As we move on from our exit of the Challenge Cup we have a short turnaround and a long trip up to Cumbria to face Barrow in the 1895 Cup. John Kear has stated that nobody that featured today will play on Wednesday. The game is also being streamed on the OurLeague app.

Good opportunity for a reserve player/U19 to catch the eye. I honestly think a defeat will be good for us though. We're starting to look tired and this mid-week tournament won't help. The thought of playing in an empty stadium after the CC really doesn't appeal to me anyway.

Yeh wise choice to give fringe players some game time. If we were to progress are all the games mid week? If so, I'd say it would be no bad thing to be out of this cup competition.

Let's have a crack this....

1. Stephenson
2. Rickett
3. Gibson
4. ?
5. ?
6. Pickersgill
7. ?
8. Bustin
9. Doyle
10. Roche
11. Garside
12. Hodgson
13. Milton

14. Foster
15. Scurr
16. ?
17. ?

Not familiar enough with U-19s to fill in the blanks

Culling will play at centre/bench. Brown will make his debut. And Keyes will be in the halves/bench. Magrin is due back off loan. And Roche won’t be propping it.

I’d also chuck in Flanagan and Peltier as they haven’t had much gametime recently.

1. Stephenson
2. Brown
3. Culling
4. Gibson
5. Rickett
6. Pickersgill
7. Keyes
8. Bustin
9. Flanagan
10. Magrin
11. Garside
12. Roche
13. Milton

14. Doyle
15. Peltier
16. Foster
17. Hodgson

18. Scurr
19. Butterworth
20. C. Green
21. O’Sullivan

I'd be surprised if Keyes plays. I think Cobi Green will start. Flanagan and Peltier won't play either since they played yesterday. Magrin is down at Skolars so you can forget about him.

I really hope we don't throw Keyes in before he is ready

It's just not worth it - and for him then to have a reoccurrence (which he's had before, remember) would put in a massive dent to our season, given that Milnes is out for a while.

He should be coming off the bench, if he's even playing at all...

Just play a mix of reserve/academy players and be done with this joke of a competition.
Created for no other reason than to try and milk yet more money out of the championship fanbase because the RFL are too inept to properly market the challenge cup final and fill the stadium on that concept alone.

Completely shameless from the governing body.

I suspect that’s Kear’s attitude too given that he said he wouldn’t be picking anyone from yesterday and if the RFL have a problem with it he’s happy to discuss it.

Let’s face it the 1895 Cup might have been a good idea if it had offered some prize money and had been a curtain raiser rather than an afterthought.

Send the reserves IMO.

Agree with this. I would treat it as no more than a run out for the reserves and top academy lads.

Also, it that correct that the 1895 final will be played after the CC final? Surely it should be the curtain raiser? That seems very strange if I’m reading it right. Yes the championship fans will turn up early to watch the CC final but the likely mass exodus after the CC final whistle will leave the 1895 final a bit of a laughing stock in a stadium like Wembley.

I assume the tv cameras will also turn off after the CC final too.

Yes the 1895 cup will be played afterwards. The reason not being very clear but something about not messing the pitch up for the main event and fitting in the U11s game too.

It didn't even have a sponsor until Derek Beaumont stepped up last week IIRC.