My personal choice would be..

Hardaker

Hall

Moon

Watkins

Briscoe

Sutcliffe

Mcguire

JP

Burrow

Cuthbertson

Ablett

Delaney

Sinfield



Jjb/Walters

Aiton/R.Ward

Singleton/Yates

Mulhern/Leuluai



Ideally i'd have Burrow on the bench but that won't happen and i doubt Sinfield will move back to 13 for Sutty but having both in the 13 makes those positions interchangeable during the game.

For me (although it won't happen) Kylie should be used as back up only we really need to get minutes into Mulhern,Singo and Yates imo.

Personally, I'd now seriously consider moving Sinfield to start at 9 and have Burrow on the bench. Leave Aiton out of the 17 altogether with the ASADA stuff hanging over his head.



Sutcliffe needs to be given his head to go out and play as a half-back, add some running threat that we don't have otherwise.

The team I expect (preferred in brackets):

Hardaker

Hall

Moon

Watkins

Briscoe

Sinfield

Mcguire

Peacock

Aiton

Leuluai (Cuthbertson)

Ablett

Delaney

Cuthbertson (Sutcliffe)



Burrow

Sutcliffe (Leuluai)

JJB

Singleton



If we are short of a prop Yates, Mulhern and Minchella. If a second row Achurch, S Ward and Walters. Backs covered by Handley, Keinhorst and Goulding. Although there are the players at Featherstone but I would prefer them to get regular game time. Robbie Ward for Hooker although I don't mind if Sinfield goes there and Sutcliffe in the halves.

For the people that argue the younger players need more game time I am certain they will get alot the chances are six of the regular team will be injured as they are 30 or older. Alot of players in the squad who are forwards of or playmakers will get a decent amount of game time.

I agree with you regarding what to expect from Brian Mac. I expect Cuthbertson to be used as a 3rd middle man at #13 rather than a traditional loose forward ala Sutcliffe or even Stevie Ward.



The thing I believe the coach may opt for would be McGuire and Sutcliffe in the halves rather than Burrow.



For what it's worth I'd go with:

1. Hardaker

2. Briscoe

3. Watkins

4. Moon

5. Hall

6. Sutcliffe

7. McGuire

8. Kylie

9. Sinfield

10. Peacock

11. Ablett

12. Delaney

13. Cuthbertson



14. Burrow/R. Ward

15. S. Ward/Walters

16. Mulhearn/Achurch

17. Singleton/JJB/Yates

Mcguire to be used as a sub in my book this season

I think a better question would be "What would be our best team for 2016"? Now that's going to take some answering.

I'm still not sure why people think having a ball-player at 13 is still a "traditional" loose forward.



The closest thing to it in SL at the moment is O'Loughlin, but he's the exception. Most teams in SL use an extra ball-carrier at 13 these days.

When do trends become traditions? I'd say the most prominent loose forwards of the last 20 years have been big ball handlers rather than ball carriers (Handley, Farrell, Sculthorpe, O'Loughlin).

Would I be wrong in thinking that this was the traditional archetype of a Loose Forward?



I think some teams, including the Leeds team of 2015 are best suited to a ball carrying 13 due to the well highlighted light weight pack.

My team with back-ups in brackets:



Hardaker (Golding)

T. Briscoe

Watkins

Moon

Hall (Handley)

Sinfield

McGuire

Leuluai

Burrow

Peacock

Delaney (Achurch Walters))

JJB

Ablett (S. Ward)



Bench: Cuthbertson, Sutcliffe, Aiton (R. Ward) Singleton (Mulhern (Yates))

that's my view too as i have posted on here and on numerous occasions



lets hope that brian mac reads our comments on here andy

There's some logic behind Sinfield to 9 as in the last two years he's been doing enough tackles that he really isn't being 'hid' in the way a normal halfback would, compared to his lower numbers in 2011/12.



However he (like most people playing hooker) couldn't do it for 80 mins at his age. So what do you do? Sub him off? Not for me, his needs to be out there for his captaincy and leadership and from what we saw at times last year from the back-ups....his goal kicking.



To you shunt people around? Bring Burrow on for example to 9 and sub McGuire off with Sinfield moving to the halves? Again not for me. How often do you see teams alter their halves mid-match? Very rarely.....especially not by putting a guy there who'll have just done a gruelling stint at hooker making a load of tackles.



The problem with Sinfield at halfback is that he still does big numbers in the tackling department. There is a reason or two why the halves are 'hidden' in the defence......firstly obviously they aren't the strongest defenders typically, but also crucially to keep them fresh for attack.

No stats to back this up but I would assume when burrow is at hooker sinny covers his tackling?