Wakefield Ram

If Liam Finn has secured the job after less than one season as Head Coach in League One then he has done well. We have probably the biggest budget in L1 and in a number of games we have performed below par. At Hunslet, we knew exactly what they would do, but couldn't counter it. We turned down 2 easy points at the end of 1st half and then turned down a reasonable penalty a few minutes from the end which would have given us the title and automatic promotion. We had the same issue last season, turning down kickable penalties. According to Halifax the process is still ongoing. https://fb.watch/marN9ePbuz/

Having watched the highlights Butterworth and another player signal to take the two but the instruction to run it came from the sideline. It wasn't a gimme kick, but it wasn't impossible and running the ball isn't a gimme either. Kick a goal to win automatic promotion and a title?

No I am not saying that it's not serious, quite the opposite. But I think there is a big difference between pro players training daily and suffering higher impact collisions and children and most amateurs training far less frequently and suffering far fewer collisions at much lower impact. If that wasn't the case, then amateur and professional players would have been suffering CTE for decades. Reducing tackle height will reduce the overall number of concussions. That's the conclusion of the RU research. Like the scrums, the research was looked at, it was trialled and then implemented. The tackle height wasn't changed in RU, it was reduced to shoulder height and now down to sternum this season. But you're right it's not just laws, it's training as well that needs to change.

I've played Tag Rugby for a few years and it's brilliant. Inclusive and caters to all levels, sizes, abilities and ages.

My son plays and logically the risks at junior level and even at amateur level are likely to be far lower than at full time pro level. Jon Wilkin is part right, players do get head knocks tackling low, but the risks from high tackles and head clashes are higher. Bit like saying some people are saved because they weren't wearing a seat belt. I can't find the article but reducing contact training to 1 session a week in NFL was estimated to reduce the number of head contacts by 100,000 over a career. Does sound a lot but even if is 10,000 or 1,000, it's a substantial reduction of risk. I do a bit of RU reffing and when the scrum laws were brought in, the old guard said "the games going soft" etc. There are now hundreds of players who have avoided catastrophic neck injuries as a result. When the high tackle clampdown came in a few seasons later, it was the same "games going soft" voices again. Funnily enough, I've not had any players complaining that they aren't getting tackled round the head or about the reduction in broken necks spoiling the game. Drake Foundation did some research and found 24% of pro rugby players had some form of brain abnormality. If that isn't frightening enough to spark some action, what is? https://www.drakefoundation.org/rugby-concussions/

The current game of one man drives and a kick is very different from the game I played in 80s and 90s. It doesn't have to be played like this. Reducing offside line, reducing the number of substitutions (not the number of substitutes) would remove the 20 minute forward, reducing the tackle line to sternum like Rugby Union, reducing contact training, penalise big hits as reckless tackles, the HIA is worthless, no doctor can instantly diagnose whether a player is not concussed.....the more measures we take the better. The RFL should commission brain scans of say 100 players at random of different age / positions to establish what the current impact is. But I think the results would be too damaging for the sport and their jobs. The Drake Foundation found brain abnormalities in 24% of pro rugby players. But it needs to change soon. We are watching young players damage their brains in the name of sport.

Kick a goal and get a draw that clinches automatic promotion and the title.....

Good to silence the "he's doing it for the money" critics, but he's probably in a much better financial position than most of his contemporaries.

We had two opportunities to take two points. Just before half time when we were 6-4 up and again at the end when a draw would have clinched the title and promotion. It was always going to be a close game, not sure why we turned down both chances especially given we had struggled to score all game.

Giving away a try in the 1st minute set the scene. Credit to Hunslet for their goal line defence and for slowing the game down. Unfortunately it was only in the last 5 minutes the referee seemed to see it, but that was the same as the home game. And we didn't show enough in attack to counter it and Hunslet won the enthusiasm battle. Onto next week and hopefully we pick it up to clinch promotion at home.

It would be interesting to whether the players suing the RFL how many were full-time v part-time. I'm guessing that full time players are the large majority as more training, bigger impacts..

Pre-1995, most players were semi-professional, not training every day, 5m offside at ptb and smaller. Watch old videos and the game was very different then. The 10m offside was meant to give teams more space to attack but it had done the opposite. It has resulted in grinding one man drives at greater speed. It has discouraged attacking play in favour of safety first 5 drives and a kick. And tackling had become upright risking more head contacts for ball carrier and tackler. RL has done nothing to reduce head injuries. Tackling high, 10m offside, celebrating "big hits" which actually is just two players having their jelly-like brains violently rattled inside their hard skull, no limit on contact training and multiple subs allowing bigger players having to play only half a game The Drake Foundation did a simple of pro rugby players and 24% has brain abnormalities. The RFL could pay for say 100 SL players to have MRI scans to assess the risk. But they won't because I believe they would be shocked by the results. Instead players like Llachlan Coote retire at 33 bleeds on the brain and everyone moves on. The game needs to move away from big hits and players just running into groups of other players, cut out high tackling and move back to a game based more on skill and evasion than power. The writing is on the wall but I doubt the RFL or many fans will want to read it. Players shouldn't be expected to risk brain injuries and early onset dementia. https://www.drakefoundation.org/rugby-concussions/

If Dewsbury win, they win the Championship and automatic promotion. A draw would mean Hunslet would have win their other 2 games and Dewsbury lose both and Hunslet improve their points difference by 150. Think it will be a very close game.

And Dale Ferguson?

I think Finn will be staying.

Well done Batley, the final could go either way.

Dewsbury Rams now one win from auto stock promotion and the league title.

Credit to Crusaders for defending well, came with the same game plan as Oldham to slow down and spoil, which the ref did nothing to stop. And no yellow cards for the late hit on Sykes or 2nd tip tackle tip which was a definite yellow. We defended well, hardly gave them a sniff, but the attack seemed flat, bombed a couple of clear tries and it will need to be better next week at Hunslet. Sometimes a break isn't a good thing and hopefully we will be sharper, the weather will be better and Sam Day and Dale Ferguson will be back.

Given Hurricanes have won 41-10 at Doncaster, then yes one more win and we are Champions.

Good luck, really can't see York beating you. Think your GF experience from last season will help.

As a Dewsbury fan, it pains me to actually hope that Batley win this, it's be just reward for their consistency and performances over the last few seasons. Really can't see York stopping them.

Strange to announce it. Lame duck coach for the rest of the season, can expect Halifax to underperform in their final games.

A bleed on the brain is desperately bad news for him and his future. Let's stop talking about concussions and call them for what they are - brain injuries.

This all assumes that people will want to watch pretty much the same teams doing 5 one man drives and a kick, players abusing referees and players suffering brain injuries (concussions) on a regular basis. And a total lack of a regular international competition against the likes of Australia, NZ, Samoa.... The product is predictable, dull and repetitive for the most part, the "arm wrestle" which most games are is boring to casual observers.

Tribute to Paul Sykes from Liam Finn. From 1:20 https://fb.watch/lwX-2ix4bl/