So Swinton up next who have been pretty competitive so far in the league. Interesting what everyone would do regards to team selection with us playing on the i-pitch the week before Leigh. Do we wrap Gaskell and OB in cotton wool or continue as we are. Personally i'd wrap them up in cotton wool, i still think replacing half the squad, we should have more than enough to beat Swinton. Last thing we need is Gaskell going over on his ankle the week before Leigh.



For me (Depnding on injuries):



Mathers

Caro

Ryan

Blythe

Clare

Addy

Thomas

Walker

Halafihi

Flemming

Olbison

Lovegrove

Mellor



Lumb

Clark

Lauaki

Walshaw



I think it will be as you were with Jimmy however.

I honestly don't think the ipitch is a problem. In fact I'd say the players were at far more of a risk playing on that sorry state of a pitch last week than they will be on Saturday.

If you watch the highlights of the Leeds injuries, two of them are done in the tackle and were nothing to do with the surface. Ablett is the only one who turned his ankle and tbh it could have happened anywhere. Widnes play on that pitch every other week and they seem fine with it.



As for Saturday I fully expect Jimmy to play the usual spine of the team, with a bit of rotation in the forwards and a slight chance of either Lumb or Ryan getting some game time.



I'd go:



Mathers

Clare

Purtell

Welham

Caro

Gaskell

Addy

Sidlow

AoB

Clark

Olbison

Haggerty

Mellor



Lumb/Thomas/Ryan

Walshaw/Blythe

Lauaki/Lovegrove

Walker/Crossley/Fleming

Even if we're rotating props lauaki shouldn't be getting near team. Having him on bench means props who are playing have to do more minutes to compensate for his short stints. Only way he should be getting a look in now is if we a injury crisis in props.



This is exactly type of game we should be giving likes of Thomas/lumb/halafihi etc a run out in. Certainly not mass changes but at least one of them should be included to at least get some game time off the bench and give one of senior players a breather during match.

It is pretty crap on Whitehaven and Swinton that their Bradford fixtures, which should have been one of their highest gates of the season, were both switched to an attendance decimating slot.

Whitehaven chose to switch their game apparently.

And Swinton's not big enough for any given two of us. Hence Widnes.

All Whitehaven's home fixtures this year are on Saturday evenings with a 18:30 kick off, so it's clearly a choice rather than something forced on them.



With the exception of Workington, I can't see them getting good away followings at that time, as it means fans are getting home very late. It certainly affected my decision to not make the trip.

^this



It's far too early to think about resting players. At this stage we need to have consistency so that people can get used to the systems and combinations



That said, I wouldn't mind seeing Lumb given a spell off the bench, and maybe Oscar Thomas taking Blythe's bench spot and getting a run out at FB when Mathers gets knackered as he seems to do each week.

Which he understandably will considering he won't have trained properly for 6 months and was playing again a week or two after starting.



That being said, if Lowes wants him playing straight away before he's had chance to build up that match fitness, it would make sense to have someone on the bench that can come on for him until he gets back up to full fitness.

Is it Widnes that have the artificial pitch? If so, then we don't need to be as forward heavy with the bench as we won't be playing in the big that is Whitehaven's pitch. I think it might be worth having someone who can spell Mathers now and then while he's building up his fitness levels

On the kick time and day - do people think the traditional Sun afternoon is still the way to go?



I do prefer the Saturday tea time kick offs

Depends if you take into account away support.



Tea Time / Evening kick offs can be off putting to away fans because of getting home late, especially if the opposition are a bit of a distance away.



Personally I like home games being on Friday nights, but I would expect families and away fans would prefer Sunday afternoon.