An exciting Easter weekend begins with round nine over Maundy Thursday and Good Friday aka 'Derby Weekend alike Magic Weekend, no two games kick-off at the same time with three televised over the two days.
Thursday's televised game is the classic Hull derby between Hull FC and Hull KR with both sides in good form ahead of what should be a feisty meeting between the two, Rovers were victorious in last season's Easter derby but went on to lose the next two derbies so will be out to avenge the duo of defeats.
Aside from the city bragging rights, there is another incentive with the sides separated by a single point in the league table with FC sixth on eight and Rovers ninth on seven and this is always an exciting game to watch as a neutral.
Hull -Bowden, Carvell, Colbon, Ellis, Hadley, Horne, Houghton, Miller, Paea, Paleaaesina, Rankin, Shaul, Talanoa, Thompson, Tuson, Watts, Westerman, Whiting, Yeaman.
Hull KR - Burns, Carlile, Caro, Cockayne, Costigan, Cox, Gardner, Green, Hall, Hodgson, Horne, Keating, Larroyer, Lovegrove, Netherton, Poore, Salter, Welham, Weyman.
This should be a real close clash so I will go for a late win for the hosts, Hull 25 Hull KR 24
A lot of Super League sides reside in Yorkshire and despite the hosts recent demise, Bradford against
Leeds is still the biggest Yorkshire derby even though some might disagree in favour of Wakefield v Castleford.
Bradford come into the game in what is their worst form in years as they sit bottom of the table on -2 points and with only two wins from eight the prospect of relegation is surely creeping into the thoughts of the Bulls faithful. Leeds on the other hand are in great form with six wins from eight and come off the back of two comfortable wins over Wakefield so will be confident of a third 40+ point haul in a row though as we all know form goes out of the window when it comes to Derby Day.
After a double milestone last week, Leeds have another in their ranks as Rob Burrow is set to make his 400th appearance for the club with Jamie Peacock rested meaning he is unable to add to his 500th game from the previous weekend while Jamie Jones-Buchanan out injured.
Bradford will be looking for a first win in two years against their fierce rivals but came close in last season's Easter meeting in a 18-18 draw secured late on by an Adam Sidlow try, this year I feel that Bradford could take a beating but stranger things have happened around Easter.
Bradford - Danny Addy, Matty Blythe, Danny Bridge, Matt Diskin, James Donaldson, Jamal Fakir, Dale Ferguson, Jamie Foster, Luke Gale, Lee Gaskell, Adam Henry, Elliot Kear, Brett Kearney, Manase Manuokafoa, Adam O'Brien, Tom Olbison, Adrian Purtell, Adam Sidlow, Chev Walker.
Leeds - Hardaker, Watkins, Moon, Hall, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Ablett, Sinfield, Ward, Delaney, Bailey, Kirke, Clarkson, Achurch, Briscoe, Sutcliffe, Singleton, Minchella.
A comfortable win for Leeds I feel this time around - Bradford 12 Leeds 38.
As I mentioned earlier,the majority of the Super League is based in the north so for London and Catalan the closest they get to a derby game is facing each other despite being 624 miles apart.
The sides met recently in the Challenge Cup with the Dragons coming out on top in a 42-20 win and the Broncos will hope to avenge their cup exit with a first win of the season despite showing promise last week away to Wigan as they led 0-10 before going on to lose 36-14.
Catalan themselves have only won twice in eight games though both have come in Perpignan against Huddersfield and last week against Widnes with their away form just as bad as London's home form so something will have to give tomorrow.
London - Caton-Brown, Cook, Cunningham, Drinkwater, Duckworth, Farrar, Foster, Greenwood, Krasniqi, Macani, Mataitonga, McMeeken, Minns, Moore, Slyney, Solomona, Vea, Wallace, Woodburn- Hall.
Catalan - Escaré, Pryce, Pomeroy, Oldfield, Bosc, Elima, Lima, Taia, Mounis, Maria, Pelissier, Whitehead, Pala, Bousquet, Paea, Baitieri, Duport, Garcia, Guasch.
An Anglo-French battle that bar a miracle for London will see victory for the French - London 18 Catalan 28.
Good Friday sees the four remaining games and there is no better place to start than with the huge derby between St Helens and Wigan and as it is a special game, a full preview will be posted separately.
Saints go into the game in their best form for years with a 100% record of eight wins in a row while Wigan have comeback from a sketchy start around their WCC trip to win five from seven and will be keen to end the fine run their rivals are enjoying.
A run that has been severely tested with late comebacks needed against Leeds and most recently in last week's visit to Castleford when they came from 24-6 down to win 28-30. Wigan's winning run has seen them play against what many would call 'lesser' sides with their two defeats coming against Huddersfield and high-flying Castleford so this is their biggest test in a while.
St Helens - Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Jordan Turner, Josh Jones, Lance Hohaia, Luke Walsh, Mose Masoe, James Roby, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Sia Soliola, Jon Wilkin, Mark Flanagan, Paul Wellens, Alex Walmsley, Joe Greenwood, Anthony Walker, Matty Dawson, Greg Richards, Luke Thompson.
Wigan - 25 John Bateman, 1 Matty Bowen, 32 Joe Burgess, 24 Tony Clubb, 16 Gil Dudson, 12 Liam Farrell, 10 Ben Flower, 3 Darrell Goulding, 6 Blake Green, 14 Jack Hughes, 28 Jordan James, 9 Michael McIlorum, 13 Sean O'Loughlin, 22 Eddy Pettybourne, 23 Dan Sarginson, 7 Matty Smith, 8 Scott Taylor, 4 Iain Thornley, 27 George Williams.
This may seem biased but I feel this is when Wigan will show their might in 2014 - St Helens 18 Wigan 24.
In recent years, Warrington against Widnes has been considered a 'gimme' for the Wolves but that all changed last Easter when the Vikings stunned them in a 38-22 victory before going on to complete a league double over the eventual Grand Finalists with a 6-16 win at the HJ.
This year has seen that turnaround continue as Widnes go into the game two points ahead of their neighbours who have had a mixed start to the season which has seen them yet to post a home win with a trio of losses against St Helens, Wigan and last week against Hull KR.
It seems strange to say that Warrington need a win given their recent history but a fourth home defeat in a row could see them drop out of the top eight while a third consecutive derby win for Widnes could propel them into the top four.
Warrington - Roy Asotasi, Ryan Atkins, Chris Bridge, Ben Currie, Brad Dwyer, Anthony England, Ben Evans, Rhys Evans, Ben Harrison, Micky Higham, Chris Hill, James Laithwaite, Joel Monaghan, Michael Monaghan, Richie Myler, Gareth O’Brien, Stefan Ratchford, Matthew Russell,Trent Waterhouse
Widnes - not announced as yet.
This could be a really close game and with both sides smarting from defeats I think this could be decided by a one pointer - Warrington 23 Widnes 22.
The second Yorkshire derby of the round sees Castleford travel to face neighbours Wakefield with both
sides having contrasting starts to the season with the host winning only two of their eight games and the visitors flying high with six wins from eight.
Despite being the lower ranked of the two sides, Wakefield have won two of the last three meetings including the 36-32 victory in September and the Easter derby of 2013 which saw them win 16-37 so Castleford will be eager to avoid a second consecutive Easter derby loss while hoping to regain second spot in the table.
Wakefield's main hope will be to avoid a fourth successive hammering after conceding 40+ points against Hull KR and Leeds (CC and SL) but did display good perfomances in their two wins and also in narrow defeats to St Helens and Wigan so will not be a walkover for the visitors.
Castleford - Michael Shenton, Justin Carney, Marc Sneyd, Andy Lynch, Adam Milner, Craig Huby, Grant Millington, Weller Hauraki, Nathan Massey, Daryl Clark, Ryan Boyle, Oliver Holmes, Frankie Mariano, Scott Wheeldon, Jamie Ellis, Richard Owen, Michael Channing, James Clare, Liam Finn.
Wakefield- Mathers, Fox, Lyne, Collis, Sykes, Godinet, Anderson, McShane, Raleigh, Kirmond, Washbrook, Ryan, Moore, Sammut, Annakin, Smith, Siejka, Scruton.
After a last-gasp loss in round eight, I see Castleford bouncing back so Wakefield 18 Castleford 32 .
The final game of the round sees two sides from opposite sides of the Pennines meet with Huddersfield travelling to Salford as the only Yorkshire side without a derby due to five teams based in the county but Huddersfield have had some good games with Salford in recent years so it does have the spice of a derby all the same.
Salford were the victors last Easter with a 21-20 win but Huddersfield bounced back with a crushing 46-4 win in the reverse meeting. They will be keen to get a first win against the re-branded Red Devils while hoping to improve on a poor start to the season that has seen them win only two out of eight while Salford have won four and will aim to extend the Giants losing streak.
At the start of the season, Salford being in the top eight at Easter I could have expected but to see last year's League Leaders Shield winners down in tenth is a massive surprise and with a packed weekend, a win is a must for Huddersfield to avoid dropping into the bottom three.
Salford - Rangi Chase, Theo Fages, Martin Gleeson, Darrell Griffin, Harrison Hansen, Gareth Hock, Greg Johnson, Tommy Lee, Shannon McPherson, Francis Meli, Adrian Morley, Jake Mullaney, Tony Puletua, Junior Sa’u, Tim Smith, Lama Tasi, Logan Tomkins, Jordan Walne.
Huddersfield- Scott Grix, Jermaine McGillvary, Leroy Cudjoe, Joe Wardle, Aaron Murphy, Danny Brough, Eorl Crabtree, Shaun Lunt, Craig Kopczak, Jason Chan, Chris Bailey, Michael Lawrence, Larne Patrick, Ukuma Ta’ai, Kyle Wood, Antonio Kaufusi, Anthony Mullally, Josh Johnson, Jake Connor.
Both sides are having a mixed season so this is a hard one to call but I think Salford may just come out on top so Salford 24 Huddersfield 18.
Thursday's televised game is the classic Hull derby between Hull FC and Hull KR with both sides in good form ahead of what should be a feisty meeting between the two, Rovers were victorious in last season's Easter derby but went on to lose the next two derbies so will be out to avenge the duo of defeats.Aside from the city bragging rights, there is another incentive with the sides separated by a single point in the league table with FC sixth on eight and Rovers ninth on seven and this is always an exciting game to watch as a neutral.
Hull -Bowden, Carvell, Colbon, Ellis, Hadley, Horne, Houghton, Miller, Paea, Paleaaesina, Rankin, Shaul, Talanoa, Thompson, Tuson, Watts, Westerman, Whiting, Yeaman.
Hull KR - Burns, Carlile, Caro, Cockayne, Costigan, Cox, Gardner, Green, Hall, Hodgson, Horne, Keating, Larroyer, Lovegrove, Netherton, Poore, Salter, Welham, Weyman.
This should be a real close clash so I will go for a late win for the hosts, Hull 25 Hull KR 24
A lot of Super League sides reside in Yorkshire and despite the hosts recent demise, Bradford against Leeds is still the biggest Yorkshire derby even though some might disagree in favour of Wakefield v Castleford.
Bradford come into the game in what is their worst form in years as they sit bottom of the table on -2 points and with only two wins from eight the prospect of relegation is surely creeping into the thoughts of the Bulls faithful. Leeds on the other hand are in great form with six wins from eight and come off the back of two comfortable wins over Wakefield so will be confident of a third 40+ point haul in a row though as we all know form goes out of the window when it comes to Derby Day.
After a double milestone last week, Leeds have another in their ranks as Rob Burrow is set to make his 400th appearance for the club with Jamie Peacock rested meaning he is unable to add to his 500th game from the previous weekend while Jamie Jones-Buchanan out injured.
Bradford will be looking for a first win in two years against their fierce rivals but came close in last season's Easter meeting in a 18-18 draw secured late on by an Adam Sidlow try, this year I feel that Bradford could take a beating but stranger things have happened around Easter.
Bradford - Danny Addy, Matty Blythe, Danny Bridge, Matt Diskin, James Donaldson, Jamal Fakir, Dale Ferguson, Jamie Foster, Luke Gale, Lee Gaskell, Adam Henry, Elliot Kear, Brett Kearney, Manase Manuokafoa, Adam O'Brien, Tom Olbison, Adrian Purtell, Adam Sidlow, Chev Walker.
Leeds - Hardaker, Watkins, Moon, Hall, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Ablett, Sinfield, Ward, Delaney, Bailey, Kirke, Clarkson, Achurch, Briscoe, Sutcliffe, Singleton, Minchella.
A comfortable win for Leeds I feel this time around - Bradford 12 Leeds 38.
The sides met recently in the Challenge Cup with the Dragons coming out on top in a 42-20 win and the Broncos will hope to avenge their cup exit with a first win of the season despite showing promise last week away to Wigan as they led 0-10 before going on to lose 36-14.
Catalan themselves have only won twice in eight games though both have come in Perpignan against Huddersfield and last week against Widnes with their away form just as bad as London's home form so something will have to give tomorrow.
London - Caton-Brown, Cook, Cunningham, Drinkwater, Duckworth, Farrar, Foster, Greenwood, Krasniqi, Macani, Mataitonga, McMeeken, Minns, Moore, Slyney, Solomona, Vea, Wallace, Woodburn- Hall.
Catalan - Escaré, Pryce, Pomeroy, Oldfield, Bosc, Elima, Lima, Taia, Mounis, Maria, Pelissier, Whitehead, Pala, Bousquet, Paea, Baitieri, Duport, Garcia, Guasch.
An Anglo-French battle that bar a miracle for London will see victory for the French - London 18 Catalan 28.
Good Friday sees the four remaining games and there is no better place to start than with the huge derby between St Helens and Wigan and as it is a special game, a full preview will be posted separately.Saints go into the game in their best form for years with a 100% record of eight wins in a row while Wigan have comeback from a sketchy start around their WCC trip to win five from seven and will be keen to end the fine run their rivals are enjoying.
A run that has been severely tested with late comebacks needed against Leeds and most recently in last week's visit to Castleford when they came from 24-6 down to win 28-30. Wigan's winning run has seen them play against what many would call 'lesser' sides with their two defeats coming against Huddersfield and high-flying Castleford so this is their biggest test in a while.
St Helens - Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Jordan Turner, Josh Jones, Lance Hohaia, Luke Walsh, Mose Masoe, James Roby, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Sia Soliola, Jon Wilkin, Mark Flanagan, Paul Wellens, Alex Walmsley, Joe Greenwood, Anthony Walker, Matty Dawson, Greg Richards, Luke Thompson.
Wigan - 25 John Bateman, 1 Matty Bowen, 32 Joe Burgess, 24 Tony Clubb, 16 Gil Dudson, 12 Liam Farrell, 10 Ben Flower, 3 Darrell Goulding, 6 Blake Green, 14 Jack Hughes, 28 Jordan James, 9 Michael McIlorum, 13 Sean O'Loughlin, 22 Eddy Pettybourne, 23 Dan Sarginson, 7 Matty Smith, 8 Scott Taylor, 4 Iain Thornley, 27 George Williams.
25
John Bateman, 1 Matty Bowen, 32 Joe Burgess, 24 Tony Clubb, 16 Gil
Dudson, 12 Liam Farrell, 10 Ben Flower, 3 Darrell Goulding, 6 Blake
Green, 14 Jack Hughes, 28 Jordan James, 9 Michael McIlorum, 13 Sean
O'Loughlin, 22 Eddy Pettybourne, 23 Dan Sarginson, 7 Matty Smith, 8
Scott Taylor, 4 Iain Thornley, 27 George Williams
Read more at http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=9229&type=1#alKw2SkpAFxrGy4J.99
Read more at http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=9229&type=1#alKw2SkpAFxrGy4J.99
25
John Bateman, 1 Matty Bowen, 32 Joe Burgess, 24 Tony Clubb, 16 Gil
Dudson, 12 Liam Farrell, 10 Ben Flower, 3 Darrell Goulding, 6 Blake
Green, 14 Jack Hughes, 28 Jordan James, 9 Michael McIlorum, 13 Sean
O'Loughlin, 22 Eddy Pettybourne, 23 Dan Sarginson, 7 Matty Smith, 8
Scott Taylor, 4 Iain Thornley, 27 George Williams
Read more at http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=9229&type=1#alKw2SkpAFxrGy4J.99
Read more at http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=9229&type=1#alKw2SkpAFxrGy4J.99
25
John Bateman, 1 Matty Bowen, 32 Joe Burgess, 24 Tony Clubb, 16 Gil
Dudson, 12 Liam Farrell, 10 Ben Flower, 3 Darrell Goulding, 6 Blake
Green, 14 Jack Hughes, 28 Jordan James, 9 Michael McIlorum, 13 Sean
O'Loughlin, 22 Eddy Pettybourne, 23 Dan Sarginson, 7 Matty Smith, 8
Scott Taylor, 4 Iain Thornley, 27 George Williams
Read more at http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=9229&type=1#alKw2SkpAFxrGy4J.99
Read more at http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=9229&type=1#alKw2SkpAFxrGy4J.99
This may seem biased but I feel this is when Wigan will show their might in 2014 - St Helens 18 Wigan 24.
This year has seen that turnaround continue as Widnes go into the game two points ahead of their neighbours who have had a mixed start to the season which has seen them yet to post a home win with a trio of losses against St Helens, Wigan and last week against Hull KR.
It seems strange to say that Warrington need a win given their recent history but a fourth home defeat in a row could see them drop out of the top eight while a third consecutive derby win for Widnes could propel them into the top four.
Warrington - Roy Asotasi, Ryan Atkins, Chris Bridge, Ben Currie, Brad Dwyer, Anthony England, Ben Evans, Rhys Evans, Ben Harrison, Micky Higham, Chris Hill, James Laithwaite, Joel Monaghan, Michael Monaghan, Richie Myler, Gareth O’Brien, Stefan Ratchford, Matthew Russell,Trent Waterhouse
Widnes - not announced as yet.
This could be a really close game and with both sides smarting from defeats I think this could be decided by a one pointer - Warrington 23 Widnes 22.
The second Yorkshire derby of the round sees Castleford travel to face neighbours Wakefield with both sides having contrasting starts to the season with the host winning only two of their eight games and the visitors flying high with six wins from eight.
Despite being the lower ranked of the two sides, Wakefield have won two of the last three meetings including the 36-32 victory in September and the Easter derby of 2013 which saw them win 16-37 so Castleford will be eager to avoid a second consecutive Easter derby loss while hoping to regain second spot in the table.
Wakefield's main hope will be to avoid a fourth successive hammering after conceding 40+ points against Hull KR and Leeds (CC and SL) but did display good perfomances in their two wins and also in narrow defeats to St Helens and Wigan so will not be a walkover for the visitors.
Castleford - Michael Shenton, Justin Carney, Marc Sneyd, Andy Lynch, Adam Milner, Craig Huby, Grant Millington, Weller Hauraki, Nathan Massey, Daryl Clark, Ryan Boyle, Oliver Holmes, Frankie Mariano, Scott Wheeldon, Jamie Ellis, Richard Owen, Michael Channing, James Clare, Liam Finn.
Wakefield- Mathers, Fox, Lyne, Collis, Sykes, Godinet, Anderson, McShane, Raleigh, Kirmond, Washbrook, Ryan, Moore, Sammut, Annakin, Smith, Siejka, Scruton.
After a last-gasp loss in round eight, I see Castleford bouncing back so Wakefield 18 Castleford 32 .
Salford were the victors last Easter with a 21-20 win but Huddersfield bounced back with a crushing 46-4 win in the reverse meeting. They will be keen to get a first win against the re-branded Red Devils while hoping to improve on a poor start to the season that has seen them win only two out of eight while Salford have won four and will aim to extend the Giants losing streak.
At the start of the season, Salford being in the top eight at Easter I could have expected but to see last year's League Leaders Shield winners down in tenth is a massive surprise and with a packed weekend, a win is a must for Huddersfield to avoid dropping into the bottom three.
Salford - Rangi Chase, Theo Fages, Martin Gleeson, Darrell Griffin, Harrison Hansen, Gareth Hock, Greg Johnson, Tommy Lee, Shannon McPherson, Francis Meli, Adrian Morley, Jake Mullaney, Tony Puletua, Junior Sa’u, Tim Smith, Lama Tasi, Logan Tomkins, Jordan Walne.
Huddersfield- Scott Grix, Jermaine McGillvary, Leroy Cudjoe, Joe Wardle, Aaron Murphy, Danny Brough, Eorl Crabtree, Shaun Lunt, Craig Kopczak, Jason Chan, Chris Bailey, Michael Lawrence, Larne Patrick, Ukuma Ta’ai, Kyle Wood, Antonio Kaufusi, Anthony Mullally, Josh Johnson, Jake Connor.
Both sides are having a mixed season so this is a hard one to call but I think Salford may just come out on top so Salford 24 Huddersfield 18.
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