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Mid Season Assessment


class of 63

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Oh and time to campaign for fairer fixtures before it becomes sour grapes ✊

York avoid playing Rochdale (A), Barrow (A) and Oldham (H). That's three of the four games we have lost....!

On paper,

Oldham and Keighley gave it next easiest avoiding playing York (A)

So Steve you are right, winning home games and away against the bottom 6 was never going to be enough for Swinton, North Wales and Newcastle

to get in the playoffs.......but it would have been for York, Oldham and Keighley !

I don't mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence.

"Be mindful of the prayers you send,
Pray hard but pray with care,
For the tears that you are crying now,
Are just your answered prayers"

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Hi Class of 63,

 

A great thread full of twists and turns - very much like the rest of the season ahead. An interesting assessment regarding who plays more 'top 8' teams.

 

Theres another post on Rochdales forum regarding the betting odds - which puts Crusaders 3rd favourite, I still think there's plenty to get excited about and wont be placing any money on anyone, anytime soon!!

 

Sundays game is a 4-pointer for Hornets and Oldham... maybe home advantage will just sway it?

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What this demonstrates is the need for a couple of away wins against the rest of the top 8. Having drawn at home to North Wales & having lost to Oldham we're currently in deficit. Home wins and victories over the southern clubs alone won't get us in the top 5.

For me, points difference against the southern teams is the new bonus point in a top 8 this tight. A month ago we were sat on a fat cushion of points, but two defeats (York/Keighley) burned our points difference and now York are racking up their points  - as they get to play fewer top clubs and more 'Southern Clubs'. Still don't think they'll go up though.

IMAG0394_zpsvjvgze6q.jpg

 

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Hornetto - I agree as I do not see York going up through the playoffs from the teams I have seen. Crusaders seemed like the most likely team to me to go up but it is so tight that I would not like to predict who will get in the playoffs or who would go up.

I don't mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence.

"Be mindful of the prayers you send,
Pray hard but pray with care,
For the tears that you are crying now,
Are just your answered prayers"

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Massive score for us yesterday, well done lads - but all results for the top 8 went as assessed, so no change to final assessment (although a correction in Newcastle final points total)

 

1. Keighley 36

2. Oldham 34
3. York 34
4. Rochdale 30
5. Newcastle 30
6. N Wales 29
7. Barrow. 28
8. Swinton. 27............. but now a critical 3 match run for us, Keighley away, Rochdale home and Newcastle away - maximum points from these games and the top 8 will change dramatically - we can do it

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We have 'top 8' opposition in 3 out of our next 4 games. Barrow (away), Oldham (home), UGAG (home) and Rochdale (away) - all crunch matches and hopefully we can upset your assessment! Its going to be exciting.

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Well - the first step of the 4 above was positive. An away win at Barrow was a great win for Crusaders - only 2 teams have managed a win at Craven Park.  And a good win for Swinton too - so everything once more up in the air!!

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Massive score for us yesterday, well done lads - but all results for the top 8 went as assessed, so no change to final assessment (although a correction in Newcastle final points total)

 

1. Keighley 36

2. Oldham 34

3. York 34

4. Rochdale 30

5. Newcastle 30

6. N Wales 29

7. Barrow. 28

8. Swinton. 27............. but now a critical 3 match run for us, Keighley away, Rochdale home and Newcastle away - maximum points from these games and the top 8 will change dramatically - we can do it

 

so based on this from last week that's barrow down to 26 pts and us up to 31 :) keigthley 34, swinton 29,

cru....Cru.....CRUSADERS!!!!!!

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Spot on but as stated in my first post things can change each week

 

absolutely......wait until everyone has 3 games left and even then it probably won't be settled, it will be a very tense last couple of weeks :)

cru....Cru.....CRUSADERS!!!!!!

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Crusaders have been the most impressive team I have seen this season so far (except for us). That run in the cup and the game in hand has left a false position for some weeks for both Cru and Swinton holding the game in hand. Stealth tactics.....a playoff place is the aim for Swinton following three poor results but I am sure we will be there or thereabouts come the end.

It is easy to say when you have beat Keighley home and away but we will have to hope we keep winning and someone else can peg them and Oldham back too.

I don't mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence.

"Be mindful of the prayers you send,
Pray hard but pray with care,
For the tears that you are crying now,
Are just your answered prayers"

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Steve,I take it you mean  the way the fixtures have been structured York are favored with playing southern teams home and away.I thougth there would be winners and losers with such a format of fixtures.It seems the RFL tried to make it a close battle for promotion which they have achieved

The problem seems to be that the Southern teams should be in a separate league.

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Steve,I take it you mean  the way the fixtures have been structured York are favored with playing southern teams home and away.I thougth there would be winners and losers with such a format of fixtures.It seems the RFL tried to make it a close battle for promotion which they have achieved

The problem seems to be that the Southern teams should be in a separate league.

 

The RFL split the league into two when allocating the fixtures and put York in the bottom 7 - hence the easier run of fixtures. The line trotted out about geographical location is just garbage in my opinion.

 

Assuming the same format exists for next season then if you fail to get top five then I would aim for 8th for the easier run the following year.

 

Steve is quite right about the fixtures and York are likely to win their next 5 games home and away with little effort. That defeat at York has proved costly

I don't mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence.

"Be mindful of the prayers you send,
Pray hard but pray with care,
For the tears that you are crying now,
Are just your answered prayers"

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...but remember, the leader does not get automatic promotion as the league is skewed so if they win the league nothing is guaranteed.

I don't mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence.

"Be mindful of the prayers you send,
Pray hard but pray with care,
For the tears that you are crying now,
Are just your answered prayers"

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.It seems the RFL tried to make it a close battle for promotion which they have achieved

 

Surely it would have been a close battle for promotion if everyone played everyone else twice anyway, but fairer. Effectively York have had an 8pts head start on Swinton, Thunder and us, and 6pts over the rest of the top 8. Which also means Kieghley, Rochdale, Oldham and Barrow had 2 pts head start over Swinton, Thunder and us.....

 

If the aim was to produce a handicap competition, the RFL have managed to do it of sorts.... 

cru....Cru.....CRUSADERS!!!!!!

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Too true :rtfm: so lets prove them wrong... you still have two games against York I believe so take back that advent age from them ....please. :help:

I don't mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence.

"Be mindful of the prayers you send,
Pray hard but pray with care,
For the tears that you are crying now,
Are just your answered prayers"

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The RFL split the league into two when allocating the fixtures and put York in the bottom 7 - hence the easier run of fixtures. The line trotted out about geographical location is just garbage in my opinion.

 

...and garbage it was proved to be ;)

 

Thunder would have made more sense to have been put in the bottom 7 due to the fact they finished below York last season (let's face it, everyone finished below York last season, but you get the point), but hey, this is RFL logic :)

cru....Cru.....CRUSADERS!!!!!!

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I take your point Little Lion Man about targeting 8th spot if you cannot make the top 5,but would you deliberately throw games by fielding a weaker team to achieve this.It would`nt attract supporters to games and may have an adverse affect on gates.

I also think big wins against Southern teams does nothing to attract public interest in the long run only provides a boost to moral for the winning team short term. 

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I don't agree with what some people say though that the southern clubs should be kept separate. It gives them a greater degree of legitimacy and respect to be playing in a national league against traditional clubs which can only help them. And the welcome we've received at these clubs has been great. Yes they are weaker and at a disadvantage in terms of attracting players but shunning them into a regional league won't help them grow. In RL we're all too quick to abandon ideas if they don't work immediately. Give them time and support and they will start bringing more players through and get stronger. Hopefully in a year or two Coventry etc will be able to win some games against the northern teams (except us).

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Exactly right Colin. We ourselves have felt abandoned at time by the RFL and Super League clubs give us no thought what so ever. We need to help the southern clubs grow stronger and any other possible new clubs to enter the Championship fold to secure our position in the future in a competitive competition.

"no-one knows what it's like to be the bad man.........behind blue eyes"

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Agree Colin/LoyalLion. There's no ideal solution, and there but for the grace...

Personally I see more value in these clubs trying to build a base than northern clubs packed with DR second teamers.

I quite like the league within a league aspect of this season, and I'd guess that the mix of fixtures lets the southern clubs both compete at their own level *and* test themselves at the next. It's not perfect, clearly - drubbings and unfair distribution of easy games for Northern clubs aren't ideal. But I guess the RFL is betting on the bottom half of League 1 improving faster than the top and therefore closing the gap over time.

Any road up, three cracking competitions this year, so whether by design or happy accident the RFL have a relative win for me thus far.

I'd love to hear what the fans and officials of the southern teams think...

All best,

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