Top 6 Predictions

[The Blues Ox]

heard they were going part time if they failed to get promoted this year. There's about half a dozen of there squad already signed elsewhere for next season.

 

Speaking to a non playing Dewsbury player over the last day or so and he says their non players were sat behind the Bradford non playing players and where as the Dewsbury players were shouting encouragement the Bradford players were simply taking the mick out of what the players on the pitch were doing. Sounds like they have a pretty good team spirit...........not.

[The Phantom Horseman]

I wonder if part of the reason for the number of unexpected results this season, and the inconsistencies in results across the league, is that some teams match up better with certain types of teams than others. For instance, we seem to really struggle with big, physical teams that have an offloading game. We have been outplayed twice - by Fax and, when Hirst and Brown were on, by Batley, partly because we just couldn't make the first tackle count.

 

Sky put up a graphic early in the 2nd half at Blackpool saying the offload count was 19-3 in Halifax's favour, and I'm sure it would have been a similar story in the Batley Cup game, when that happens you end up doing so much tackling and get worn down. Even in the home games against Batley and Fax I thought we were grittily hanging on for much of the game rather than dominating them physically.

 

We've been less troubled against teams that don't really have that offload game - London for instance only seem to have Bussey as a frequent offloader when I have seen them and they played him at 6 or 9 in a couple of our games against them. I think that explains why we have looked at least the equal of the current 2nd placed team in our 3 games against them, and gave Leigh a real game at our place, whereas we have found our games against Batley and Halifax tough. We have a tall pack, but Bostock is the only "chunky" forward we have really, and against teams with two or three hefty guys in the pack we seem to struggle with the collisions. Not an easy area to improve, but the path to the top 4 goes via Batley and Halifax again.

 

If we can get to the last game of the season needing to beat Bradford to finish in the top 4, I'd really fancy us to do it, but we're probably going to need to beat at least one of Batley or Halifax away, and possibly both. Still, it's a really exciting comp this year, and even with the Blackpool debacle, much more enjoyable for me.

[Jailhouse]

I wonder if part of the reason for the number of unexpected results this season, and the inconsistencies in results across the league, is that some teams match up better with certain types of teams than others. For instance, we seem to really struggle with big, physical teams that have an offloading game. We have been outplayed twice - by Fax and, when Hirst and Brown were on, by Batley, partly because we just couldn't make the first tackle count.

best post ive seen in a while Phantom Horseman, I think you are spot on about the reason for the incongruous results across the league. I watched as Richard Moore drove towards our sticks at Blackpool with i think 3 Featherstone tacklers failing to put him on the deck thinking this is going to be a tough workout for the lads. However we can find an answer to a size advantage as we did i think against Sheffield last season with little grubbers and short kicks going behind them so they have to turn around, bend their backs and run from a standing start. Sharpie has been marvellous so far and Im sure he'll have a gameplan to counter Halifax at their place. Whether we can put it to good use however is up to us on the day.

[Steve Slater]

I think swap Batley and Bradford around and Fax and Fev and that will be somewhere near. Bradford will lose more games, I reckon Batley will probably only lose one more which would mean Fev and Fax having to finish above Bradford to make the top 4.

Injuries will continue to play their part, Bradford are not the same without Gaskell, and there are one or two at Fax and Batley they would struggle without. Every side has their fair share of injuries, but its pot luck whether its the crucial players or not. Did Murell have any early season finger injury that could have been a major factor in Fax's poor form? When Fev won 4 consecutive league titles Liam Finn played virtually every game.

[Batley Bob]

Injuries will continue to play their part, Bradford are not the same without Gaskell, and there are one or two at Fax and Batley they would struggle without. Every side has their fair share of injuries, but its pot luck whether its the crucial players or not. Did Murell have any early season finger injury that could have been a major factor in Fax's poor form? When Fev won 4 consecutive league titles Liam Finn played virtually every game.

Injuries and suspensions

[The Phantom Horseman]

Injuries and suspensions

Yep - we got about six penalties plus 10 minutes in the sin bin out of Hock when we played Leigh at Fev and his suspension for the return game on Sunday is a bit of a blow to be honest.

[graham fisher]

Speaking to a non playing Dewsbury player over the last day or so and he says their non players were sat behind the Bradford non playing players and where as the Dewsbury players were shouting encouragement the Bradford players were simply taking the mick out of what the players on the pitch were doing. Sounds like they have a pretty good team spirit...........not.

That's true, heard there's a big split in the Bulls camp,that could cost them dear,ie finishing top 4.

[distantdog]

Out of Batley's last seven fixtures i think they lose at least three,Should make the run in interesting if we can win at the mount and at Sheffield,

 

This is very possible, and might be more! London and Fev. at home will be 50-50 games, and at Bradford we will be clear underdogs. Swinton gave us a good beating at our place so will be tough at theirs. Whitehaven only lost to us by single points twice at ours. We never beat Sheffield at theirs, and of course Dewsbury will be a 'form book out of the window' type of game! 

The point being that nothing is secure at the moment, and all teams in those 3-6 places have some tough times ahead!

 

l am just delighted that we are there or thereabouts competing alongside you lot.

 

Exciting isn't it?

[The Phantom Horseman]

As for promotion, no Championship team has a hope, even the mighty Leigh.

 

I keep reading this, but to say no Championship team has a hope is clearly untrue, in fact really it's nowhere near the truth. At the very least, the best Championship team from the middle 8s will end up playing the worst SL team from the middle 8s in a one-off game to decide which team is in SL next season.

 

So you'll have a Championship team that is in at least reasonable form playing a SL team that hasn't been in great form. Perhaps the SL team will still start favourites, but the game should be very far from a foregone conclusion. Bradford weren't really a very good Championship team last season and got thrashed four times in the Qualifiers but they were still in contention in the £1m game until the last minute.

 

If Leigh had kept their regular-season form going in the middle 8s last year, they would have gained promotion, and we wouldn't be hearing all this stuff about the current system making promotion impossible. No doubt once the middle 8s start we will hear conspiracy theories about how the RFL won't "let" Leeds get relegated (just as we heard similar things about London and Bradford). For me, the middle 8s have been a positive thing; look at all the talk about the top 4 that is making the season interesting for us, Batley, Halifax, etc.

[tuutaisrambo]

If Leigh had kept their regular-season form going in the middle 8s last year, they would have gained promotion, and we wouldn't be hearing all this stuff about the current system making promotion impossible.

 

I'd say very unlikely.......not impossible. The current system is heavily stacked in the super league's favour but it always will be with the gap in funding.

 

Regardless i'm enjoying watching rugby much more under this new system.......both in the Championship and in SL

[The Blues Ox]

I honestly believe that Leigh on pre middle 8's form and Fax on back end of the season form would both have beaten Wakefield in the million pound game. I thought Wakey were poor that day and were there for the taking. They were much better than that when we played them at their place.

[fevfromfar]

I also believe fev on the way we finished the season would have beat fax leigh and wakefield all at the same time. Behave oxy. You always come alive this time of year with your drivel. Fax weren't there simple. not good enough throughout the season and not good enough in the middle 8

[The Blues Ox]

I also believe fev on the way we finished the season would have beat fax leigh and wakefield all at the same time. Behave oxy. You always come alive this time of year with your drivel. Fax weren't there simple. not good enough throughout the season and not good enough in the middle 8

 

At least I were been serious, Fev would have been pumped by all three of those teams at the end of last season. You always make stupid comments around this time of year, Fev were not there simple, not good enough throughout the season and certainly not good enough in the middle 8's............

[tuutaisrambo]

Basically this system is there to allow a lame duck to sink............Wakefield were as lame as you could get without being dead last year and managed to hang on.

 

If Hull KR lose to wigan and Wake beat Hudderfield i think the SL 4 is pretty much decided barring Salford getting their points back..............I can't see anyone from our league beating Leeds, Hudderfield, Salford or Hull KR in a winner takes all away game.

 

The mighty Leigh don't look anywhere near as good as they did last year for me.........They narrowly beat us with half our team missing.........Last year they had a great cup run and a consistent settled side full of confidence........they seem to buy a new player every week at the moment......that can't be good.