Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 1:15 pm  

Without being respectful, this should be a straight forward game. I'd make a lot of changes for this one (though i personally don't think Kear will) last thing we need is an injury to a key player in a game we should win comfortably. Also the last 2 games have been tough, draining games. Personally i'd go with:

1. Mcnally
2. Brown
3. Ricketts
4. Oakes (if fit)
5. Ryan
6. Milnes
7. Pickersgill
8. Wood
9. Halafihi
10. Davies
11. Hodgson
12. Milton
13. Goodall

14. Butterworth
15. Bustin
16. King?
17. Andrade?

[Bulliac]

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 1:53 pm  

Before the York game JK was actually talking about Chissy being fit to play next week, as though he intended to play him if he was. Not sure I'm would. It must be a fine line between giving him some gametime and taking unnecessary risks with our big playmaker. Dunno which way I'd fall on that one, tbh.

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 2:08 pm  

A difficult one this. JK has to decide between risking injury and moulding the team into a coherent unit. One of the differences between York and the Bulls on Sunday was that York clearly had played together whereas the Bulls were still in the process of gelling as a team. The more we play together as a team the better we will become. So I think JK has a choice to make here.

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 2:34 pm  

I think he'll go with the core of yesterdays team, but give three or four others a run out. And, for the reasons already alluded to, that seems like a good policy

It's hard to know who will or will not play, as it will depend on knocks and bumps from yesterday. Also whether people like Oakes and Chisholm are fit.

As for Chisholm, Kear was quoted in todays League Express to the effect that hopes to ease him back with a short stint in the next couple of games so that he can play a full game against Keighley in a couple of weeks. So don't be surprised to see him on the bench against West Wales and maybe getting 20 minutes...

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 2:42 pm  

I think it's a bit early in the season to be doing any major rotations. You can't have any fear about picking up injuries, players can get injured just training so it's pointless trying to avoid them that way. I'd rather we play the strongest side we can and try and get some fluidity in the side. We looked very pedestrian against York so the more game time these guys can get together, the better.

I'd go:

McNally
Grant
Gibson
Oakes (or Smith if Oakes isn't fit)
Ryan
Pickersgill
Keyes
Crossley
Hallas
Kirk
Garside
Johnson
Minchella

Peltier
Davies/Andrade
Butterworth/Halafihi
Milton/Chisholm

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 2:58 pm  

Has Andrade been signed? Iirc we can’t play trialists in league games. Seems to have gone quiet about him.

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:00 pm  

mat wrote:

Has Andrade been signed? Iirc we can’t play trialists in league games. Seems to have gone quiet about him.

Was he in the team photo? I can't remember. I know he got a dead leg against Keighley though so him not playing yesterday might have been because of that.
Hopefully we have signed him though because we look really light in the props, Crossley did the job of two men yesterday and he won't be able to do that all season.

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:13 pm  

I'm taking it that this won't be the game live-streamed on the BBC website as we've announced a kick off time of 3pm Sunday - the BBC ones tend to have been Saturdays. Unless I've missed something?

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:58 pm  

Not too much change but it's important to try and get everybody up to and staying at match fitness, as well as getting used to playing alongside each other so nobody is playing cold when called upon.

McNally
Ricketts
Gibson
Oakes
Ryan
Pickersgill
Keyes
Crossley
Halafihi
Kirk
Garside
Hodgson
Minichella

Peltier
Goodall
Bustin
Hallas

Re: Cup: West Wales Raiders (H) : Tue Feb 20, 2018 2:22 am  

Lets hope the West Wales Club pass the medical this time!