DimmestStar

Wakefield fans don't seem best pleased by this but they are getting a decent player in Will Dagger. For Rovers this is a great piece of business, Corey Hall is just 20 years old and is seen as a possible future international player. He's joining on a long term deal and may well be a replacement in 2024 for Kenny-Dowall should the skipper decide he's had enough. With Kenny-Dowall serving the last game of his suspension and injury doubts about Tom Opacic and Ryan Hall then Corey Hall may even get his debut against Leeds on Friday.

I like the occasional bet but I am very selective, Wire at -8 at 11/10 was too good to miss and I am happy to have collected.

This was an extremely one sided game of Rugby League and but for a host of missed goal kicks the margin would have been even bigger. Rovers were good and Wakefield were not. Wakey hardly ever looked threatening and Rovers defence pretty much coped with their attack easily. Mikey Lewis was outstanding and Rowan Milnes also good so as it turns out Abdull wasn't missed at all. The only disappointment was another injury this time to Ryan Hall who was the best player on the pitch for 15 minutes but then hobbled off. Wakefield really do have a massive task to avoid relegation. They need all their players available to even have a chance. They ran Salford so close last week and it looked like a win was getting closer but it was never a possibility tonight.

Wigan by plenty.

I think Warrington at minus 6 is the bet of the round here.

This is the most intriguing game of the round for me. Hull have Tuimavave back and he's a good player which will help. Pity the game is not on OurLeague. Leigh have tough forwards and a quality backline and if Hull turn up in their half hearted mood again it will be a long afternoon. It's probably a bit too soon for that to happen again and the bookies have Hull by 6. That's probably about right.

Rovers have lost a few but got a few back so it's a fairly strong team. Paul Sculthorpe, Earl Crabtree and quite a few others fancy Wakefield and there's no doubt they are getting closer to a win. Still think Rovers will have a bit too much for them.

Jorge Taufua at HT v Huddersfield.

Rovers made unwanted Super League history by being the first team to have to use 18th man after 3 failed HIA's. all in the first half. Jordan Abdull going off after just 5 minutes was a particular blow. Rovers ended up with 5 HIA's Mikey Lewis actually passed his after the radio commentators said he was walking around like a zombie. So that's 4 players automatically ruled out for next week. Rovers battled hard throughout and Catalans 3rd try was just ridiculous and should have been chalked off for a blatant knock on according to Danny McGuire. So it soon became clear that this was an uphill task. Rovers didn't help themselves with quite a lot of errors and several blown chances to score. The players never gave in though and prevented a blow out score through sheer determination.

Let's be honest as soon as Phil Clarke at half time requested that he might change his prediction to a Hull win..... it was all over for the B&W's at that point.

Saints at their worst were still able to grind out a win against Hull at their best. Positives for Hull from this game ....Taylor and Griffin seem to have found a bit of enthusiasm after 2 poor years. Playing for a contract? Negatives ..they did tire understandably after playing above themselves for an hour. They didn't offer an awful lot in the second half but had Dwyer held on that pass it might have been different. But apart form his show and go he's a very ordinary player. And Loveaducka...no way is he a super league player. Saints though I think they are going to find it tough to hold on to their title. When you get into bad habits...and they have...it's tough to get back to ultra confident ways.

Hull have been the better team and the try was more bad thinking than bad defending. Why go for a short kick off with seconds left? Boot it to half way and it's 0-0 at HT. Saints went into this game as the 10th place team and have looked exactly that. No spark whatsoever. Be interesting to see who if anybody tires first

Like Wakefield , Cas are not nearly so bad as people think and with more quality. I'll go for Cas here.

Wire were struggling for long periods at Hull KR. Leigh played better than they did the week before. Whether that counts for anything this week I don't know but if it does I favour Leigh.

Wakefield are not as bad as everyone assumes. Keeping Hudds and then Leeds to nil at HT shows they are battling hard and the spirit is there. Possibly they are lacking a little in quality and numbers. Salford are the same in the latter but not the former so I have to go with them for this game.

Wigan were 100% in the regular season 2022 at home but lost 8 away. The trend seems to be continuing so I'll favour Huddersfield here.

I don't know the guy either so I can't really do that. But you invite applicants from all walks of life and business from around the world and it turns out that the best candidate worldwide for the role of innovative strategic thinker just happens to already work for you at a lower level as an accountant. I mean what are the chances?

It was noticeable that Tony Smith's Hull KR would give their best performances after 2 or 3 shockers so surely Hull will give a much better account this week. Saints are paying the price for deciding to be on the other side of the world whilst everyone else started the Super League season. They won the WCC - all credit- but have paid the price by losing 2 games which they would have been expected to win. I'm sure Saints will be keen to end their losing streak but can they switch it back on just like that after getting into bad habits? Not sure. Hull can only win this game if they have more enthusiasm on the day than St Helens but it's possible.

Garry Schofield thinks Rovers will get a hammering in this game he predicts Catalans by 26. Maybe but Rovers have been very competitive in all 4 games and the 2 losses went to the final play of the game. So I'm expecting it to be closer than Schofield thinks. Getting a win is a different matter because no doubt Catalans are extremely tough especially in Perpignan. Man of Steel leader Jordan Abdull is back in the team after missing out last week and that gives us a chance but Matty Parcell misses out through injury and skipper Kenny-Dowall is suspended. The game definitely kicks off at 5.00 pm UK.

The consensus seems to be that even if the guy isn't a very exciting appointment it doesn't really matter because the job isn't very important any more. That's all right then.

They can be if you let them. Salford 10-24 Hull KR. Football Club 14-60 Salford.

After the hammering in France Tony Smith was disappointed with his teams defence and promised 'drastic measures' to correct it for the Salford game. That went well Tony. I'm hearing that Adam Pearson was straight in the dressing room after the Salford humiliation to give the players a rollocking. Smith entered in the middle of it and was less than impressed. It's going to end in tears I really do think so.

The Tony Smith school of defending at work again.