21 Jul: SL: London Broncos v St Helens KO 3pm

[redjonn]

2 hours ago, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

Why didn't they, do you know how fatigued the players were or what niggles they might have had? Do you not care about player welfare much like the rest of SL?RFL fans and coaches alike? How can you know that fatigued players will perform better than those that aren't and/or are carrying knocks?

I've seen my own team not rest players only a few weeks back and get beaten by a relegation threatened side and then get absolutely drummed the next week by Saints going through the motions for 40 minutes, why do you think that was. Might it have been down to fatigue and/or carrying knocks and a coach out of his depth not understanding what has happened previously when he did rest a bunch of players and defeated a team who didn't that were higher in the league and bang on form.

It shows ultimate respect to the players first and foremost in one of the most brutal sports on the planet that get a pittance compared to many tens of thousands doing far less extraneous effort for far more money.

What yours and others comments show is massive DISRESPECT to a London side that have shown they are battlers, can beat a side with far fewer 'names' in their side and with a very skinny squad. You moaners are the problem here not Saints/Holbrook!

what a load of cobblers... yes good luck to London, they beat what was in front of them.  The rest was pure cobblers....

[Saintslass]

29 minutes ago, Morris Wanchuk said:

London can only beat what’s in front of them, but if Saints have to play Hull KR, Huddersfield, Leeds or Wakefield again this season let’s see if they play the same team they fielded today. I personally feel the integrity of the competition took a knock today. 

If we get through the semi final then I believe we play Leeds the week before the final.  Chances are, we will rest a few for that match too.  Maybe not as many as today because we don't want people to be snoozy on the big day but key players and/or players carrying niggles will not play the week before the final. I'll bet a pint on it.

[redjonn]

2 hours ago, Moove said:

So no team can ever rest any player who isn't injured, EVER? That's utterly ridiculous. Clubs register a squad of players at the start of the season, not a list of 17 that they're not allowed to deviate from.

That was by far the weakest side Saints  could have put out - it wasn't that long ago Holbrook rested players and rotated, this was a different level and stinks.

Just making excuses for the total disrespect and integrity of the comp.  Yep no problem with saints resting some,,, but this went far further.  Last time it was a far stronger team and good to have seen London win. This time as I said before it was no surprise and the surprise would have been if saints had won. That was how weak the team was.

 

[redjonn]

2 hours ago, Chronicler of Chiswick said:

Er, like WOW man! Don't think that all the wittering about Saints fielding a weakened side is at all relevant - the 'second' string players would be (hopefully not literally!) busting a gut to show Holbrook that they're good enough to be first team regulars.

maybe but last time I looked/watch it is a team game, about knowing and linking up well with each other... not an individual sport but working together,,,, this team had never played together before... not just a few newbies, they were all newbies to each other in a SL game... Thats why a London win was expected.

[redjonn]

8 minutes ago, Saintslass said:

If we get through the semi final then I believe we play Leeds the week before the final.  Chances are, we will rest a few for that match too.  Maybe not as many as today because we don't want people to be snoozy on the big day but key players and/or players carrying niggles will not play the week before the final. I'll bet a pint on it.

I've known saints do that before and lose the  important game... many saying it was a mistake to rest and not maintain intensity... Halifax is different hence they had no bother resting eeer nearly everyone.   I note that Hull played their strongest team today (except injured), I guess their coach felt it important to keep that intensity going into the semi. As I say it don't matter against Halifax but before the CCF or Grandfinal not so sure.

[Moove]

10 minutes ago, redjonn said:

That was by far the weakest side Saints  could have put out - it wasn't that long ago Holbrook rested players and rotated, this was a different level and stinks.

Just making excuses for the total disrespect and integrity of the comp.  Yep no problem with saints resting some,,, but this went far further.  Last time it was a far stronger team and good to have seen London win. This time as I said before it was no surprise and the surprise would have been if saints had won. That was how weak the team was.

 

So should he have been forced to pick Roby last week who was fit but he deemed wasn't worth risking with bigger games to come? Should he be forced to pick Lomax and Makinson on plastic pitches? Who determines which team should be picked out of the registered squad? Should we have a fan vote? Let Rimmer choose? Do it based on squad number (that's Coote stuffed)? How many is it acceptable to rest? If you've got two evenly matched players in the squad, who decides which one is the weaker of the two?

I take it Salford, Catalans and Wigan are going to be forced to arrange a game next week? I mean it wouldn't be fair for them to have a week of rest and relaxation while Hull and Wire fight out a semi-final would it?

[Oliver Clothesoff]

If London stay up at the expense of somebody else, it’s not because they beat a Saints side twice that had changes in their seventeen, it’s because the relegated side wasn’t good enough over the course of the season and they should be firmly looking inwardly for the reason why they’ll be playing Championship Rugby next year before they blame any external sources. 

Anyway, congrats London. A good and deserved win and a nice little set-up at Ealing, if not the most spectacular. 

[Southern Reiver]

All teams rest players depending on their priorities. Broncos decided to rest a few players in the CC  game at Halifax and came a cropper. It shouldn’t have happened if it’s just a case of stating SL team beats Chump side. Halifax have a few scalps to their name and last years semi final result possibly prays heavily on Saints mind. 

[ojx]

Saints have earned the right to rest players. They are doing what is in their best interests, just like any other team would do. They are focussed on the play=offs.

[Guest]

Let's face it, the main issue is that the established clubs stacked the decks in their favour massively.

And still London are in there with a a shout.

That is the issue.

If London had 4 points nobody would care. 

[MZH]

It's a luxury that Saints have earned. No one else should be able to dictate who can and can't be rested. It's a squad game and if they want to rest half of their side then they should be able to.

And I don't think Holbrook has done this simply because there is a semi next week. The lead leaders shield is done and dusted now and they have had a lot of guys play a lot of minutes this year. I can see him doing this a few more times before the playoffs.

[Morris Wanchuk]

Ok cup semi final next week so rested players but this is the 2nd time that they’ve sent down a weakened team to London. Saints are 10 points clear so they can field weakened teams until the end of regular season If they wish but I bet they don’t! 

[Man of Kent]

The plastic pitch may be another factor.

Justin Holbrook may have figured it was better to avoid the risk of injuries to key players than pick up two points they don’t really need.

[WakefieldCityLoyal]

The loop fixtures make league positions more of a farce than a side fielding their reserves.

[stevereed100]

On 19/07/2019 at 23:10, Saint 1 said:

 

I don't understand why it's disappointing, Saints have earned the right to do this. It's Holbrook's job to do what is best for Saints, and if that means resting players which then works against Hull Kr or Leeds, then so be it.

And you got stuffed. As you fear Halfax so much,a team of part timers who played a full team today, I hope you get stuffed next week.

If not you will be at liberty to give Leeds 2 points before the Cup Final game.

Resting 3 or 4 key players is your right,dropping 9 or 10 is definitely bringing the game into disrepute and should be punished by a hefty fine. Won't alter the League Table but that is already so fecked up no really cares.

Rovers future is in their own hands and London remain favourites to go down,or perhaps Leeds.

Warrington agree to extending the loan of 2 players to Rovers on a week to week basis,then recall them 24 hours before we play,to name them in a 21 squad (how does that work) then don't even select them.

[Moove]

23 minutes ago, Morris Wanchuk said:

Ok cup semi final next week so rested players but this is the 2nd time that they’ve sent down a weakened team to London. Saints are 10 points clear so they can field weakened teams until the end of regular season If they wish but I bet they don’t! 

Of course they won't. It would be stupid to because they'll lose match sharpness. If they beat Halifax they'll likely do the same before the CC final, there'll also be some rotation for anyone who isn't 100%

[Hanrag]

17 minutes ago, stevereed100 said:

And you got stuffed. As you fear Halfax so much,a team of part timers who played a full team today, I hope you get stuffed next week.

If not you will be at liberty to give Leeds 2 points before the Cup Final game.

Resting 3 or 4 key players is your right,dropping 9 or 10 is definitely bringing the game into disrepute and should be punished by a hefty fine. Won't alter the League Table but that is already so fecked up no really cares.

Rovers future is in their own hands and London remain favourites to go down,or perhaps Leeds.

Warrington agree to extending the loan of 2 players to Rovers on a week to week basis,then recall them 24 hours before we play,to name them in a 21 squad (how does that work) then don't even select them.

Where does it say that resting 3 or 4 players is our right but dropping 9 or 10 is definitely bringing the game into disrepute? That’s your opinion. Why should disagreeing with you bring a hefty fine?

[Hemel Stag]

I feel sorry for the Saints fans that spent their time and money travelling to London, to see a second string side lose. I can understand it from the clubs perspective but it's hard for the paying customer and fan. Lots of respect for all those who travelled in spite of the team selection, that's dedication above and beyond the call of fandom. 

[Agbrigg]

5 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Alex Walker has been immense. He can do better than Wakey to be honest 

I don't know what motivates Alex Walker. But if he is the type of guy that likes the easy life and working under a clueless conditioner that couldn't make an overweight pensioner break swet. Then wakey is the dream club for him.

On the other hand if he has true ambition and likes put in the hard work, he has been badly advised by his agent.

[Oliver Clothesoff]

11 minutes ago, Hemel Stag said:

I feel sorry for the Saints fans that spent their time and money travelling to London, to see a second string side lose. I can understand it from the clubs perspective but it's hard for the paying customer and fan. Lots of respect for all those who travelled in spite of the team selection, that's dedication above and beyond the call of fandom. 

No one was bothered at all. Everyone had a laugh and an enjoyable day out. 

[Hemel Stag]

44 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

No one was bothered at all. Everyone had a laugh and an enjoyable day out. 

 

44 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

Lots of respect for all those who travelled in spite of the team selection, that's dedication

If you "enjoyed" yourselves, that's the main thing 

[Jim from Oz]

St Helens Would not need to rest players if the season wasn’t ridiculously long, with the ridiculous extra loop fixtures making a ridiculously long 29-game regular-season! Ridiculous!

[Celtic Roosters]

The records in years to come will show that London won this game. Nobody will care who played in it after this season. Well done Bronco's I'm really pleased for you. Played some great RL this season and I hope you stay up. I just hope you don't win in two weeks time when I come visit you. Shame there can't be any draws this season. I wouldn't mind dropping a point if it meant you stay up and we are safe.

[Saintslass]

9 hours ago, Morris Wanchuk said:

Ok cup semi final next week so rested players but this is the 2nd time that they’ve sent down a weakened team to London. Saints are 10 points clear so they can field weakened teams until the end of regular season If they wish but I bet they don’t! 

Did we send a weakened team last time?  I know we rested three because those are the three whose injury record concerns us - they didn't play at Widnes either.  But I wasn't aware we dropped any others?  I think Robes might have been missing at that time but he had a groin op.

[Saint Toppy]

14 hours ago, Jim Prendle said:

Just like most of the stuff you have written in this thread.

And please don't lecture me about not understanding "the nature of the sport" because I have no idea what you are talking about.

Saints reserves would beat Halifax next week, so they had no need to disrespect the likes of Leeds and Hull KR like they have today.

Why should Saints care 1 bit about who gets relegated ?

they picked a team against London that suited their strategy for the rest of the season, it’s got sod all to do with them who goes down.

If Leeds or London go down it’s because they were the worse team this year not because Saints chose to rest almost their entire team the week before a semi-final.