Match Thread: Championship Round 13, Widnes v Featherstone Rovers Sunday-11th-July-2021

[Reddwarf]

Seeing the team line up I felt the worse , but that’s just part of being a pessimistic fev fan , I should know better . Good team performance some good strong runs from Gale and hardcastle. Davies looked not out of place in the centres . Just hoping we have a few back next week , but if not I’m confident that team will still win . Let’s enjoy the build up and then the trip to Wembley. 

[lingaro]

Nearly caught us out having Davis and Ferris out wide, better chips over the top of them would have exposed a lack of pace.  But the go forward was immense, Gale, Hardcastle and Davis brilliant.  They all played well and not the result I was expecting.  Finger crossed some back next week. 

[Adam B]

2 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

Given the disruption to the squad this week, that was some win

Amen to that. A superb win given the ever growing list of absentees, players playing out of position etc, and that horrible plastic pitch. That we appeared to come through without any further injuries is as big a result as the scoreline.

[Robin Evans]

Some big performances today.

I thought we might scape a win but nowhere near the margin offered by the bookies. Then when the two more absentees late on were announced I thought this could get slippy.

A fine first half laid the platform and although there was a wobble widnes were blowing out their botties at the end.

A very heartening victory. I'm not sure I'd have gone to Widnes so I'm glad it was on ppv.

Now, as long as we don't have too many more absentees, get Wembley out of the way..... then it gets tasty. 

Roll on Yorkshire day

[tms]

13 hours ago, lingaro said:

Nearly caught us out having Davis and Ferris out wide, better chips over the top of them would have exposed a lack of pace.  But the go forward was immense, Gale, Hardcastle and Davis brilliant.  They all played well and not the result I was expecting.  Finger crossed some back next week. 

I think that was a game plan for lawton 

Johnnyboy  Ferres really winding Lawton up. Lawton needs subbing  start of second half. Ferres got him where he wants him . Lawton’s rattled.Fev  did their homework…turned Lawton ,who has been a strength recently into a weakness.

ON the flip side it was all to down to the ref

geoffw All decisions gone Featherstone ‘s way.A real pity, the game would have been closer and more interesting had there been the proverbial level playing field.

[The Phantom Horseman]

Lots of Widnes fans on their forum moaning about the ref, some even saying he made the difference. Think we probably got a few 50-50 calls but the odd one went their way too - Chisholm's 40-20 in the first half looked good to me and I thought the penalty against Dagger when in possession that led to their try could easily have gone to us and set us up in a good attacking position instead.

We comprehensively outgained them in terms of yardage - as mentioned earlier on the thread I reckon Gaz Gale must have put up monster yardage numbers on his own, he took it in time and time again and was repeatedly carrying defenders upfield. I thought barring that ten-minute period in the second half we were pretty dominant, they didn't really have many recognised middles in their line-up and it showed in the way that we dominated the collisions.

[elppaxr2i]

Chisholms 40-20 bounced out of the field of play just short of the 20 - good call from the officials

[elppaxr2i]

Just now, elppaxr2i said:

Bzzzt - ignore

[The Phantom Horseman]

1 hour ago, elppaxr2i said:

Chisholms 40-20 bounced out of the field of play just short of the 20 - good call from the officials

I've watched the slow-motion replay five or six times and haven't changed my mind; whilst the angle makes it difficult to tell exactly where the ball went out, the ball wasn't out of play on its final bounce and its trajectory would have seen it cross the line just inside the 20 in my opinion.

[Robin Evans]

28 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

I've watched the slow-motion replay five or six times and haven't changed my mind; whilst the angle makes it difficult to tell exactly where the ball went out, the ball wasn't out of play on its final bounce and its trajectory would have seen it cross the line just inside the 20 in my opinion.

That was my call when I first saw it. But replays look inconclusive.

I have to accept touchy was near enough to make a call. I'll live wi it. I do think on balance we've had our share of 50/50 calls.... thats how it tends to go when you're at the top

[The Phantom Horseman]

1 minute ago, Robin Evans said:

That was my call when I first saw it. But replays look inconclusive.

I have to accept touchy was near enough to make a call. I'll live wi it. I do think on balance we've had our share of 50/50 calls.... thats how it tends to go when you're at the top

Yep. I only brought it up because Widnes fans were saying we got all the 50-50 calls, it was so tight you couldn't argue with the decision had it gone either way. If they had just said we got more of the 50-50s I wouldn't have argued, and as you say that's been the case in a few games this season, just the way it goes sometimes.

[tms]

3 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

That was my call when I first saw it. But replays look inconclusive.

I have to accept touchy was near enough to make a call. I'll live wi it. I do think on balance we've had our share of 50/50 calls.... thats how it tends to go when you're at the top

50/50 calls.. Robin are only in the eyes of the fans  the ref always gives what he thinks he's seen so all  the calls are right so NO  50/50

[Robin Evans]

8 minutes ago, POR said:

50/50 calls.. Robin are only in the eyes of the fans  the ref always gives what he thinks he's seen so all  the calls are right so NO  50/50

Agreed. It's an observers perception that the call was a tight one or indeed, wrong.

We've all challenged a refs decision we thought was close. The ref will not worry one iota about my thoughts on his decision.

However, I do like the "captain's challenge" in the nrl. Sometimes it's used for the sake of it.... i.e. 5 mins left when there's nowt to lose. A shrew captain uses it sparingly but effectively.... overturning a refs decision. They do get it wrong occasionally. 

[Fevrover]

2 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

That was my call when I first saw it. But replays look inconclusive.

I have to accept touchy was near enough to make a call. I'll live wi it. I do think on balance we've had our share of 50/50 calls.... thats how it tends to go when you're at the top

Bet we don't get them against Toulouse lol.

[J Phil Loxton]

Bet you a pound to a shilling that the first time we lose we will all blame some decision or other. The way we've been scoring you never notice the fifty fifties. Good result though at Widnes. I was sure within my own mind that this would be a defeat given all the circumstances.

[jamescolin]

A big thank you to the stand in substitutes and players playing out of position. A remarkable perfomance from all.

[Robin Evans]

36 minutes ago, jamescolin said:

A big thank you to the stand in substitutes and players playing out of position. A remarkable perfomance from all.

Arguably the best performance of the season given the circumstances 

[The Phantom Horseman]

I kept going on about Gale's big day so decided to check it. 21 carries for 244 metres, a phenomenal effort. As a point of reference the current top metre maker in SL is Tom Davies who averages 160 per game.

[marklaspalmas]

3 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

I kept going on about Gale's big day so decided to check it. 21 carries for 244 metres, a phenomenal effort. As a point of reference the current top metre maker in SL is Tom Davies who averages 160 per game.

The work that both he and Hardcase have put in to bring the ball away from their own line is phenomenal. Previously Blackmore shared the workload and at Widnes Davies made inroads, but often it's those two every set of six in our own half.

The most remarkable thing about GG is the metres after contact. So strong, amazing leg drive.

Throw in 20 tries in 16 matches, his height and pace, and you have the best player in the Championship.