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Match Thread: pre-season friendly, Featherstone Rovers v Oldham, Saturday 6th March 2020

The Phantom Horseman

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The Phantom Horseman

The Phantom Horseman

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RUGBY IS BACK!

Almost a year since our last game, what a joy it is to start a new match thread. Yes it's just a friendly, yes nobody can go to the ground, but still, Fev and Championship RL are back and we can watch us play Oldham via RoversTV.

So what do we know? Well, it's going to be the first chance to see some new additions, but not Junior Moors who is reportedly still finalising Visa issues (will be sorted before the first game according to James Webster), whilst Brett Ferres is missing after requring a foot operation, though Webster hopes he'll be ready for the Bradford Cup game. Joe Summers (broken foot) is the only other absentee.

But there's lots of good news, principally the likely return of Brad Day. "Tuna" was a roaring success in his first year here in 2019 - probably the best 2nd row in the comp that year - before sustaining a really bad knee injury, but it's great news that he's received clearance to play.

Elsewhere, all eyes will be on Nu Brown, but where will he play? The clues are there...he's been given the number 9 shirt and at Rovers' media day today Webster stated "we've got two good hookers in Brown and Connor Jones" (spare a thought for Dean Parata!). With Chisholm firmly established as the left-hand-side half back and Tom Holmes with a strong record as our right-hand-side half, hooker looks the obvious destination for Brown, though he has equal experience as a half.

Fev released some training video shots last week and how good was it to see us able to do what looked like 13 v 13 sessions, something we presumably haven't been able to do with the smaller squads in recent years.

Tuna looked like he was lining up on the right edge, with Ferres presumably retaining the left edge position, though Frankie Halton might get an early chance to show what he can do whilst Ferres is out.

Other positional battles where pre-season might give some clues...Kris Welham looks nailed on for one centre spot, but will Josh Hardcastle be able to keep his spot with Thomas Minns fit again? And where are the likes of Luke Cooper and John Davies in the pecking order with the addition of Craig Kopczak and Junior Moors, as well as Dale Ferguson back in contention?

I'd expect to see a lot of rustiness and a lot of interchanges, and performances or results rarely mean much in pre-season, but it will be great to see Fev back on the field.

 

 

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TheFevRover

TheFevRover

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For me I see this game as an easy way to test combinations and see different players in numerous posituons. Could possibly see nu play hooker and half maybe even a stint at full back aswell as testing the young lad Whitton out aswell. We’ve got such a big squad that’s full of quality it’s hard to predict a full line up.

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elppaxr2i

elppaxr2i

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No Ferres Moors or Summers for the game

Ferres recovering from shoulder op, Moors visa needs sorting out still, Summers recovering from a broken foot 

Other than that everyone is available & everyone will probably play a part

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jamescolin

jamescolin

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I have my season ticket. What is the way to watch both the Friendlies and the start of the season matches? Do we go onto Fev TV and press Play and then go on to OUR LEAGUE for the league matches? Do we need a password for either and is there any expense. Probably being over cautious but have missed things in the past so just trying to dot the i's and cross the t's. Cheers

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tms

tms

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2 hours ago, jamescolin said:

I have my season ticket. What is the way to watch both the Friendlies and the start of the season matches Do we go onto Fev TV and press Play and then go on to OUR LEAGUE for the league matches? Do we need a password for either and is there any expense. Probably being over cautious but have missed things in the past so just trying to dot the i's and cross the t's. Cheers

Friendlies  free to view on rovers tv Supporters will be able to watch on Rovers TV without having a premium membership, just visit the Rovers TV website and click the ‘LIVE’ tab during the time of the fixture

season matches  Our League fixtures will be free to season ticket holders of the home club. Season Ticket Holders will receive their access codes ahead of the first fixture directly from their club before the beginning of the season

challenge cup being streamed on bbc free of charge

 

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The Phantom Horseman

The Phantom Horseman

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Men against boys in the first half to the extent that I can't recall the score, I think it's either 32-4 or 36-4.

Think Webster will be delighted with that in that we got loads and loads of good ball and so we were able to move the ball around more than you'd expect in an early pre-season game.

Multiple substitutions after about 25 minutes when we were already leading 32-0. Most pleasing thing was our line speed which was good in defence and our play the balls were swift so we were eating up the yardage down the hill.

A few errant passes especially down the right hand side (though from Hall and Brown, not Chisholm). Chisholm playing on the right with Holmes on the left is interesting. Brad Day playing on the right and running off Chisholm as if he had been playing every week for the last year, great to see.

In fairness Oldham looked small and lacked much intensity so it hasn't been that much of a test in some ways but a good workout in attack.

 

 

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The Phantom Horseman

The Phantom Horseman

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58-10 final score, quiet last 20 minutes when we were giving the young lads a run out but dominant up until then. Only pre-season so as always you can't read too much into it but the gulf between the two teams was obvious from an early stage. Scoreline would have been much bigger in our favour had we not missed a string of conversions, Craig Hall landed a few in the first half and I hope he's our main kicker this year but I think we failed to convert our last six tries or so.

Nu Brown looked very rusty as you'd expect after so long out of the game and with unfamiliar team mates but he started to show glimpses of what he's capable of in the second half and scored a try that looked very much like the ones on his highlight reel. Interesting that he played half back and not hooker.

Cooper and Johnny D both on top form and staked a claim to a place in the first 17 in the 2nd half, though it's a measure of how weak the opposition defence was that Coops was running through them like he was a half back. Think Batley will provide more of a test next week.

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sentoffagain2

sentoffagain2

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  Only saw the second half in which we were a bit scrappy.poor kicking at goal and straight to defenders out of hand.Thought the rest has done John Davies good he played well with Parata and Cooper also taking the eye.Oldhams defence was poor but they looked decent with ball in hand.Wise move of them not to take us on up the middle so they did the right thing by playing to the fringes.Think Welham and Minns in the centres would be my pick as Hardcastle lacks a bit of pace on dry grounds.Should be an interesting season as we have the strongest all round squad for many years.

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haskey

haskey

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Not much to add really. A first half of complete dominance , but as you would expect with the changes, it became scrappy. Our goal kicking was very poor and needs to improve before the season kicks off. A few mistakes in the second half did not help. but all in all good things to work with.

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lingaro

lingaro

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Thoroughly enjoyed that.  parata support play was exceptional for a first game in a year, doesn't matter who the opposition is you have to make yourself available.  I can see Brown being a right pain for the opposition  attacking the line.  Hardcastle has the opposite centre in his pocket he looked very classy. 

Over a thousand watching o. YouTube and I thought the camera work and commentary was brilliant very good production and far better than listening to those plonkers ON sky.. We even had replays must be worth a pound a week of anyone's money. 

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The Phantom Horseman

The Phantom Horseman

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10 hours ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

Not sure I'm worried too much about the goal kicking, seemed everyone and his dog was given a go

Correct, the only significant thing to take from the kicking was that Hall rather than Chisholm was first in line, maybe there's a reason Chisholm wasn't kicking today but I'm hoping Hall is our number 1 this year as some of his goal kicking last year when Chisholm was out was unreal. It would also give Chisholm time to gather his thoughts for marshalling the next set of six.

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moorside roughyed

moorside roughyed

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Well done on your win. I don't think you can read too much into it. We are in a lopsided division with full timers and semi pros in the same table. I really hope you get to superleague, I've been saying it for ages about featherstone. That said, if you do make it you'll be in the same position as us now, little fish in a big pond. Good luck for the rest of the season. 👍

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tms

tms

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pleasing thing for me new lads Kopczak Field and Halton all made good yards and looked to off load

31 minutes ago, Monkeymagic22 said:

Thought that Parata looked particularly sharp. Can see him ripping tiring defences to pieces.

always been like that and played well  on saturday but looks to be down the pecking order behind number nine brown and fourteen jones  for regular starting berth

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