Full Back - 22 Jake Mamo
Mamo was excellent at full back last week in his first game since March and with Stefan Ratchford out for another four months possibly, I expect him to make this spot his own.
Winger - 2 Tom Lineham
It was Lineham's quick and clever thinking that set up Declan Patton's try last weekend. This creative side to Lineham's game isn't something we've seen much of, and in a game against quite a porous defence, he is likely to focus on trying to bag a try or two.
Centre - 3 Bryson Goodwin
Goodwin is on a steady run of form in the team and with Ryan Atkins unavailable for the next few weeks, he and Toby King will continue their partnership in the centres.
Centre - 18 Toby King
His long-range try in the second half on Saturday continued King's fine run of form, and he is now an undisputed choice.
Winger - 5 Josh Charnley
Charnley hasn't scored since the visit to Hull KR in late April, though has been in very good defensive form. Against a defence who concede a lot of points, this is the perfect chance to get back into the scoring groove.
Stand Off - 6 Blake Austin
Another wonderful solo try from Austin changed the course of the match last week and his creativity and breaks will be important as he looks to qualify for the Challenge Cup semi finals in his first foray in the competition.
Scrum Half - 15 Declan Patton
It was a fair showing from Patton last time out, scoring a try and kicking seven goals. He will once again carry the responsibility of goal-kicking, and in a game where we are likely to score a good number of tries, he should have plenty of opportunities to score points.
Prop - 8 Chris Hill
The captain will be looking to lead his side to a second successive cup semi final on Friday, with a lot of metres and hopefully few penalties.
Hooker - 9 Daryl Clark
Clark was outstanding last time we travelled to Craven Park (as he is every game) and his work rate, drive and creativity will be crucially important as always to any potential Wire success.
Prop - 10 Mike Cooper
Cooper is perhaps one of the most under-appreciated props in the league. His tackling statistics are always impressive and he always gets through a ton of work.
Second Row - 11 Ben Currie
Steve Price has been speaking this week about how pleased he is with Currie's work, and it was commented in the Warrington Guardian that his performance against Wigan was perhaps his best of the season so far - no doubt that he will keep his place.
Second Row - 12 Jack Hughes
Hughes does a lot of the work that goes unnoticed, but he is an important figure in the team. Last time we played at Hull KR, Hughes was partnered with Murdoch-Masila in the second row, though that is highly unlikely on Friday.
Loose Forward - 23 Matt Davis
Former London Broncos man Matt Davis has missed the last two games, though is in the 19-man squad for this one, and I hope to see him back into starting action - with Philbin back on the bench.
Interchange - 17 Joe Philbin
Philbin played really well last week so I was a little surprised to hear Steve Price say this week that he wants improvement from him. I think he is best suited to stints from the bench, so I'd be starting Davis and having Philbin in the interchanges.
Interchange - 19 Sitaleki Akauola
It was in this fixture in the league that Akauola made his first 2019 appearance, and since then he hasn't missed a game. A great option from the bench.
Interchange - 14 Jason Clark
I toyed with the idea of having Danny Walker on the bench, but in the end I opted to have four forwards known for tackling and metres, as Hull KR are a big side who play physical stuff and we will need to match them in that department. We need more impact from Clark, though.
Interchange - 13 Ben Murdoch-Masila
It's been a disappointing few games for Murdoch-Masila, but I still feel he will be involved in the game as he has only recently had a rest from the squad and I don't see him being dropped for Walker or Livett.
LINEUP LAST TIME OUT VS WIGAN:
Mamo; Lineham, Goodwin, King, Charnley; Austin, Patton; Hill, D Clark, Cooper; Currie, Hughes; Philbin
Interchanges: J Clark, Murdoch-Masila, Akauola, Walker
MY SWEET 17 VS HULL KR:
Mamo; Lineham, Goodwin, King, Charnley; Austin, Patton; Hill, D Clark, Cooper; Currie, Hughes; Davis
Interchanges: J Clark, Murdoch-Masila, Akauola, Philbin
Being in Challenge Cup action is very different to Super League games. This is knockout rugby league and we can't afford to lose. That is a different mentality for the players, one which we coped with very well in the win over Wigan in the last round of the cup. We need to be disciplined and measured in our approach to this game to ensure progression to the semi finals. Hull KR got a good win against Salford at Magic Weekend and have a decent threat from their kicking game with Danny McGuire and Josh Drinkwater. We will need to produce a performance similar to that of the one at Craven Park in April when we ran out 6-54 winners. This is probably the biggest game of the season so far with a chance to qualify for the cup semi finals, come on Wire!
Make sure to read the blog after Friday's game for reaction to hopefully booking a Challenge Cup semi final spot for a second year in a row!
Daniel (@aloosewire)
No comments:
Post a Comment