Re: Pre-season chat : Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:31 am  

Certainly BArrow used the wind better than we did, I did hear that it got stronger in the 2nd half?

Looking at Barrow, their sub Archer looked a decent prospect and turned the game.

We have 2 games this weekend to assess the potentials - looking forwards to it already

Re: Pre-season chat : Mon Jan 30, 2023 1:34 pm  

Looking at who played yesterday, it looks pretty clear 16 names are pencilled in for week one, with only who starts at right second row, the make up of the props and who takes the last bench spot being open to debate IMO.

It looks like-

Field
French King Wardle Marshall
Cust Smith
Singleton Powell Byrne
Pearce-Paul Farrell Smithies

Subs
Cooper Havard Isa ?

It’s possibly knee jerk but I’d be extremely tempted to go with Forber as a wildcard on the bench. He could really catch teams by surprise early in the season. I expect we’ll probably see the extra prop or Shorrocks in there however. We’ll possibly know a bit more after the weekend.

Re: Pre-season chat : Mon Jan 30, 2023 2:20 pm  

Simba16 wrote:

Certainly BArrow used the wind better than we did, I did hear that it got stronger in the 2nd half?

Looking at Barrow, their sub Archer looked a decent prospect and turned the game.

We have 2 games this weekend to assess the potentials - looking forwards to it already

Signed from Saints. I was surprised at that as I saw him a couple of times last season and he looked a much better prospect than Moss (who we have kept on)

I think though that he is a Cumbrian lad anyway so may well have just wanted to play nearer to home. He's certainly young enough to get another go back in the SL

Re: Pre-season chat : Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:24 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Looking at who played yesterday, it looks pretty clear 16 names are pencilled in for week one, with only who starts at right second row, the make up of the props and who takes the last bench spot being open to debate IMO.

It looks like-

Field
French King Wardle Marshall
Cust Smith
Singleton Powell Byrne
Pearce-Paul Farrell Smithies

Subs
Cooper Havard Isa ?

It’s possibly knee jerk but I’d be extremely tempted to go with Forber as a wildcard on the bench. He could really catch teams by surprise early in the season. I expect we’ll probably see the extra prop or Shorrocks in there however. We’ll possibly know a bit more after the weekend.

Is Farrell fit for start of season?

Re: Pre-season chat : Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:42 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Looking at who played yesterday, it looks pretty clear 16 names are pencilled in for week one, with only who starts at right second row, the make up of the props and who takes the last bench spot being open to debate IMO.

It looks like-

Field
French King Wardle Marshall
Cust Smith
Singleton Powell Byrne
Pearce-Paul Farrell Smithies

Subs
Cooper Havard Isa ?

It’s possibly knee jerk but I’d be extremely tempted to go with Forber as a wildcard on the bench. He could really catch teams by surprise early in the season. I expect we’ll probably see the extra prop or Shorrocks in there however. We’ll possibly know a bit more after the weekend.

Looking at his stats from last year and how highly the coaching staff seem to rate him I don’t see any way Ellis if fit doesn’t get in the match day 17.

The big red flag for me in that team is the secondrow.

I love how KPP plays, but he is far from the finished article and having to rely on Isa as back up at his age is a worry.

Nsemba been talked about but he’s a year off at least in my opinion. A spell in on loan would do him the World of good but I don’t think we have the luxury of being able to do that unless we recruit mid season.

Re: Pre-season chat : Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:29 pm  

jonh wrote:

Looking at his stats from last year and how highly the coaching staff seem to rate him I don’t see any way Ellis if fit doesn’t get in the match day 17.

The big red flag for me in that team is the secondrow.

I love how KPP plays, but he is far from the finished article and having to rely on Isa as back up at his age is a worry.

Nsemba been talked about but he’s a year off at least in my opinion. A spell in on loan would do him the World of good but I don’t think we have the luxury of being able to do that unless we recruit mid season.

Have to disagree about the second row. I worry about the depth but not the starters.

Not sure if there’s a better backrow in partnership in SL than Farrell and KPP. Both England internationals.

Give KPP a run of games starting and right second row and not switching to centre and he’ll start to build defensive combinations.

Genuinely don’t think 2023 KPP will be a big downgrade from 2021/2 Bateman.

Re: Pre-season chat : Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:44 pm  

Simba16 wrote:

Is Farrell fit for start of season?

Just checked, latest report suggests he will be fit.

Re: Pre-season chat : Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:49 pm  

Simba16 wrote:

Just checked, latest report suggests he will be fit.

Yes he’s good to go mate. There was a plan in place to roll him out for the GF if we made it.

He was fully fit around Christmas.

Re: Pre-season chat : Fri Feb 03, 2023 1:35 pm  

Re: Pre-season chat : Fri Feb 03, 2023 1:52 pm  

I was going to say hopefully nothing major with Liam Byrne but thinking on, I think he’s banned isn’t he? He got a ban during the World Cup iirc.

The only other player missing that is a minor concern is Harvie Hill. Maybe he’s being loaned out like Silva or has a knock.