but we offload more than any other team in the league
and i remember Cas away was on a night with crap weather too

Expecting

Golding
Briscoe Watkins Sutcliffe Hall
McGuire Moon
Galloway Parcell Cuthbertson
Ferres JJB
Ward

Burrow Delaney Singleton Garbutt

Mullally Baldwinson

If Garbutt and Delaney are fit this week I'd expect

Golding
Briscoe - Watkins - Sutcliffe - Hall
McGuire - Moon
Galloway - Parcell - Cuthbertson/Garbutt
Ferres - Ward
JJB

Burrow
Delaney
Singleton
Garbutt/Cuthbertson

Certain JJB will be at loose not Ward who'll be 2nd row. Question will be do you start with Cuthbertson who gives you offloads or Garbutt who gives you the metres (Galloway seems a certain starter when fit). Do you want to fight fire with fire a bit and start with Cuthbertson's offloads from the off or introduce them after 20 mins after Garbutt has hopefully eaten up a lot of metres to get us on the front foot.

You have to go with Cuthbertson who offers both attacking options and high tackle count. Garbutt offers good meters but a lot less in defense so better as impact off the bench. We will need our defenders early as Cas usually start fast and we need the maximum attacking options against their good defense.

On paper that's a 17 as good as any. If Hardaker is fit Cas will have advantage at FB & HB. Leeds have better 3/4s but the inability to set them free. Should be cracking.

Whilst Cuthbertson is the better defender I wouldn't say the gap between them is significant. Cuthbertson is the better option to move the ball around but maybe completing sets and making meters and making sure Cas have to start sets as close to their line as possible is the best way to start the opening quarter instead of throwing it about, offloading and taking risks that see us cough up ball in our own half and gifting them good position.

We won't win the game in the opening 20 mins but we could well lose it if we lose the field position battle and a lot of the opening quarter is played near our end. I also say that Cuthbertson is arguably better at offering impact from the bench than Garbutt as he'll hopefully be able to get more offloads off against tiring defenders.

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My main worry with this fixture is our edge defense - with Sutcliffe probably playing left Centre that means our defense on our left edge is Hall, Burrow, Sutcliffe. Luckily Cas's right edge attack isn't as good as their left edge attack and that's where mainly I think we have the problem in "where to play McGuire"
Their main attack is on their left edge with Shenton and Eden being outside of Gale and Hardaker.
We MUST have a plan to stop Gale, he is their main play-maker, nearly every left edge move starts with him. What about assigning someone permanently on him (Steve Ward maybe).
We have to close him down the second he receives any pass.

two things I am laughing at there, and nothing to do with you, just the points raised and reminiscing.
.
Firstly, Brough has done this for years to us, and we have never managed it with him either, so not sure it is a tactic in the coaches locker.

Secondly, and the bit chuckling at. Many moons ago it always used to be the job of the loose to keep in tact the oppossition scrum half, that was his job in defence, and ball player in attack. So the point you made and the player responsible is perfect. But the modern game has moved so far away from this it is ridiculous, why I don't know.

Its only 5 years ago since Carl Ablett did a decent job on Lee Briers in the 2012 Grand Final against Warrington. Would still love to know what he said to him after scoring his try !