[Batley or Halifax in Super League?]

1 hour ago, graveyard johnny said:

lots of things have changed in Batley in that time- the vibrant pub and club scene including legends  and the frontier has now been extinguished for one, once proud  buildings and businesses  are now rundown eyesores for another, its not just about the team been attractive its also about the appeal of the town which is now non existent 

Your correct there's no way we can compete with the 'honey pot' tourist towns of Castleford,Warrington and Ull.  If the unthinkable happens and Batley get there on merit, even with our boarded up town centre I think we would go Hybrid, give the lads who got us there a chance with a few quality players added. I'd expect us to lose every game but become everyone's second favourite team along the way, and everyone's favourite away day.  The money made would keep us competitive for years to come and the publicity for RL in general from such an underdogs beating the odds story would be good for the game as a whole. 

[Fax v Batley]

11 minutes ago, Dog forever said:

Anyone know the attendance. 

2100 and something was announced at the game. 

[Widnes V Batley Bulldogs MOM thread only]

Gilmore

Leak

Hall

 

[Jack Logan]

Lingard has not put a foot wrong this season. He's shuffled the squad around, rested players when needed, left us fans scratching our heads at times with his team selection but got the result every time, there will be a reason why the club has agreed to let Logan go and if there was nothing in it for us at some point I doubt he would have gone, as fans we have no right to know the ins and outs, clauses etc in a players contract. Let's trust the club, if we win on Sunday all's well, if we loose it won't be down to one players absence, we have plenty of depth in the squad to fill in and do a job. 

[Certainly no Bulldogs at mount for a while so how about... players you rated that had short spells]

Stuart Cocker was class, lightening quick.  I know the Hobson era screwed the club but I liked The South Africans Shaun Skelton and Andy Ballott. Dave Turpin was good for a season, Dane Morgan was great too. I liked Mike Kuiti but wacat the tail end of his career. 

[Cropper,s Back]

43 minutes ago, Piggy's mate said:

Does look a bit bigger!

Yep, he's 6'3" now. 

[Bradford Bulls Pledge Campaign]

The main consensus here seems to be why dont Batley do there own marketing and beat the Bulls to it. The problem is we dont have the money to do anything on a grand scale so we just have to sit back and watch. It may not be ilegal but I feel its morally wrong. Would the Bulls be happy if they got 500 new fans but the Bulldogs went bust? If the RL world shared the wealth just a little then I think there would be a few SL clubs getting a rather worried. Batley and Dewsbury are well run clubs, and with a little financial help could make the push forward and be included in the ideal of a two tier fully professional league. In the past 10 years or so we have become the First RL club to have classroom facilities for local Children. Revamped all 4 sides of the ground and consistently competed in the CC every year having the lowest playing budget in the league (except last year the Rams had the lowest). We do all this on the lowest gates in the CC and without a single overseas player and bang in the middle of Hudds Leeds Bradford and Wake. (about 5 miles from each) Is this not the Rfl's masterplan for SL clubs already in action? Ground development, young local talent, comunity integration?. Wouldnt it be nice of the RFL to acknowledge this and say "Heres

[It's about time this great game got re united]

As a Batley fan I dont really have a problem with the lack of P&R, although we are entitled to apply for superleage we are realistic enough to know we are miles off the pace. If I were the RFL though I would be worried about the anger around the Champoionship, the precieved feeling of injustice. Although the numbers through the gates at the likes of Batley & Dewsbury are low there is a huge interest in the game in the area. Our recent challenge cup and NR cup runs showed this. I would imagine there are large numbers whom subscribe to Sky solely to watch RL. If the RLF alienate these fans and subscription falls then Sky money could be reduced. I feel a little better share of the wealth would help with the unrest. As far as im aware the Champoinship clubs get 100k to be spent on infustructure, another 100k to be spent solely on academy rugby would be a big long term benefit to the Championship clubs and the RFL as a whole, and taking 100k away from the current SL clubs may stop one mediocre Aussie import coming in. There are a number of very well run clubs in the Championship working on a tiny budget. With a little extra help from the RFL we could set an example to the SL of how a club should be run, close the gap a little and look to a 2 tier SL in the future. I am all for expansion but if its at the expense of the small heartland clubs then the game will suffer, its us that pay our sky subscriptions, its us that organise neutrals coach trips to Wembly, turn up at the Galpharm to Watch the Aussies let us win one to make it interesting. I think the jist of what im getting at, and I know it sounds pathetic, but We need to feel wanted, at the moment a lot feel we are just here to trial the RFLs wacky ideas, and to be told by SL fans that we are living in the past. SHARE THE WEALTH MAKE THE GAME STRONGER NOT SL STRONGER.