparation. It’ll be a few weeks until either properly finds their feet, I reckon - but who is closest currently? Looking forward to finding out.

We wI’ll all know by 10pm Friday night (unless we get golden point). I just hope the weather is ok for running & handling with no injuries for either side. Our squad looks good but non of us will really know until we get a few games in. Looking forward to it.

If there are no curveballs and Kelly/Milodi/Rat. Don't play then looking at that squad we won't have to worry about gameplans as it's obvious they going straight down the middle and aim for brute force and high completion that has served Radford well. Trouble is their pack is not the one with Ellis Watts Pritchard and Manu and Chello in pomp.We could/should have enough to meet them head on and
prevail. Radders tactics are helped by probable weather and it may turn into a grind which is what he wants. I'm confident as you can be as a fan but reckon there will be yellows and reds flying around and it wouldn't be the first time iv seen us bodge up a golden opportunity

. Yes and I do not think it will be the last time we bodge it up but I hope not come on you reds

Gameplans? You're implying we have more than 1.
Even if those players were playing we would still employ those tactics you mentioned.