PLENTY of water has flowed under the bridge since John Kear left Batley Bulldogs at the end of the 2016 season.
Since then, he has been with Wakefield Trinity, Bradford Bulls and Widnes Vikings as well as taking Wales to two World Cups.
But Kear retains a sizeable soft spot for the battle-hardened team from the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, where he had five years as coach.
And while he has nothing against Halifax Panthers, he’d like to see Batley mark their first appearance at Wembley by winning the 1895 Cup.
“They are a very well run club, and the stability there has underpinned their recent achievements,” said Kear, referring to successive play-off appearances and last year’s run to the Championship Grand Final.
“Getting to the 1895 Cup Final is a great achievement and well deserved for everyone involved at the club as well as the supporters.”
The Bulldogs are aiming to mark coach Craig Lingard’s impending departure to focus on his role as assistant coach of Castleford Tigers, where Kear both played and worked as a conditioner before beginning his coaching career, by lifting silverware on Saturday and making their mark in the play-offs once again.
Mark Moxon, who is both assistant to Lingard at Batley and Kear with Wales, will step up to take over the top job at club level – and his mentor approves.
“I know both Craig and Mark very well, having worked with them both, and both of them are really capable,” he added.
“I think Craig will be great for Castleford, and Mark the same for Batley, and because he knows the club inside out, it should be a fairly seamless transition.”
Lingard wants his players to make the most of their Wembley experience – but not at the expense of the league, saying: “That’s the bread and butter, and that’s what we play 27 rounds for – to get to the play-offs.
“The final will be historic and prestigious, but the league is just as important to us.”