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About time. This would have worked well as a pre-big-match game, just like we used to have with the Silk Cut Plate competition, but it was always on a hiding to nothing as a post-big-match event. We've clearly chosen to prioritise the women's final as the premium supporting match, for understandable reasons. If so the logical thing is to bring back the old lower leagues cup comp, with a final held at a sensible venue... we had a great time when Rovers won the Northern Rail cup in Blackpool back in the day.

I was of the opinion it came into being solely because of Derek Beaumont. He realised non - Super League players would never play at Wembley due to the way the sport and the Challenge Cup is now structured. He,out the goodness of his heart,decided on the name and gave his sponsorship of it. I don't think Mr Beaumont got the assistance or full recognition for his efforts. Full credit Derek Beaumont.Poor from the rest of the hierarchy.

Good to have our Emm back at York Press , her live blog on the game is always worth a read , even if you have been to the game. Accurate and detailed , always summat there that you missed.....have to blink now and again.

If only the club had not behaved poorly over a number of months then they wouldn’t have been put in that position. The players you named have been treated appallingly and to try & deflect onto them is very poor by Rowley et all

The reason why it doesn't work is because it's been poorly executed by the RFL. Personally I like it...

The only reason the 1895 Cup came into being was to pad out the attendance to the CC Final, and it hasn't really achieved that. It was a poor reason to come up with a competition and I think that's a reflection of where it sits in the running order and the salience of most supporters. There's a place for a lower-league cup, but not as an encore to a main event.

Of the two games, expect the 1895 Cup would draw more supporters than the Women's Final if it was played before the main final.

A lot of discussion on this thread already. My sentiment is still the same, away from Wembley, an already unappealing competition loses its point for many.

Stone dropped out of the Captain’s Run ie the day before the game. Clubs name 21 man squads so he could still have been replaced if Salford had bothered to name a full squad. If he had an offer from elsewhere and bearing in mind how he & the rest of the players have been treated then he quite correctly looked after number 1

Stuart Broad's biography is interesting. When he didn't make the Leicestershire development squad at 15 he decided to play sport (rugby, hockey and others as well as cricket) with his mates. His mum didn't usually watch (his parents were separated and his dad - Chris Broad, ex-England player - lived about 100 miles away so was usually not involved due to playing at weekends) and told him just to enjoy it. He did, and at 16/17 he rocketed up in height and became an international cricketer. He said that the lack of pressure and the enjoyment of playing with his mates served him very well in his career. I officiate in tennis and the parents can be problematic (nowhere near what I saw in rugby league or is reported in football) but when it goes over the line the LTA are pretty hard on them. They have dished out significant bans for parents - several months is common and, for bad cases or repeat offenders, permanent bans.

This is a big problem. Young kids should be enjoying playing the game and developing their skills. Some adults take the winning very seriously to the point "competitive stress" is one of the main reasons younger kids stop playing. I mean if your dad or coach was shouting and screaming at you because you dropped a ball, would you want t keep playing?

He did an interview after the Saints game you’ll need to watch it, I think there are a few press articles about it doing rounds now. Rowley blaming Stones attitude for refusing to play and ironically said there’s a right way of doing things and he won’t be training or playing for them again. How anyone can blame the players after the last 8 months is beyond me.

I think we need to put this in perspective, SRD as a club ( not supporters) have behaved poorly (financially) for a number of seasons, it's almost like a salary cap breach, if they had not overspent the results on the field would have been no were near the level they reached. The only difference between another club doing a Melbourne and SRD is the latter cheated to stay competitive rather than win the competition, but it's still cheating. Calling professionals who's pay they are owed is not being paid or always late is poor,how many fans would keep turning up for their work and never get paid or wait for their wages( the players still have too pay bills and shop for food) it's only the club that spent money they didn't have the players can't.

Bring back the Treize Tournoi

Obligation to the fans? No it’s his job and he has been paid late at least 4 times this year and has been messed around by his employer

I have spoke about this before and certainly think it feeds into the problem when it comes to kids, parents and competitiveness. I purposely include kids because they absolutely have the goal to make it professional too. If you are a half decent kid growing up in Wigan at a decent club there is a fair chance that a decent percentage of the team will sign professional. In my u16s team I think it was 15 that did. It is a totally achievable goal for many, way more achievable than in many other sports. Now that isn't to say that the majority that sign professional make it, they dont and often dont even play the game beyond 20. I know lads who didn't even sit their GCSE's because they thought they were going to be the next big thing and barely lasted a year at a professional club.

Re London, neither of those options are Superleague viable so it doesn't matter what it looks like. In general, a club would want its average crowd at 80-ish% of capacity, so there's room for growth, with the biggest games selling out quickly with a scramble for tickets creating a buzz. If you're leaving fans locked out every week, your stadium isn't big enough. That's why many football teams have expanded capacity in recent years. Other than Hudds, I don't feel stadium size is a huge issue in the current Superleague.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/road-to-aami-park-the-secret-storm-program-thats-key-to-rugby-league-exploding-in-victoria/news-story/02efc990d02b883bf6352bc543fde020

You have to wonder how many kids drop out of our game due to some of the abuse they get from parents of the team they are playing. These people who abuse young kids from the touch line playing our game are total idiots, and they should be ashamed of their actions, but they are so dumb they probably can't see a problem

Challenge Cup Finals day under review amid growing financial concerns | All Out Rugby League

One big tip i would give to anyone is buy a compost bin and do your own composting. Just put garden waste and house waste like peelings in there. The compost you get is far superior to anything you'll get at a garden centre and it's free!

Fine I thought. Wasn't afraid to make a couple of decisions that other inexperienced refs might have overlooked eg she penalised Hunslet for delaying the game at a scrum and (deservedly) gave a 6 again against us when we were holding down on the 5th tackle near our line. We did get a couple of 50/50s go our way in the closing stages and I think Hunslet fans felt a bit aggrieved that the last-minute incident when they kicked through was judged to be a knock on by Hunslet, thought that could have gone either way myself. But overall I thought she got most of the calls right. There are a lot of very young and inexperienced referees in the Championship this year but it's a good sign that a new group are coming through at least, we can't play without them!

Just going back to this weekend, can I just say what a blummin' good idea Leeds' Party on the Pitch was on Saturday? It was brilliant to see so many people sticking around and taking to the pitch for a post-match party. My little lad loved the chance to run around on the turf and dance around on my shoulders (my back is still killing me). Genuinely one of the best matchday entertainment ideas that the club has come up with - I really hope they do it again.

2,560 at Widnes v Halifax, with around 100 Halifax fans.

embarrassed themselves more than the club has?

I do - have done on and off since I was a kid. We have about an acre here, so plenty of space. I try to grow something each year that I haven't grown before - Kohl Rabi and Honeyberry this year.

The Match Day Squad is an official declaration to the RFL not a 'pleaser' for fans on SM.

What's made me smile is to think our hearts sank when we thought Mr Vella was going to be in charge! Many thanks for another entertaining Sunday afternoon Andy and nice to hear another stint from your able assistant for the day, Myles Harrison. His enthusiasm for the team is always good to listen to.

Ive tried growing various fruit and veg over the years with varying degrees of success. I have a small narrow strip down the side of my house where I grow stuff. I tend to not go overboard, just something simple This year I have just purely gone for tomatoes. I find that they offer the highest yield for least amount of effort and usually stay pest free. When I have more time on my hands I'll probably get an allotment but for now happy with getting free tomatoes for 2/3 months of year

And, of course. the bottom line. that everyone should be talking about another Knights v Bulls epic not the refereeing.

He's factually correct - seems reasonable to assume Nene would have been a player with interest from other clubs. He has not downed tools like some other players, and because of the broader situation that has led to him not being able to play. Not Nene's fault so I see no reason to object to what Rowley said? With regards to Sam Stone, refusing to play unless you consider it to be a beyond usual risk to your health (i.e. you're carrying an injury already) or you've not been paid (he has been, admittedly with no small amount of stress) is not reasonable. To do so on the day of the game when a squad has been set and there's no scope to bring in a replacement is just unprofessional. I'm a Salford fan and have no issue with any player seeking new pastures under the broad circumstances, but there are ways to go about this that are more professional. Several players have left this year and will always be welcome back at Salford (Sneyd, Singleton, etc.), others have embarrassed themselves.

Huddersfield getting bigger crowds and being a stronger club is progress. There is no pretending about it.

How sad if you really believe that

It’s a system which is made to be gamed, sadly. Put together a squad to try to win the league or put in an LED scoreboard

The RL pool is smaller here so there is a reasonable chance that a few of the age group players in any game will make, at least, the fringes of a semi pro or pro club. Gary Lineker did a good chat about this which mirrors your NRL viewpoint, though. Essentially pointing out to the screaming parent that, no, your kid isn’t the next Messi, so let him enjoy playing and he will probably play for longer and be a more round player and person if you let him just enjoy himself in matches. He also pointed out what I strongly suspect is true in this video and most other incidents: when it comes to rules and tactics the bawling parents are simply wrong most of the time.

If you knock after a set restart it’s a knock on. You wouldn’t get a penalty.

Jonty's analysis is spot on but that doesn't help when we keep doing the wrong things he talks of. That means the players are playing dumb, like CWT stepping over the backline AFTER catching the ball..just dumb. The shape of the team that was going well has been decimated , we had Caine and Jake destroying teams out wide and Levi causing havoc but at the moment Zarrin is our only strike player. An uninspiring game and if anything we're going backwards with 3 losable games coming up , not good.

The homemade Sausage Rolls did sell really well. Infact, they sold out. It is a great idea by a long standing member of the Bulldogs family to bake goods, and sell them. All the proceeds are going straight to making Beverley's Bar more modern. This prevents the club from having to use their funds to do such. This only enhances our stance on being a family club at the core, which we all love! So far, we have seen a brand new large Smart Screen TV in the bar, as well as an Ice Machine. Also, a meat slicer has been purchased for the kitchen. Currently, plans are being made for a brand new window and doors - which are much needed for Beverley's Bar!! All being well they should be fitted before the season ends. Just want to reiterate that this is being done independently, to help the club.

The site Ken wants and partly owns has been wasteland for 23 years, no one wants it, Ken wants to develop it and the council will stand to gain from the sale of their 40% shares in the John Smiths, it won't cost them a penny, well apart from a piece of paper and a bit of pen ink t sign the site over.

Because its the main match. We shouldn't tinker with that in a vein attempt to try and make a flawed concept work.

I think you'd be pretty hard pushed to call it a good financial investment, tbh, in the UK anyway. The amount of hours I put in vs the cost of fruit and veg in the shops just doesn't really compute. But I can grow things that you can't get in the shops, some things (not all) taste better fresh from the garden and I know what pesticides etc. have been used (none). That's before you start on the time spent outside in nature, the hours of healthy exercise and the pleasure of growing from seed.

I don't think we should necessarily see "downsizing" as an automatically bad thing - these things need to be looked at in terms of overall revenue potential. Headingley has technically downsized in terms of capacity (but not in footprint), but that loss of capacity has been offset by a higher number of premium seats and hospitality offerings. Without checking, I'd confidently suggest the club is making more per-ticket from matchday sales to offset that lost revenue. Leeds report heavy demand for seats these days, there are often only single seats left on the ticket site before the game, and the attendances this season have been very consistent. I think this is a big factor for Huddersfield given that we know that for years now, the club has relied on heavy discounting to get people into the ground. If a smaller ground allows them to reduce or end that reliance, that's better for the bottom line. It's very easy to just look at the headline attendance figure as a metric of success - and it's important - but those £30-£50 season tickets don't put much cash in the till.

I thought overall was a positive performance despite the obvious disappointment of losing it the way we did. We actually started well with our pack making good yards and Millers early kick tested the young Keighley fullback and Else pounced on the opportunity. Our forwards won the middle battle and we made good yards throughout. I felt it was a big improvement on North Wales, but the end of sets was poor and gifted them two tries against the run of play. The old adage when you play Fev, Keighley and Batley on those slopes is its worth 12 points and we went in 14 behind so it always felt doable at half time. Second half we pretty much dominated the middle but again gifted them points largely against the run of play and on the break. Its a crazy competition this year and anyone can beat anyone. Miller was good and his goal kicking and kicking game generally was what we have lacked. If we get Ridyard back we wont be far off and we will have three top half backs with likes of Dewsbury and Haven still to come to us and Goole, Newcastle and Swinton still to play. Points will be attainable IMO as when we play well we can beat anyone in this League. Midlands if we are at our best will be interesting and North Wales could well have won the league by the time we play them next. Keighley's league position is clearly not a true reflection of their actual position, they may well beat those around us also which could play into our hands as the second half of the season materialises.

Record attendance...........it's only the second year they've done it. Encouraging nonetheless

First time in this thread? Huddersfield will always be criticised for crowds by some, its a tradition. I do think it is odd that percentage of capacity filled is a criteria for IMG though, where clubs are "closing" stands to gain points shows a flaw for me, but the empty seat counters are loving it.

Insert Huddersfield Joke here?

We don't want or need to know,Dog Bawls? I certainly think we do need to know if supporters are to continue contributing. We were promised a Q&A meeting months ago which didn't materialise, all we've had is the continuation of the Secret Society.

Felt like I’d had a stroke reading that.

Fair play to Beaumont, he's donated a box for the Leigh Trinity match next year for the Candlelight charity.