As I said on another thread, Lowes has steadfastly set his face against resting players, and I think he's far too stubborn to change that now. He will play the first choice available team
Another thing to factor in is that he clearly considers Siejka to be part of his first choice team - he said as much just the other week. Even for the Salford game he was 'pencilled in' to play. Even though most of us assumed he was dropped, he would have played had he not got a niggle the day before.
So, if Siejka is now fit, expect him to be with Gaskell in the halves, with Mullaney at full back
I don't like that anymore that anyone else, but let's be honest, Lowes is to stubborn give two hoots what any of us can see from watching the games every week.
It is of course possible that, playing alongside a fit and in-form Gaskell, Siejka may suddenly explode, like a rocket waiting for a flame, and rise phoenix-like from the dross of earlier games, strutting the playoff stage like a leviathan, into imperious top-class scrum half action.
WOW - that is some dream FA had about Seijka last night. Oddly enough though, I would play Seijka against KR if he is fit. Jimmy will live or die as the coach because of his decisions so if he genuinely believes Seijka has the ability to do the job he wants doing then yes, he should either pick him or release him. I thought Seijka was getting some confidence just before his ankle injury and he has never recovered properly. Addey is not the answer at SH so for me he should be 13 and Pitts in the SR with Fergusson. Mullaney to FB and Clare on the wing as I am still not sure about Caro as he seems to lack confidence when he has a chance to leg it. His defence needs improvement.
The problem for us is that we can play poorly again and get hammered but they are capable of all hitting form at once and beating KR who may also be without halves. We will know within 20 minutes which team we have taken for the match. We have two teams. One that can attack and defend and the other that can't do either if they are in that mood. That does come down to the coaching in my mind as I do think we have a decent 20 or so players.
So onwards and upwards, we can go over the murder till we are blue in the face, but the next 3 weeks are crucial IMO, if we take another pasting at HKR we will get beaten by Leigh simple as that, we will be on the slide and Leigh will smell blood and clean us up.
Need a full 80min performance HKR are now safe so we might sneak a win especially as their final game is aginst Sheffeild which woould see them safely home.
Have to play our strongest i feel and have to catch them napping and match their intensity especailly as they are missing the HB paring (not a lot i know as they seem to be playing very well without them).
Clare Caro Neilsen Purtell Williams Gaskell Mullaney Clough O'Brien Sidlow Ferguson Pitts Addy
Olbison Lauaki Crossley Blythe
Addy put some good hits in on sunday and even though his playmacking needs work he might add abit extra for us, need speed in the centre so Mullany and Gas should give us that and out wingers didnt do to bad last week either so keep them, Clare need to have some desire especailly when chaing bouncing balls a couple he didnt go for resulting in tries last week need sorting.
hi just to point out hull krs last game is Salford at home and not Sheffield cheers
Its an odd one really - we (HKR) have been largely crap in the middle 8s, we have a couple of purple patches in games where no teams (so far) have been able to live with us, but we don't put a complete performance in. Our starting half backs are done for the season and this has had a big impact on our attack I feel. Against Wakey we had plenty of ball in good positions, but in the end, we scored two speculative, length of the pitch efforts, one dart from dummy half close to the line and one great finish in the corner from Dixon. We didn't create much and we didn't do much in the way of build pressure on the Wakefield line. Really, they probably should have beaten us.
I don't know much about Bradford and the players in your team, but I don't think you need to play expansive, super creative rugby to beat us. If you can keep the intensity up for 80 minutes and can manage to live with KR when we turn it up, you should do okay and could possibly win. We'll score tries (hopefully lots!) but we'll concede our share too and if you can manage to not drop off in the way Halifax and Leigh did, I actually fancy you to get something. Rovers don't need to win this game but Bradford do and maybe that will be a telling factor.
Having said all that, we've managed to go 4 from 4 in second gear pretty much, we are the best team in this middle 8 group and i would fully expect HKR to get the win as I am sure they want to go 7 from 7 and prove that they're too good for relegation.
Its an odd one really - we (HKR) have been largely crap in the middle 8s, we have a couple of purple patches in games where no teams (so far) have been able to live with us, but we don't put a complete performance in. Our starting half backs are done for the season and this has had a big impact on our attack I feel. Against Wakey we had plenty of ball in good positions, but in the end, we scored two speculative, length of the pitch efforts, one dart from dummy half close to the line and one great finish in the corner from Dixon. We didn't create much and we didn't do much in the way of build pressure on the Wakefield line. Really, they probably should have beaten us.
I don't know much about Bradford and the players in your team, but I don't think you need to play expansive, super creative rugby to beat us. If you can keep the intensity up for 80 minutes and can manage to live with KR when we turn it up, you should do okay and could possibly win. We'll score tries (hopefully lots!) but we'll concede our share too and if you can manage to not drop off in the way Halifax and Leigh did, I actually fancy you to get something. Rovers don't need to win this game but Bradford do and maybe that will be a telling factor.
Having said all that, we've managed to go 4 from 4 in second gear pretty much, we are the best team in this middle 8 group and i would fully expect HKR to get the win as I am sure they want to go 7 from 7 and prove that they're too good for relegation.
Sounds very much like us some brilliant length of field tries but panic and struggle in the final 10m, if the bulls can come out on fire and really up for hit I think it will be close, can't see a win but a very close game will do wonders for us, similar to how leaigh did against yourselves would instil some pride back into us, and set up a cracker against leigh next week
It is of course possible that, playing alongside a fit and in-form Gaskell, Siejka may suddenly explode, like a rocket waiting for a flame, and rise phoenix-like from the dross of earlier games, strutting the playoff stage like a leviathan, into imperious top-class scrum half action.
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T and A saying Gaskell won't play now this week. Anyone else think that is the last we have seen of him this year? Every week we float out he is hoping to be fit only to get to Thursday and find a one liner at the bottom of a T and A article saying he still isn't quite fit. Sounds he hardly had a chance last week, will we be saying same again next week?
You will run us close don't worry we (HKR) have not played well at all in middle8s but just do enough in patches to win games and feel this game will be no different