Match thread. Championship Playoff semifinal. Featherstone Rovers v Batley. Sunday 25th September 2022

[roversspud]

18 hours ago, Keep The Faith said:

The underdogs come to the post office road for the third play off tie in the history… Will shall see come 6pm Sunday evening who’s playing in the final… I’m not gonna predict anything but hopefully a big crowd will be there for both clubs who have played well this year 

The underdogs are at home on Sunday. The favourites are making the short trip from Mt Pleasant. With 3 points out of a possible 4, only over-confidence can surely prevent Batley from completing a second win at POR. 

[Piggy's mate]

Really pleased we are playing at Fev on Sunday, always enjoy the games at Post Office Road. I'm sure Fev will be too strong for us, but I'll still go for a shock Bulldogs win by 1 point

Then 80 mins from SL....

[Fevrover]

2 hours ago, Piggy's mate said:

Really pleased we are playing at Fev on Sunday, always enjoy the games at Post Office Road. I'm sure Fev will be too strong for us, but I'll still go for a shock Bulldogs win by 1 point

Then 80 mins from SL....

And if you do beat us iam sure most of us will wish you good luck.

[lingaro]

They'd be getting my support! 

[Bat Lad]

Cant lose Sunday, if Batley win, fantastic, if we lose my second fav Fev team, i'll back them all the way against Leigh

 

[Adam B]

On 20/09/2022 at 18:36, lingaro said:

They'd be getting my support! 

Mine too, I've a lot of time for Batley and if we can't do it, I'd be delighted to see them get there instead.

Edit - I expect nothing but a tight/nervy game on Sunday, as they are well capable of turning us over, particularly if they play with the same intensity/low error rate they had when they beat us in June.

[Robin Evans]

1 minute ago, Adam B said:

Mine too, I've a lot of time for Batley and if we can't do it, I'd be delighted to see them get there instead.

Aye

[bigbaldnmad]

Championship

Featherstone Rovers v Batley Bulldogs

25th September, KO: 16:00

M Com: S. Williams

Referee: R. Hicks

Reserve Referee: J. Vella

Touch Judge 1: A. Smith

Touch Judge 2: N. Horton

Video Referee: J. Child

Time Keeper: M. Hebblethwaite

[jamescolin]

Just got back from holiday. I was amazed that York had beaten Halifax at Halifax. So on to our game with Batley

[The Phantom Horseman]

21-man squad has been named on the OurLeague app. From an initial glance, Gaz Gale in and John Davies out looks like the only change from the 21 initially named for the Fax game. I don't know if that means one of our outside backs is a question mark or just a rotation of the squad.

Wouldn't anticipate too many changes given Mac's comments before the Halifax game, I do wonder whether the extra 2 weeks might have brought Bussey into contention.

Squad: Briscoe, Broadbent, Bussey, Cuthbertson, Eseh, Ford, Gale, Hall, Hardcastle, Hellewell, Jacks, Jones, Kopczak, Leilua, Lineham, Lockwood, Moors, Sene-Lefao, Smith, Springer, Wildie

[Guest]

1 hour ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Wouldn't anticipate too many changes given Mac's comments before the Halifax game, I do wonder whether the extra 2 weeks might have brought Bussey into contention.

I wonder if BM will use bussey as his favourite late sub option

[marklaspalmas]

2 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

21-man squad has been named on the OurLeague app. From an initial glance, Gaz Gale in and John Davies out looks like the only change from the 21 initially named for the Fax game. I don't know if that means one of our outside backs is a question mark or just a rotation of the squad.

Wouldn't anticipate too many changes given Mac's comments before the Halifax game, I do wonder whether the extra 2 weeks might have brought Bussey into contention.

Squad: Briscoe, Broadbent, Bussey, Cuthbertson, Eseh, Ford, Gale, Hall, Hardcastle, Hellewell, Jacks, Jones, Kopczak, Leilua, Lineham, Lockwood, Moors, Sene-Lefao, Smith, Springer, Wildie

We don't have the most predicatble coach in the world, but I imagine Gale, Smith and Hellewell will miss out again.

If Bussey is ready, he'll have to get a run out. Who makes way? On recent form, Lockwood for mine.

And if Bussey goes ok, and we win, there's your final line up too.

[sentoffagain2]

    Agree about Locky maybe missing out he has been quiet the last few games.Don't know how you can leave John Davies out of the 17 if he is fit.Against his old team too.

[elppaxr2i]

For some reason the game is segregated - Batley been given the seating behind the sticks

[The Phantom Horseman]

39 minutes ago, elppaxr2i said:

For some reason the game is segregated - Batley been given the seating behind the sticks

If so am sure this will be out of an abundance of caution following last year's semi-final when we picked up a £3,000 fine with another £5,000 suspended until the end of 2023 - so that £5k fine will still be hanging over us.

I know people will say that the atmosphere when we play Batley tends to be very different to when we play Halifax and they're right, but it probably only takes one idiot to do something daft before the £5k fine gets enacted. So for me if the club feels segregation makes that less likely then fair enough (I know there was segregation for last year's semi final too but I'm not sure having the 30m stand open helped with that).

Feel a bit for Batley fans who traditionally congregate on the side terracing near to the main entrance but it;s understandable why it's been done. The RFL statement last year said we'd been fined for "failing to use Best Endeavours in terms of supporter behaviour" so I suspect we may feel obliged to bring in segregation for a big semi final even though we don't traditionally have much trouble in games against Batley.

 

[marklaspalmas]

17 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

    Agree about Locky maybe missing out he has been quiet the last few games.Don't know how you can leave John Davies out of the 17 if he is fit.Against his old team too.

Not necessarily disagreeing with you, but let's say Locky makes way for Bussey in the XVII. Then who would you drop to play Davies?

[Fevrover]

38 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

If so am sure this will be out of an abundance of caution following last year's semi-final when we picked up a £3,000 fine with another £5,000 suspended until the end of 2023 - so that £5k fine will still be hanging over us.

I know people will say that the atmosphere when we play Batley tends to be very different to when we play Halifax and they're right, but it probably only takes one idiot to do something daft before the £5k fine gets enacted. So for me if the club feels segregation makes that less likely then fair enough (I know there was segregation for last year's semi final too but I'm not sure having the 30m stand open helped with that).

Feel a bit for Batley fans who traditionally congregate on the side terracing near to the main entrance but it;s understandable why it's been done. The RFL statement last year said we'd been fined for "failing to use Best Endeavours in terms of supporter behaviour" so I suspect we may feel obliged to bring in segregation for a big semi final even though we don't traditionally have much trouble in games against Batley.

 

If i remember rightly ( feel free to correct me lol) but didn't we get fined for some idiot/s shouting obsenaties at a Fax Woman supporter ? But their fans behind the sticks were shouting obsenaties at our cheer leaders but nothing was ever done about that,hopefully ALL idiot fans will refrain this year.

[Phil Briscoe]

50 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

Not necessarily disagreeing with you, but let's say Locky makes way for Bussey in the XVII. Then who would you drop to play Davies?

Put hardcastle to his most effective position of centre and drop broadbent out of the 17. 

[J Phil Loxton]

1 hour ago, Fevrover said:

If i remember rightly ( feel free to correct me lol) but didn't we get fined for some idiot/s shouting obsenaties at a Fax Woman supporter ? But their fans behind the sticks were shouting obsenaties at our cheer leaders but nothing was ever done about that,hopefully ALL idiot fans will refrain this year.

I think the HOME club gets hit with the fine whoever causes disruption. Just to look back at a match with HULL K R recently when a fan of theirs invaded the pitch while the match was ongoing. The RFL rightly or wrongly put the onus of fan behaviour at the door of the hosts.

[marklaspalmas]

1 hour ago, Phil Briscoe said:

Put hardcastle to his most effective position of centre and drop broadbent out of the 17. 

Not a bad shout, that Phil.....

[haskey]

Agreed M Broadbent not broken any pots for me. Hardy for me too

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, haskey said:

Agreed M Broadbent not broken any pots for me. Hardy for me too

even though he's played less games and scoerd more tries than josh

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

5 hours ago, Fevrover said:

If i remember rightly ( feel free to correct me lol) but didn't we get fined for some idiot/s shouting obsenaties at a Fax Woman supporter ? But their fans behind the sticks were shouting obsenaties at our cheer leaders but nothing was ever done about that,hopefully ALL idiot fans will refrain this year.

Think it was both that and 'fans' going into the pitch at the end of the game 

[Fevrover]

1 minute ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

Think it was both that and 'fans' going into the pitch at the end of the game 

Yeah it was, hopefully they've got the message by now,club can't afford all these fine's.

[Monkeymagic22]

Batley given 16 start with the bookies today.