Agree with all of that, we desperately need to sign some senior players to replace those you've mentioned, or we need to create a new leadership group from within.

We also cannot keep having these injury crisis's season after season

That's what I'd go with, only issue is playing Houghton at hooker for 80 minutes, but hard to see how that will change until Connor or McNamara are back.

Be interesting to see if Griffin plays, think he will if Taylor or Satae are out.

Yeah, ideally McNamara would be at 6, which would let us use Lovodua at 9 but sounds like he's still a few weeks away.

Agree on the prop situation too. Think Taylor should be okay as he passed his HIA (I think). Satae will be a big miss if he doesn't make it

A must win really if we're to keep our hopes of scraping 6th and getting knocked out of week 1 of the playoffs...if Cas win and Salford best Toulouse we're out of the 6..although Toulouse are the form team in the league at the moment, the only team to have won their last 3 games...

Simm and Longstaff were signed on initial 2 week loans wasn't they? Will probably be extended during the week.

We must be aiming at stringing back to back wins against Cas and Toulouse. It's going to be tough, both sides have found form but with bodies coming back we should be able to put up a good fight. Feel like our season will fizzle out yet again should we lose these two.

Think Longstaff was a 3 week. Simm 2 week, then assessed weekly moving forward.

I'd imagine they'd both be here till the end of the season at least

For me and I know some will freak out at this (can't believe I'm saying it myself) but I'd be tempted to put Johnstone in at 9 as while he doesn't offer a great deal, for me currently he would be more effective than a very tired Houghton and have Balmforth on the bench to come on after 20mins. Its not just the playing 80mins in a game but the fact its still week in week out and Danny is still not recovered a week later and that was clear as day against Wigan from the start. BH can't keep expecting him to do it week in week out even when short on numbers and expect him to offer anything or be effective, Houghton needs leaving out to allow him the time to recover similarly to how Gaz Ellis was rested some weeks after tough games and long minutes he played.
We need to seriously up the pace we play at with much quicker ptb and line speed (both in defence and going forward) and we aren't going to do that playing a tired and worn out Houghton.

Walker
Simm
Mitch
Wynne
McIntosh
Lovodua
Gale
Sao
Johnstone
Evans
Lane
Mau (if fit)
Fash

Satae
Taylor
Brown
Balmforth

If Satae isn't 100% and Mau is fit Longstaff comes in on the bench.

https://rugby-league.com/article/60529/ ... view-panel No bans for us this week. Cheyse Blair missing for Cas. Surprised he only got 2 games.

https://rugby-league.com/article/60529/ ... view-panel No bans for us this week. Cheyse Blair missing for Cas. Surprised he only got 2 games.

Resting Houghton will not really help him or the team. He has not been a SL quality hooker for the past couple of seasons. Even fully rested I doubt he will bring anything to the table. He has been a good servant to the club but needs to recognise when to say enough is enough.

Thing is , we don’t even know if Lovodua is the answer at hooker yet.

I’d love to get a Parcell / Levi type of hooker and play Lovodua at 13.

Definitely agree about resting Houghton but I'd look at putting hookem in the half's and get joey in at 9 because after all the hype at the beginning of the season with his performances I feel he is becoming just a OK sl player at 6. Wigan away and magic are the only 2 games where I thought he was good at 6. Really need benny back

I don't disagree to an extent but he would be far more effective if he was rested and able to fully recover and then spelled with a player such as Balmforth arther than flogged for 80mins then expected to do it week in week out even on short turnarounds and the heat.