I have to admit this game couldn’t come around at a better time. We’ve got a break from the rigours of SL and some of our senior players are picking up niggling injuries.

It’s one which I’ve had an eye on for a while as it seems for at least the past six weeks we’ve had challenge after challenge and have been playing good teams on the bounce.

I’m not taking Sheffield lightly but even the most pessimistic fan on here will agree they don’t pose as much of a challenge as some of the teams we’ve played over the past six weeks.

I think although it won’t be a Whitehaven esq blow-out I do think we will beat them with a few senior players being rested in the process.

As I said above I’m hoping a few senior players are rested next week. They’ve come through one of the hardest pre seasons at the club in the last decade and have also come through some bruising matches as well. It staggers belief when you think that players like Joel, Lockers, Gleeson and Pat have played almost every minute of all our games so far as well.

As a start off we should be moving our bench players like Mossop, Prescott, Farrell and Mcilorum into starting roles as well as brining in other first teamers like Feka and Pryce into the fold as well.

Are the likes of Thornley, Vievers, Charnley and Marsh ready for a first team outing? Seeing that many are currently playing at Sheffield’s level I’d be very surprised if they aren’t brought in.

I’d personally go for a starting team of;

Vievers
Charnley
Carmont
Pryce/Marsh
Goulding
Phelps
Deacs
Fielden
Mcilorum
Prescott
Farrell
Mossop
Bailey

And then a bench of depending on who is fit and who needs a rest.

I'd go with that, they can't be underestimated Sheffield - only gotta look back to the CC final of 1998 for the reason why. Although times have since changed drastically since then.

Take a 'weakened' side but an 'experienced' side (if you get what I mean) and we should be fine.

I think we should just play the best team possible and only 'rest' players with niggling injurys ala Carmont, Fielden, Riddell, Deacs, Leuluai etc. I would go for:

Richards
Charnley
Gleeson
Walker
Goulding
Phelps
Sam
Coley
McIlorum
Prescott
Bailey
Joel
O'Loughlin

Feka
Mossop
O'Carroll
Farrell

i think lockers will be rested next week, he's got a lower back injury and played with an injection today

Ah right wondered why he went off for abit in the first half. Joel to 13 Mossop to start and Davies on the bench then?

We have to find a happy medium in games like this.

We can’t take them lightly but we’ve also gotta back ourselves a little and realise that the difference in the leagues means we don’t need our full strength 13 out there to win this one.

Swapping players like Joel, Lockers, Sam and Gleeson for the likes of Feka, Pryce and Vievers is ok in games like this as they are still SL standard players and you’d think they’d be able to handle the opposition.

Were lucky in a way that players like Carmont, Mossop, Phelps & Goulding have been in and out of the side and don’t need rests. This core should be enough to see us through comfortably.

Priestman

Whilst agreeing that players that have played all games need a chance to recuperate a little and we maybe shouldn't be risking any players with niggling injuries I don't think that we can rest on our laurels and leave out as many as you suggest. There is little doubt that Sheffield's players will be fired up for this game and a shot at one of the big teams. The lineup you suggest for me has an insufficient number of players in it that can enable them to hold the collective nerve of the team should things start to get a bit shaky. I may seem pessimistic but lets not forget that Barrow put in a very good effort last year at this stage and were right in it for a long part of the game.

I would think that resting those players that need a rest in groups of 3 or 4 at a time over a few games would allow us to keep a comfortable strength in the side and to mean that the young lads coming in aren't being asked too much on what for many would be their debut. Your lineup has only 7 or maybe 8 who can be considered established SL first teamers, in a squad of 17 that may not be enough given that your 13 has 3 debutants and one lad with only one appearance for Wigan.

Yeah I fully agree

I just feel that we need to weigh up the options better and take an opportunity when it presents itself.

During pre season our full reserve team lost by one point away to the team placed 2nd in Sheffield’s division. Many of our youngsters are currently playing for teams like Widnes and Whitehaven who are above Sheffield in the table as well. This proves the ‘kids’ we could bring in are around the same level as the Sheffield one if not better.

If that is mixed with some real top SL class i.e Bailey, Carmont, Mossop, Fielden, Phelps, Goulding, Prescott & Deacon then we should have enough to win at a canter.

The pack I originally selected contains a plethora of international talent including Mossop and Prescott both former Ireland internationals Fielden is a fully fledged GB international and Phil Bailey has played for Aus! Outside of him you’ve got another GB player in Deacon and a former Aussie school boy stand off in Phelps and lets not forget the former Samoa captain in Carmont as well. Goulding and Pryce are not slouches either.

And to top it all off we’ve got last years championship coach of the year and former Barrow coach Dave Clarke to fully brief the Madge on what to expect from Sheffield and it’s players.

I can’t see the logic in playing our full strength side. We’ve got talent in depth so lets use it.

Whats the crack with Ainscough on this one? I understand he cannot play for Cas, could we bring him back for the game then loan him back out.

I think Pryce could do with a game, he has somewhat dropped off the face of the earth, and a first team shot could be just what he needs to spark his season.

Would not mind if players like Davis and Tuson were recalled for this one, if that is indeed possible.

1- Phelps
2- Charnley/Ainscough
3- Goulding
4- Carmont
5- Pryce
6- S.Tomkins
7- Deacon
8- Fielden (c)
9- McIllorum
10- Coley
11- Mossop
12- Tuson/Bailey
13- Farrell

14- Howarth
15- Walker
16- Vievers
17- Palea'aesina

Rest Gleeson, Richards, Joel Tomkins, Bailey?, Prescott and O'Loughlin

We are clearly very tired, I'm not going to complain about todays performance at all. I'm just glad we got the win and we now have 2 easy games on paper and should hopefully go into the Hudds game with an 8 game winning streak.