Mid Season Assessment

[RIGGY]

Interesting reading

[class of 63]

So as now highlighted on club website the final run for top 8 clubs (5 or 6 games) shows that there are 11 games still to be played between these top 8 teams

 

Newcastle v Oldham

Keighley v Barrow

N Wales v Swinton

York v N Wales

Oldham v Barrow

Rochdale v Keighley

Barrow v Rochdale

N Wales v York

Oldham v Swinton

Newcastle v N Wales

York v Barrow

 

Obviously there are so many permutations, take your pick, so I'll stick to my assessment criteria of home wins and no defeats against bottom 6 so as previously stated final table assessment

 

1 Oldham   36pts

2 York   34pts

3 Keighley   34pts

4 Swinton    31pts

5 Rochdale   30pts

6 N Wales   29pts

7 Newcastle   28pts

8 Barrow  26pts

 

Could be another trip to Keighley then York or Rochdale at Widnes then Championship but again as previously said we can as any one of the top 7 teams can mathematically still finish top

[steve wild]

Don't want to sound pessimistic, BUT should we lose to both NWC & Oldham there's still a not unrealistic permutation of other results that would place us 6th. But win those 2 games & we could easily finish 2nd. So lots of work still to be done!

[gogledd]

Yet another crunch game on Sunday (16th) for Crusaders!!  We have 2 returning from suspension but our list of injured players gets ever longer - two more out after the game at Hornets... best get a few of us to polish our boots!

 

Just hoping we stick to the assessment criteria an produce a home win.  Then we still have York (home and away), Skolars and Thunder.

 

All to play for. 

[class of 63]

Superb win for us today and Oldham win away at Newcastle so no major positional changes but significant points difference

 

1 Oldham        38pts

2 York              34pts

3 Keighley        34pts

4 Swinton         33pts

5 Rochdale       30pts

6 N Wales         27pts

7 Barrow           26pts

8 Newcastle      24pts

 

So todays results ensure us of at least 4th place if we win our 3 home games - York have 2 crunch matches against barrow at home and north wales at home - a defeat in one of these could take us upto 3rd place - I think Oldham have now clinched top place but if we beat them we could make second - still lots to play for, but have to say our recent form makes me confident in the playoffs

[9102]

The lads are hitting form just at the right time. The real challenge now is sustaining that form. Without being complacent, realistically we should win the remaining games against the Southern based teams. Just then the hurdle of Roughyeds away, which I must say I fancy. Giving us 2nd slot, depending on other results ofcourse. We must be aiming for that, which will give us 2 attempts for promotion, if we didn't win the first paly off game (1st v 2nd)!

I'm led to believe that the first play off decider will be at Whitebank and not televised. The other play off final to be at Widnes, which will be televised?

[class of 63]

Disappointing and possibly significant result today - no comment on the game as down in Cornwall but as promised revised assessment

1. Keighley 36

2. York. 34

3. Oldham. 34

4. Newcastle 31

5. N Wales 29

6. Rochdale 28

7. Barrow. 28

8. Swinton. 27

So much for my 'assessment criteria' the above was my post for final league table, following our defeat at York, since then we have won 7 games on the trot, beating 5 of the top 8 teams (3 away) - how things can change

[wayne_r]

Well the way the team are playing at the moment and I hesitate to say it ( being the superstitious type) they could go the rest of the season unbeaten, would be almost a repeat of the feat of 1960's Championship wining team and wouldn't that be something to celebrate..............  

[Blue Monkey]

... go the rest of the season unbeaten, would be almost a repeat of the feat of 1960s (1962-63) Championship wining team and wouldn't that be something to celebrate..............  

 

Yes, slight shades of the great run-in to take the title in the post-long 1963 winter period with Sir Albert at the helm.

[gogledd]

Well deserved win by the Lions at the Racecourse yesterday - by far the better team. I thought we were lucky to post any points in he first half.

 

How does the "Class of 63's" table look now after your win yesterday?

 

Another broken arm to add to the list of injuries following yesterdays game - we are struggling to get 17 fit players out at the moment.

 

Every game a must win now for Crusaders or bang go our chances of getting to the play-offs.

[class of 63]

Well deserved win by the Lions at the Racecourse yesterday - by far the better team. I thought we were lucky to post any points in he first half.

 

How does the "Class of 63's" table look now after your win yesterday?

 

Another broken arm to add to the list of injuries following yesterdays game - we are struggling to get 17 fit players out at the moment.

 

Every game a must win now for Crusaders or bang go our chances of getting to the play-offs.

 

As stated in my post of last night goggled we are now guaranteed 4th place if we win our 3 home games against Gloucester/Oxford and South Wales so you do need to win all remaining games and hope that Rochdale slip up for 5th place

[FearNothing]

Well deserved win by the Lions at the Racecourse yesterday - by far the better team. I thought we were lucky to post any points in he first half.

 

How does the "Class of 63's" table look now after your win yesterday?

 

Another broken arm to add to the list of injuries following yesterdays game - we are struggling to get 17 fit players out at the moment.

 

Every game a must win now for Crusaders or bang go our chances of getting to the play-offs.

who broke their arm??

[RIGGY]

Callum Wright the Crusaders hooker

[gogledd]

As stated in my post of last night goggled we are now guaranteed 4th place if we win our 3 home games against Gloucester/Oxford and South Wales so you do need to win all remaining games and hope that Rochdale slip up for 5th place

Thanks for the confirmation. I think with our ever-growing list of injuries we will be rather fortunate to make the play-offs. In fairness to Hornets - they've beaten us twice this season so I doubt they will slip up at this stage. We are playing with the walking wounded and our lads look shattered. Everyone who pulled a Cru shirt on this season is a hero in my eyes... whether we get to the play-off or not.

[FearNothing]

Callum Wright the Crusaders hooker

 

ta, found it on our website just after I asked....

 

I guess that means we've only got 15 players left sort-of fit.....

[FearNothing]

we could only manage 16 players for tonight's game at York, but the boys went out there and did the biz... we're not out of it yet, we can still hit 31pts

[class of 63]

Great result Crusaders and could be a great result for us - so final table could now look like this

 

1 Oldham        38pts

2 Keighley        34pts

3 Swinton        33pts

4 York              32pts

5 Rochdale       30pts

6 N Wales         29pts

7 Barrow           26pts

8 Newcastle      24pts

[Colin James]

If Rochdale beat Keighley and we can win all our remaining games we'd finish second. Otherwise third looks the best we can do.

[gogledd]

If Rochdale beat Keighley and we can win all our remaining games we'd finish second. Otherwise third looks the best we can do.

.... but if Keighley win ... and North Wales Crusaders win all their remaining games we end up 5th!! 3 games left so the most points we can post is 31.... Its still not over yet!!

[gogledd]

Oh my oh my!! What a set of results today!!  All to play for to get the 5th spot now

 

North Wales Crusaders can get a maximum of 31 point, Rochdale Hornets can now only get a maximum of 30 points and Barrow Raiders 28... and Barrow and Rochdale play each other on 5th September, the day before we play York. Wow! Its really squeaky bum time! 

[class of 63]

Keighleys win at Rochdale could change things so final table could now look like this

 

1 Oldham        38pts

2 Keighley        36pts

3 Swinton        33pts

4 York              32pts

5 N Wales         31pts

6 Rochdale       28pts

7 Barrow           26pts

8 Newcastle      24pts

 

Cannot see 1st and 2nd changing - York could get to 3rd but would need to win their last 2 games away to N Wales and home to Barrow and us to lose at Oldham - we are guaranteed at least 4th if we win our two home games against Oxford and S Wales and 5th is up for grabs - hope that is clear ???

[FearNothing]

Keighleys win at Rochdale could change things so final table could now look like this

 

1 Oldham        38pts

2 Keighley        36pts

3 Swinton        33pts

4 York              32pts

5 N Wales         31pts

6 Rochdale       28pts

7 Barrow           26pts

8 Newcastle      24pts

 

Cannot see 1st and 2nd changing - York could get to 3rd but would need to win their last 2 games away to N Wales and home to Barrow and us to lose at Oldham - we are guaranteed at least 4th if we win our two home games against Oxford and S Wales and 5th is up for grabs - hope that is clear ???

 

Don't think there's much danger of you not beating oxford and scorps, so that's probably the top 4 decided all bar the order...it's all about 5th now, and barrow can do us a favour by making sure they beat hornets.... this division is far closer than the top two this year...

[mickhornet]

I don't think we can make 5th.We never win in Cumbria so i think thats it for us.

[steve wild]

Cru beating York would guarantee us 3rd, regardless of our result at Oldham

[FearNothing]

Cru beating York would guarantee us 3rd, regardless of our result at Oldham

 

and we'll certainly be trying, winning our last 3 is our only cast-iron guarantee of the playoffs