Mon 16th May: Ch: Batley Bulldogs v Leigh Centurions KO 19:45 (Premier Sports)

[gingerjon]

5 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

It is also down to how much the owners want or can invest in their teams, Leigh and Fev would not be recieving the funding but for initially putting the finances in.

The division would be so much better if all the other teams could emulate these two, rather than the bottom dwellers as that seems to be your want 

I prefer central funding to support the whole game.

Others disagree.

[Cardypaul]

Thought Leigh were excellent tonight all over the field. They kept Batley under pressure and they simply folded. Will be interesting when they play Fev I think it could go either way depends on what happens on the day.

[Harry Stottle]

1 minute ago, ShropshireBull said:

I dont think there should be parachute payments and all clubs in champ should recieve level central funding imo but Hard to begrudge Leigh after last years stitch up.  

We have York building, Newcastle growing every year with academy.  Eagles moving in to new ground.  Onus is on other clubs to close commercial gap.  I still think a strong part time team can beat a full time team on an off Day. 

Was with you all the way untill you related to Newcastle's Academy, so how much further ahead would both Leigh and Fev be if they were allowed an academy?

[binosh]

Nice to see us put a solid 80 minutes together for the first time this season, Lam said we had a simple game plan and it looked perfect for us, let the big fellas run, high completions with a good kick and defend tough. 

Hopefully the silly offloads and trying to score every play is a thing of the past.

Oh and my god Ipape looks a player that lad needs a new contract.

[Cw25]

Make Leigh take a player off each time they score a try. That way, Somebody else might stop their march into Super league. 

[Snowys Backside]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

As long as the Championship remains the only division to have obscenely unbalanced funding these matches will continue to be the norm.

Sounds like Super League last year !! 

[Snowys Backside]

30 minutes ago, binosh said:

Nice to see us put a solid 80 minutes together for the first time this season, Lam said we had a simple game plan and it looked perfect for us, let the big fellas run, high completions with a good kick and defend tough. 

Hopefully the silly offloads and trying to score every play is a thing of the past.

Oh and my god Ipape looks a player that lad needs a new contract.

Ipape is some specimen. I have a feeling he may be doing the full 80 (hopefully at HB) against Workington next week.

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, dkw said:

Good 1st half by Degsies International all stars select 17......

You will be going and supporting your team next week won't you? 

I went to Derwent Park when we were not very good and was on the end of 90+ thrashing.

[Harry Stottle]

48 minutes ago, Cardypaul said:

Thought Leigh were excellent tonight all over the field. They kept Batley under pressure and they simply folded. Will be interesting when they play Fev I think it could go either way depends on what happens on the day.

It all depends on which team fairs best when they are really challenged.

[sweaty craiq]

26 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

It all depends on which team fairs best when they are really challenged.

It depends on how the ruck is reffed.

[clogdance]

We were awesome tonight, well done to all concerned ! 

[Snowys Backside]

46 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

You will be going and supporting your team next week won't you? 

I went to Derwent Park when we were not very good and was on the end of 90+ thrashing.

One of the best away days ever !  Mark Sarsfield scored a peach, and the bus broke down outside Millom. Filthy drunk !  Happy days !!

Poor side Workington that day. God knows how they never got 100.

[Stirlin]

1 hour ago, ShropshireBull said:

I dont think there should be parachute payments and all clubs in champ should recieve level central funding imo but Hard to begrudge Leigh after last years stitch up.  

We have York building, Newcastle growing every year with academy.  Eagles moving in to new ground.  Onus is on other clubs to close commercial gap.  I still think a strong part time team can beat a full time team on an off Day. 

Ye olde obsession with York and Newcastle still strong I see.

[clogdance]

58 minutes ago, Snowys Backside said:

One of the best away days ever !  Mark Sarsfield scored a peach, and the bus broke down outside Millom. Filthy drunk !  Happy days !!

Poor side Workington that day. God knows how they never got 100.

Funnily enough my mate's Volvo broke down on the way there, thank God  

[frank]

I watched the game this morning, it wasn't the skill factor that beat the Dogs, but the weight disadvantage and playing  against the slope in the first half. By halftime they were stuffed  and out of the game.

If Featherstone  come up with a big set of forwards they won't have any problems.

[Harry Stottle]

8 minutes ago, frank said:

I watched the game this morning, it wasn't the skill factor that beat the Dogs, but the weight disadvantage and playing  against the slope in the first half. By halftime they were stuffed  and out of the game.

If Featherstone  come up with a big set of forwards they won't have any problems.

That's the way we like it at Leigh Frank, everyone keeps writing us off, as you say Fev will have no problems with Leigh.

[Harry Stottle]

11 minutes ago, frank said:

I watched the game this morning, it wasn't the skill factor that beat the Dogs, but the weight disadvantage and playing  against the slope in the first half. By halftime they were stuffed  and out of the game.

If Featherstone  come up with a big set of forwards they won't have any problems.

I reckon if it had been reversed and Leigh had played up hill in the first half there would still have been a very big score difference in the first half, and with playing down hill in the second half the final points tally for Leigh would have been greater  than 52.

[The Blues Ox]

Leigh have put together a right team at this stage of the competition and do look like the bench mark now. I mentioned before though closer to the end of the season when contract talks come in to play maybe that could unsettle them a bit and in a one off game you never know, Fev could get one over on them but I have a feeling the final will be at the LSV and that would be a very tough ask for Fev. I think Fax play them in a few week and Im probably not going to go, I think we will take a good beating and its an expensive trip out at this point with money tight.

[Harry Stottle]

43 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

Leigh have put together a right team at this stage of the competition and do look like the bench mark now. I mentioned before though closer to the end of the season when contract talks come in to play maybe that could unsettle them a bit and in a one off game you never know, Fev could get one over on them but I have a feeling the final will be at the LSV and that would be a very tough ask for Fev. I think Fax play them in a few week and Im probably not going to go, I think we will take a good beating and its an expensive trip out at this point with money tight.

Fax should have their best chance in that game Oxy, Leigh play at WHL in the 1895 final, then 5 days later travel to Barrow, then 3 days after that at home to your lot, 3 games in 8 days and a bit of travelling to boot.

[sentoffagain2]

 I love going to Batley and i like Henderson as a pitch side reporter but i did laugh when he said playing down the slope was worth 16 points.Wasn't worth 16 to Batley last night .Depending on the opposition the slope is probably worth 6-8 points.Don't forget when playing downhill players have the slope pulling on their legs when getting onside defending.Vey good performance from Leigh though.As a Fev supporter i was impressed.

[Harry Stottle]

As a side note and it hasn't been mentioned sad to hear of the Passing of Terry Gorman last night announced on the programme, great Batley stalwart, a born and bred proud Leyther and a lovely bloke as well, condolences to his family and friends.

Edited May 17, 2022 by Harry Stottle

[Cw25]

10 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

You will be going and supporting your team next week won't you? 

I went to Derwent Park when we were not very good and was on the end of 90+ thrashing.

I heard something on the radio at the time about blazers/badge. Forgot who. Mark Meadows and Mick Higgins the Chairman then. Maybe ?. They were very angry.

[Cw25]

10 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

 

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Cw25
Double post

[Harry Stottle]

2 minutes ago, Cw25 said:

I heard something on the radio at the time about blazers/badge. Forgot who. Mark Meadows and Mick Higgins the Chairman then. Maybe ?. They were very angry.

So were we, we stayed over in Windermere I remember I was that angry I could only stomach 6 pints.

[The Phantom Horseman]

17 minutes ago, sentoffagain2 said:

 I love going to Batley and i like Henderson as a pitch side reporter but i did laugh when he said playing down the slope was worth 16 points.Wasn't worth 16 to Batley last night .Depending on the opposition the slope is probably worth 6-8 points.

I'm pretty sure that his view of 16 points would not be far off judged on results over a number of years. If one team is vastly superior to the other on the day then the slope won't make much difference to the scoreline, but between two well-matched teams it has a major impact.

The stuff about it being harder to run back uphill when defending is probably a fair point at amateur level but between two evenly-matched teams at this level the team playing uphill are going to lose the collisions in both attack and defence and in thoise circumstances the team playing downhill won't be going backwards very often.