phildog

Ours will be not bad after giving Trinity a decent run out. Get the pack on top, bit of good old Batley tackling and we'll edge it.

No Roger, full dress rehearsal for our show, tried my damnest to get out of it.

Just gone back over Trin's league record; of their away games we're the highest scorers against them and the 2nd best in points difference in a game in any of their games and 1 of onky 2 whk stopoed them posting 40+ poknts.The hope seemed to be to keep 'em to 20, we did that and a bit more by the sounds. Kick on time.

Look where Joe Burton played for Hunslet; top scorer at centre....if Mitsias isn't fit why bring him 11,000 miles? Are we paying him a contract to get him fit for somebody else ie fit enough to be sent to Cas A on DR!!

78-9 yes AND the 0-0 early 60's!

So we've proudly brought a bloke with pace more than 11,000 miles to send him to pkay elsewhere? Clever that!! Great way to keep him interested here for another season, really smart...whilst we play a class centre on the wing.

There were around 70 of us I'd say, looking at folk in the bar after.

BBC Cumbria team was right beside us in the stand. Pre-game Mokko was worrying about 'Haven's big pack and there Aussie players....their pack did nothing, our 4 lads battered 'em. Only Singleton made a solitary break, the rest golded like a concertina, it was a proper Batley pack performance.

1 Butterworth, brilliant all afternoon. Killed every kick, nailed his tackles, went looking for work, linked up superbly and 2 great passes for tries. 2 Leak, made breaks at will, took 'em on, chased every tackle, made 1 scored 1. 3 Kear, did a bucketful of work all over the field, led the back line effectively and showed some power to get that try.

Looking on the bright side!!

We keep bringing up the website and it seems that every season start someone throws a bit of effort at it and looks after it for 6 weeks then completely forgets about it.

Trip made a little easier; Dalton Desmond Walker has been sacked by 'Haven for -a breach of operating rules'.

No bus this week, not enough. OK for me cos from N Yorks it's straight along the A66. Room for 4 if anyone can get to Thirsk area by 10!

TBF, and I'm the one who mentions it most, DR out of Cas at the moment is almost impossible, they've got more players missing than we have squad, they're looking to bring players in themselves. That we need to strengthen seems clear to all of us except.... and are we looking? I've already said that coming away from games saying 'we're nearly there, not far off, they're giving all they've got etc' but that's not going to win us the next game. I still disagree with the 'Burton's a winger', I suspect we brought him as a replacement for Hodson in the centre which still left us short of pace on the wing which is predominantly why we brought Mitsias over, he has more a winger's build, but we could argue that all season!

I wasn't able to make it today so can't comment on each player, who did what etc but one commenter has already covered the discipline aspect, we got beat by 4 kickable penalties, ironically the same penalties by the same kicker which beat us at Wembley. I said previously we'd match them in tackling which we clearly did, I also said we'd struggle on attack, we clearly did going by comments about possession and position on their line. A few seasons back we used to get player updates, now we know nothing so are forced to surmise as to why a player is missing or why a player isn't picked, injured, dropped, gone walkabout. We know we were disrupted by losing 3 players we expected to be here, but now where's our DR or loans (are we not wanting to afford it again?). Whichever way we want to spin it one thing you can't spin is that we're bottom of the league, won zero. 'Hard luck lads', 'we got close' etc won't cure that. We have next week to change that then we're up against a rampant Wakefield which won't change the position. Something needs to happen. What do I suggest? It's not my place, I and a few others do all we can buying tickets, attending this and that, trying to spend on Kev's grand of ale. Fans can't put any more money up, it's up to coaches to identify and someone to make it happen before we cement our position at the wrong end.

Seems discipline lost the game, 4 penalties between.

The lad has played 2 Cup games, 1 League game, has kicked every goal bar 1, backed up for a try at Widnes which I don't think Woods would have, and has made 1 error in having a pass intercepted on Friday. Played Boxing Day, for what it was he was my MoM. Different player, he's a runner, Woods is an organiser and a drop-off pass man. Yes, we miss Woods but DaveG isn't the wrong nan at the wrong time type. BTW it WAS the car belonging to who I alluded to KTF. Story over.

No point in having an agreement really if we don't. Mokko can't really say we can't be improved by taking advantage....the owner of the car I referred to gas been recalledvm to Cas's squad after George Lawler's seizure.

Linners' interview with Radio Leeds, wants Hindmarsh out on loan in the championship ....

I have it on good authority that the car of a former player has been seen in the Dogs car park on training night....

I think we'll do well in the tackling game and stop them running up a score but I fear we're not going to score many either with a rather blunt attack, as of Good Friday anyway, so I'll go for Fax 18-8.

Before we get into a run of 'hard lines lads' performances. We were never going to win the Challenge Cup, didn't really matter whether we got to Wembley in the 1895 as there's no financial benefit but the league is a different animal, our bread-and-butter. After a very successful run over the last 3 seasons we're still skint and can't attract players so a lower league placing isn't going to help for the future.

Agree KTF! We're so pleased to have the great write-ups, good progress in 1895, the beating of Widnes, the performance v Cas, forgetting that we threw the Fev league game then just didn't turn up at Friday's party. The squad wasn't strengthened enough to cover what we lost, some who were expected to be squad members and gain experience were thrown in to first 17 places, trialists like Rhodes (is he still with us? Big lad) get 1 game. If we're so seriously short of money it's not going to get better and regular fans have done all they can, buying every ticket we're asked to, attend here and there at functions, concerts. We can't do any more, so where do we go?

BurtonJ Scrim?

Mitsias is a winger more than a centre, JBurton is a centre more than a winger, Kear isn't a winger, played most of his career AND INTERNATIONALLY as a centre. Mitsias isn't the only one left wondering why he was brought over either. It's OK saying that we'll need all the squad at sometime, Mitsias will be better in dry weather (when's that going to be then?) etc etc by which time it'll be too late for digging us out of a downward battle. We can't use hard games v Fev n Cas as an excuse either, they should have battle-hardened us, not exposed an underbelly. Players need a time together on Tuesday to sort this between themselves, it's gard enough going to Halifax on the back of a win; going when you've just been spanked, well....