Not a bad squad, pity that Lewis Else isn't available.
Lewis Hulme will probably have to play long minutes again.
If all the props in the squad are fit we could start Smith at hooker with Baker at loose forward and Hulme coming off the bench.
Bit nervous about this game as a Fev fan. It's probably a very good time to play us a week before Wembley, and we are missing quite a few. Brad Day, Thomas Minns and Jack Bussey are now all out for the season after 2 bad injuries last week, Kris Welham is another long-term absentee and judged on the squad list on the RFL website (where bizarrely they continue apparently only have the capacity to list 19 of the squad) we will also be missing skipper James Lockwood and Frankie Halton.
We should still have a strong starting 13, but I thought the 1895 Cup game at our place changed when your bench went very much better than ours (which featured a distinct lack of size), and we are likely to have a very similar bench on Sunday. Looks like you will have a similar team to our place barring the young hooker who was on loan?
Difficult one to predict but injuries, Wembley looming, artifical pitch and no away fans definitely give you a chance this week.
The squad looks good if all the props are fit to play. Finnegan has admitted previously that he has included unfit players in the squad just to make up the numbers. As mentioned, we have the option to move Smith to hooker , if necessary, and move Baker to loose forward.
I must confess, I have never quite managed to fully understand the nuances of the modern game. The role of hooker is totally irrelevant at scrums - what few we have these days - and seems mainly to be the acting halfback position at play-the-balls, which anyone of Lyons, Smith or Craven could carry out, if necessary.
It would be a good marker for the season if we can manage a win against Featherstone, even if it is a weakened Featherstone team and they may be holding back for Wembley. I think I can honestly say that we too have had our injury problems this year.
I must confess, I have never quite managed to fully understand the nuances of the modern game. The role of hooker is totally irrelevant at scrums – what few we have these days – and seems mainly to be the acting halfback position at play-the-balls, which anyone of Lyons, Smith or Craven could carry out, if necessary.
I think the main issue for who can and can't play at 9/hooker/acting half is that they have to be able to deal with tackling big opposing forwards repeatedly in the middle of the field. Half backs tend to defend two or three in from the wing and might only have to do 10-15 tackles in the game, very few of them against the bigger middles, whereas a hooker might be doing 25+ tackles per half.
That said, the same applies to Smith playing at 13 and I'm surprised how well he seems to have stood up to his defensive role.
A basic skill of the game is to be able to tackle, big or small. There have always been barnstorming forwards in the game, who would target the weak link in the defence especially near the line. This would normally be the smaller players like Lyons and Else/Hulme. I can remember the days of David Hulme and Reg Bowden, half backs who could tackle as well as any forward.
Just a thought, but if we really don't need a hooker to rake the ball in the scrums and we can cover the play-the-ball, why not just put in an extra forward in (if we have one available) to cover at No 9, if necessary, capable of making 25 tackles per half? For example, if we started with Hulme and had Clough, Lawton, Tilleke and Wilde on the bench, why couldn't Wilde cover at hooker?
I think Hulme will be starting hookerand smith with 20 to go will fill in
Why do we keep naming Farnworth and Clough if they aren't going to be involved?
Looking at the two teams this is a very difficult game to predict. Widnes with one change from last week which means Clough, Farnworth & Spedding are all still out. But for Fev Tom Holmes, who caused havoc in the early minutes of the 1895 Cup along with Brad Day, misses out due to injury, as do Day, Kris Welham, James Lockwood, Jack Bussey, Thomas Minns, Frankie Halton and Dale Ferguson, plus Ben Blackmore is suspended..
John Davies, who has been playing in the middles this year, starts at centre, I think for the first time in his life. Think this is probably the weakest Fev team on paper this season but still has a fair bit of talent, will be interesting to see how this one goes.
Wow, two more late changes as Hall and Parata drop out for Fev. Don't know if it's Covid-related or some other reason. Now playing an inexperienced half back on the wing alongside Davies. Think our unbetaen record ends today.
Just got some money on Widnes with a very generous 20 point handicap. Be disappointed if I don’t collect looking at the Fev 17.
The 11-2 outright looks wildly overpriced too to be fair.
I agree. Think you will probably edge it but we aren’t an 11-2 shot
No Clough, no Farnworth and the bars are open but no alcohol on sale! Grumpy already….
If Clough and Farnworth were playing I would be very hopeful of winning. The bench might cost us again