COACHES, players and supporters are starting to get used to the Rugby League rules again after the changes introduced during the close-season.

I am happy with the changes because I think they will allow for the ball to be in play for longer periods and there will be more variety of options. This has to be good for the game.

Supporters will see all of these aspects come into the games more and more as the season unfolds and as teams get used to the rules and practice them.

I believe the 40-20 rule is a good one. If you have a kicker in your team who can find touch in the opponents' 20m area from his own 40m area then it is a big play because his team then gains head and feed at the resulting scrum with the chance to have six tackles attacking the opponents' try line.

I have seen this happen a few times. Halifax's Graham Holroyd has a big left boot on him and I saw him do this successfully against Wigan in a trial game. For Warrington, Lee Briers can find this kind of range.

Another kicking rule change is the kick and chase up field. From a kick the team has to stay behind the play-the-ball until the ball is kicked. The zero tackle no longer comes in to play here. Last year it was the zero tackle and it gave teams seven tackles in which to launch their attack. Because of this we tended to try to find touch with kicks so that the opponents only had six tackles. Now teams will try to keep the ball in play more often.

The other change for highlighting is from re-starts. If the team kicking off finds touch then they will have the head and feed at the resulting scrum this year. If they find the dead ball line it will mean a drop out from between the sticks. This means teams receiving the ball from kick-offs need to protect their dead ball line and side lines and there will be new formations as a result. It will also mean there will be much more variation from kick-offs - some kicks being drilled hard and low and others aiming high.

I'm pleased there has been no alteration of the substitution laws. In Australia there is unlimited substitutions and I disagree with it because I think it would take 'the little guys' out of the game.

As it is, the big players are tired at the end of the halves and this gives the smaller players the chance to get around them and all teams look to take advantage of this.

If you take 'the little guys' out of the game then we're heading towards American grid iron where they have an attacking team and a defending team and I disagree with this. I guess this is the way some people would like to see the game go but I disagree. It is a multi-functional spartan sport and players need to have both sets of skills or else I think it denigrates the game.

As well as our clash with Halifax, there are some other big games in store this weekend.

You have to back Leeds with their home advantage against St. Helens. I watched them beat Wigan in the previous round and they are going to be very hard to beat. They were a big side last year but seem to have got even bigger and more mobile too. They're playing some very aggressive football at the moment.

Bradford are another form team. Bradford will be too strong for Wakefield and I expect this to be a little lop-sided.

The Huddersfield and Salford game looks like a pretty good match-up. Huddersfield will improve a lot under Malcolm Reilly. They'll certainly be very committed and aggressive.

Castleford entertain York and I think we would have been happy with York at home.

London's class should tell in their tricky time at Hull Kingston Rovers and I think Widnes will be too strong at home for Leigh. I believe Whitehaven will pull through at home to Oldham.

There is a guarantee of two first division teams in the next round and they'll be plum ties for Super League teams in the quarter-finals.

But we're just focused on Halifax and we'll worry about the draw after that.

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