Will Batley claim another big scalp in the opening month?
Although they slipped to defeat against Featherstone, Batley and John Kear have managed to catch the attention of a few people so early in the Championship season. That loss to Fev was sandwiched in between wins against full-time opposition in the shape of Leigh and Sheffield – and this week the Bulldogs head across West Yorkshire to face another top side in Halifax. Will Kear work his magic again and continue Batley’s impressive start?
Can Whitehaven’s attack click at last?
The Championship table makes grim reading for Whitehaven fans at the moment, especially in two columns. Zero points from a possible six is far from ideal, but they haven’t even scored 20 points across those three games. They face Dewsbury this Sunday looking to get their season up and running after a horrendous start to 2016 – but they will have to be firing in the attack to pose a threat to Glenn Morrison’s Rams.
Will Sheffield go top on Friday?
Mark Aston’s Eagles have started life well enough as a full-time club, winning two of their opening three games this season. They face Swinton at home on Friday, and with the Lions still to pick up a point this year, Sheffield are clearly heavy favourites. If they do win, will they win well enough to overhaul Bradford at the top of the league? It would take a big scoreline, but the Eagles do look an impressive side thus far in 2016.
Will London continue to slide under the radar?
The big game in the Championship this weekend is obviously Bradford v Leigh (more on that later) – but that gives Andrew Henderson’s London another chance to slide under the radar. They won their first two games before narrowly slipping to defeat at Leigh last Sunday, but you would fancy them to make it three wins from four this Sunday when they travel to Cumbria to face Workington. Town are without a point in 2016, and if London move onto six points from a possible eight, people may start paying attention to the Broncos’ start.
The grudge match returns
It’s safe to say Bradford and Leigh are pretty familiar with each other now. Their introductory meeting last year caused more than a few people to talk about the Championship – and the Centurions will be eyeing revenge after the most recent meeting between the two in last year’s Super 8s. The first of at least three Bradford-Leigh clashes takes place at Odsal this Sunday: if Bradford win, they extend their perfect start to the year and move four points ahead of Leigh. If the Centurions win, they join Bradford on six points. It should be a belter.
