Sun 1st May: The Betfred League One Match Thread

[OriginalMrC]

Another close game for the Hurricanes. A game we could have a probably should have won. Effort was there particularly in the second half. Hunslet came with a plan to disrupt and they did it well. 

Less said about some of their fans the better....... 

[EssexRL]

1 hour ago, Toby Chopra said:

Well, that's what happens when a well resourced club nearby is allowed to pillage pretty much your whole team and your coach in pre season. 

The greater Manchester clubs vetoed Manchester Rangers joining because they were fearful of the effect it would have on them, but that's pretty much what's happened in London: A new semi-pro club has been allowed to set up in the catchment area of an existing one and in an area with a thin player pool the result was inevitable.

The Broncos shouldn't have been allowed to do what they did, but the RFL couldn't stop them. 

 

I agree. I can’t fault the club but seriously this nonsense that teams can be competitive outside the heartlands without support or tons of money has to stop. 
I don’t  expect to be spending much time at new river this season giving the standard. The game is in danger of losing me in all honesty. 

[BD20Cougar]

51 minutes ago, Templegreen said:

... of today’s Skolars team, only 3 players were regulars last season.

...

the new young Skolars squad need to start putting into practice the basics of simple game management snd damage limitation very soon 

Spot on. Normally in these blowout games (and I've seen a few at cougar park over the last few years) it's a physical mismatch but that wasn't the case today. Most of the skolars team have the physical profiles to be very solid players, there's some real athletes there. In the 80th minute they didn't look exhausted like you'd expect of a team that had spent all game defending so they're clearly not unfit either. Their problem was simply that they looked like they've never done a defence drill in their lives. I've no idea how much coaching experience Joe Mbu had before this season but I get the feeling if you gave that team to someone like Cornwall's Neil Kelly for example he'd get a decent tune out of them.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

The score says it all for the Cru's game - West Wales, to their credit didn't stop trying but the gap in class was only too obvious, if Tommy Johnson hadn't missed six conversions (hope those twelve points won't come back to bite us at the end of the season) we'd have equalled Keighley. As has been already said, there are some seriously nasty scores this week and I'm wondering whether all the clubs in this division will make it to the end of the season!

[Toby Chopra]

17 minutes ago, EssexRL said:

I agree. I can’t fault the club but seriously this nonsense that teams can be competitive outside the heartlands without support or tons of money has to stop. 
I don’t  expect to be spending much time at new river this season giving the standard. The game is in danger of losing me in all honesty. 

If we're looking for positives, the Broncos team that was put out today has a number of players in it that must be on better than basic part time wages - they've realised that they won't stay up unless they upskill the team. 

So if most of the players that they took from the Skolars become surplus to requirement, hopefully they'll be loaned or DR back to Skolars this season. 

There does still seem to be a working relationship between the two clubs. 

[Jeff Stein]

18 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

If we're looking for positives, the Broncos team that was put out today has a number of players in it that must be on better than basic part time wages - they've realised that they won't stay up unless they upskill the team. 

So if most of the players that they took from the Skolars become surplus to requirement, hopefully they'll be loaned or DR back to Skolars this season. 

There does still seem to be a working relationship between the two clubs. 

Their failing sham of a club rips the heart of our club and we should be grateful when they throw us a bone.

[Angelic Cynic]

I think I should credit the head coach of London Skolars as his assembled squad effectively lost the game in the opening minutes,yet they never niggled,time-wasted,whinged or resorted to any dirty play.

I have no idea where the players were resourced from,but no coach can get a team firing when it is assembled,into a squad,at a late time before the season commences.

Mr Mbu also managed to conduct himself on the sidelines,from what I could see, like a mature adult and a professional - unlike a male in south Leeds.

From a sporting situation - it seems all 3 professional leagues have divisions of an unhealthy divide,between those at the top,and those at the bottom.

Independent governance required urgently.First job - reserves and youths at all clubs. 

[dead man inc]

53 minutes ago, BD20Cougar said:

Spot on. Normally in these blowout games (and I've seen a few at cougar park over the last few years) it's a physical mismatch but that wasn't the case today. Most of the skolars team have the physical profiles to be very solid players, there's some real athletes there. In the 80th minute they didn't look exhausted like you'd expect of a team that had spent all game defending so they're clearly not unfit either. Their problem was simply that they looked like they've never done a defence drill in their lives. I've no idea how much coaching experience Joe Mbu had before this season but I get the feeling if you gave that team to someone like Cornwall's Neil Kelly for example he'd get a decent tune out of them.

 

12 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

I think I should credit the head coach of London Skolars as his assembled squad effectively lost the game in the opening minutes,yet they never niggled,time-wasted,whinged or resorted to any dirty play.

I have no idea where the players were resourced from,but no coach can get a team firing when it is assembled,into a squad,at a late time before the season commences.

Mr Mbu also managed to conduct himself on the sidelines,from what I could see, like a mature adult and a professional - unlike a male in south Leeds.

From a sporting situation - it seems all 3 professional leagues have divisions of an unhealthy divide,between those at the top,and those at the bottom.

Independent governance required urgently.First job - reserves and youths at all clubs. 

Very humbling & classy posts

Your positive comments are very well received & will be much needed by the fans who are going to endure a very long season.

[Toby Chopra]

56 minutes ago, Jeff Stein said:

Their failing sham of a club rips the heart of our club and we should be grateful when they throw us a bone.

Of course not, it was a travesty but there's no way the RFL could have stopped it as far as I can see, even if they'd wanted too. 

I'm just saying maybe some of the damage is going to be unwound over the next weeks ahead. I hope so for the sake of the Skolars, and the wellbeing of southern rugby league as a whole. 

[FearNothing]

2 hours ago, Chronicler of Chiswick said:

 As has been already said, there are some seriously nasty scores this week and I'm wondering whether all the clubs in this division will make it to the end of the season!

My main concern in all this is player welfare, in particular at those clubs getting hammered week in week out....all that defending will take it's toll on anyone, and in a 20 game season that's a lot of opportunity for players to get seriously hurt. I hope it doesn't happen, I really do, but at what point will intervention be required? 

[tiffers]

Another enjoyable afternoon in Penryn. The weather was shocking so to get 900 in the crowd was quite the achievement knowing full well most would be exposed to the elements. Some of us lucky folk had a protective seat! 

Rochdale clearly too much experience, but not doubt Cornwall are definitely improving. I think we will push Hunslet closer next week.

Edited May 1, 2022 by tiffers

[Templegreen]

3 hours ago, Toby Chopra said:

If we're looking for positives, the Broncos team that was put out today has a number of players in it that must be on better than basic part time wages - they've realised that they won't stay up unless they upskill the team. 

So if most of the players that they took from the Skolars become surplus to requirement, hopefully they'll be loaned or DR back to Skolars this season. 

There does still seem to be a working relationship between the two clubs. 

Their are rumours of Broncos promising players to Skolars, then taking them back at very short notice. Interesting to see Broncos reserve game got cancelled (not for the 1st time this season) so a number of ex Skolars players could have been made available to them if Broncos were really trying to be supportive.

At Skolars training sone of the ex players have started to return, but not clear if this is for good/temporary - suggestion is sone want to return, but not convinced Broncos are making it easy for them to.

When Jermaine Coleman was head coach at Skolars, he regularly complained about the lack of support from Broncos in providing loan/DR, seems now he is coaching at Broncos he has a very short memory,

[DEANO]

19 minutes ago, tiffers said:

Another enjoyable afternoon in Penryn. The weather was shocking so to get 900 in the crowd was quite the achievement knowing full well most would be exposed to the elements. Some of us lucky folk had a protective seat! 

Rochdale clearly too much experience, but not doubt Cornwall are definitely improving. I think we will push Hunslet closer next week.

50 - 0 is an improvement?

[tiffers]

8 hours ago, DEANO said:

50 - 0 is an improvement?

Definitely was an improvement defensively. Rochdale asked a lot of questions on the edges which had been weak in the first few games. They defended much better in those areas. 

Scrum defence had been woeful and that was much improved.

The conditions were shocking and Rochdale played an experienced contained game going through the middle and dominated the ruck. That experience was the difference. 

Definitely an improvement. 

[DEANO]

I’m sure you’ll beat west wales and the london

[robt]

From what I saw of Cornwall when they played Doncaster, there's definitely no shortage of effort. A couple of wins will do them the world of good.

[Yorks Tim]

12 hours ago, tiffers said:

 

Rochdale clearly too much experience, but not doubt Cornwall are definitely improving. I think we will push Hunslet closer next week.

 

3 hours ago, tiffers said:

 

The conditions were shocking and Rochdale played an experienced contained game going through the middle and dominated the ruck. That experience was the difference. 

 

Good luck next week when you should expect to face more of the same with a level of aggression that aims to intimidate both players and officials.

Hurricanes could have beaten Hunslet with a bit more composure. We rushed plays when we had numerical advantage and set restarts. We had plenty of possession 20 yards out that we failed to profit from whereas Hunslet found the gaps and the power to score their tries. Hunslet's defending was impressive though.

We had a strong squad out yesterday but the onfield organisation seemed to be missing at times and we were pulled out of shape too often. Will be tougher next week at Rochdale so we'll need to do better against their experience.

 

 

[tiffers]

20 hours ago, Yorks Tim said:

 

Good luck next week when you should expect to face more of the same with a level of aggression that aims to intimidate both players and officials.

Hurricanes could have beaten Hunslet with a bit more composure. We rushed plays when we had numerical advantage and set restarts. We had plenty of possession 20 yards out that we failed to profit from whereas Hunslet found the gaps and the power to score their tries. Hunslet's defending was impressive though.

We had a strong squad out yesterday but the onfield organisation seemed to be missing at times and we were pulled out of shape too often. Will be tougher next week at Rochdale so we'll need to do better against their experience.

 

 

Thanks @Yorks Tim.
Sounds like a very close run game indeed. I must admit, I was very impressed with your boys in Penryn. I think there is every chance you could put a string of wins together and get in the playoffs.

I've not been overawed with what I have seen of Hunslet so far this season. I'll be very intrigued to see how it goes this weekend. I'm hoping Cornwall can push them closer then their previous results and build then for the following week for the Raiders visit at Penryn. The Raiders visit is a must win for us!