Match thread: Pre-Season Warm Up. Featherstone Rovers v Bradford Bulls. Sunday 7th January 2024.

[marklaspalmas]

Here we are then. 90 days after one of the most deflating, disappointing and disillusioning matches I've ever seen and will ever see, we're back in the saddle for the 2024 season. First warm up fixture v our old friends the Bulls.

Rovers have put out a 19 man squad:

https://twitter.com/FevRoversRLFC/status/1743316376628965827

Click on the link to improve our IMG numbers.

This list includes:

5 players from last season: Gale, Jones, Lacans, Springer, Day.

9 new players for 2024: Macokocoke, Wynne, Minikin, Reynolds, Kamano, Addy, Bowes, Tomlinson and Farrar.

1 player on DR: Wallace.

4 trialists: Harris, Arnold, Roberts and Hassard.

Not selected for this match are Aekins, Albert, Yei, Bussey, Massey and Hardcastle.

So, a very unfamiliar looking line up, but that's what these pre-season games are for. Have a look at some new players and see how they go.

Bradford's squad looks decent, with a selection of former Fev players in there.

[The Phantom Horseman]

8 hours ago, marklaspalmas said:

 

So, a very unfamiliar looking line up, but that's what these pre-season games are for. Have a look at some new players and see how they go.

 

Yes, it's an initial hit-out for the squad, a chance for reps in a game situation, and an opportunity to see if any of the triallists/fringe players have anything to offer. That's about it. 

As we see year after year, scores and even performances in pre-season games have little relevance to the main season, but no doubt there will be plenty of overreaction after the game...

[POR]

4 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

no doubt there will be plenty of overreaction after the game...

Exactly PH can't wait to hear from our Bradford fan who after the recent bulls victory over the panthers which many fans said was a really poor game and some even said  a game between two poor sides  came out with

A worthwhile game for both sides in horrendous condition with the difference being Bradford’s clinical attack and resilience in defence.

[plug]

Will the club be haveing radio commentry for this game

[Wolfey Rovers]

Hopefully it's streamed on RoversTv, I know the bulls are streaming on their end.

[POR]

On 06/01/2024 at 10:29, plug said:

Will the club be haveing radio commentry for this game

Yes P grandson had a peek and listed as 

LISTEN LIVE ROVERS V BULL 07/01/2024

Join George Riley for live audio commentary for the Pre-season 2024.

Featherstone Rovers v Bradford Bulls, kick off 3:00pm

[gazza77]

No real surprises in starting with what looks like the strongest 13, with trailists off the bench.

 

 

[POR]

On 06/01/2024 at 10:34, Wolfey Rovers said:

Hopefully it's streamed on RoversTv, I know the bulls are streaming on their end.

True W but only at ODSLUM £10 a ticket

[gazza77]

On 06/01/2024 at 10:34, Wolfey Rovers said:

Hopefully it's streamed on RoversTv, I know the bulls are streaming on their end.

 

 

[The Phantom Horseman]

47 minutes ago, gazza77 said:

No real surprises in starting with what looks like the strongest 13, with trailists off the bench.

 

 

This is true, though 3 of the 13 starters have never played first grade before. Interesting to see how we get on, should be a very stiff task in fairness 

[lingaro]

No. 16 looks the business not sure who he was but took us forward well. 

[marklaspalmas]

1 minute ago, lingaro said:

No. 16 looks the business not sure who he was but took us forward well. 

Dean Roberts

[Catflap]

A good run out against a strong Bulls side. Plenty more players to come in too by all accounts.

[Michael Bates]

I thought we'd get battered. They were rubbish.

Edited January 7 by Michael Bates

[POR]

From our Bradford fan

Very little between the two Championship heavyweights who can both take some encouragement from this 

[The Phantom Horseman]

On 06/01/2024 at 05:39, The Phantom Horseman said:

Yes, it's an initial hit-out for the squad, a chance for reps in a game situation, and an opportunity to see if any of the triallists/fringe players have anything to offer. That's about it. 

As we see year after year, scores and even performances in pre-season games have little relevance to the main season, but no doubt there will be plenty of overreaction after the game...

I'm sticking with the above, although I must admit I thought beforehand it would be a very one-sided game in their favour and there were quite a few things to be (mildly) encouraged about.

Two things have to be acknowledged - firstly, until both teams started making wholesale changes, they did make far more yardage than us, and we found it hard to get out of our own territory in yardage sets, although you'd expect that looking at the two line-ups.

Secondly, they did take off a large chunk of their starters fairly early in the second half - so did we of course, but you have to acknowledge the strength/weakness of the opposition.

That said, a few encouraging things...
Most of the triallists didn't look out of place, and in particular, I think all three of our "replacement" middles - Kamano, Roberts and Arnold - performed very creditably. I'm not saying I'd see any of them as regular starters on this evidence, but I could see us slipping one of them into the 17 without us needing to be alarmed, which is as much as you can epxect from an ex-amateur and two triallists.

I thought our half backs both showed plenty of good flashes (hope Reynolds is okay and was just taken off as a precaution), but for me it is already obvious what a key man Addy is going to be, it's not that he did anything especially eyecatching today but everything went through him and he still has a touch of quality by championship standards.

Wacokecoke didn't have much chance with ball in hand but forced (I think) 3 turnovers in defence - on a couple of occasions he "jammed in" from the wing with perfect timing and forced the error, which was something our right edge combo didn't always get right last year...that right edge did still look vulnerable defensively at times but it's early days, and Josh returning might help that.

Minikin isn't going to be flashy in the left centre but I thought he was very solid and looked to do the little things well.

Yes they undoubtedly made far more metres than us for the first 50 minutes or so but I don't think the players they had missing are really a huge upgrade over the team on the field, whereas from the first 17 we fielded we can expect to replace Davies with Aekins, Wynne or Wacokecoke with Hardcastle, Kamano with Massey, Wallace with Bussey, Roberts with Yei and Arnold with Albert. That's without calling on DR.

So a satisfactory opening to pre-season in my view.

 

 

[Wolfey Rovers]

Extremely happy with that performance. Thought our HB did amazing considering the yardage. Ben will be a real organiser we've needed. Where as lacans will do the flash things well. Reminds me of Andy Kain who can tackle haha. 

AJ Wallace didn't do much for me, made the whole KR deal feel abstract as he didn't seem to want to put a shift in... Hopefully the player we get from them will come with more drive and determination.

None of the trailists let us down. Some real up and coming hungry lads who put a shift in today. With the pack virtually decimated. We may of lacked punch but no one gave up.

[jamescolin]

Tremendous performance with great coordination. Looking at the team they did well together considering their short time together. I though the half backs did very well together. Congratulations  to the coaches for the way they have done their work.

[jamescolin]

My only regret was Station Lane being blocked and there being no concessions for old supporters. By diversing I was running out of time so parked at the ground. £5 for that and £15 to get in. I have also paid £170 for my season ticket (got it). At a few months off 90 years old a bit of a concession would help. Still going to the Dewbury game. Been a supporter since 1938 so can't miss it. The only time I missed games was 2 years Nation Service in Egypt and 7 months for the Suez Crisis 1956/1957. Will do my best to continue being a supporter. Good performance today. UTR.

[Rovers fev]

If we’d been told we’d win 16-12 before game I’d have said how many did Bradford get sent off 

the trialists stood up and looked great showing great physicality 

the young lads did really we’ll 

Thomas lacans is going to be some player he just gets better and better everytime I see him 

and young Charlie Harris not the biggest but showed great skill and bravery throughout the game, get him signed up 

[POR]

According to our biggest fan from Bradford FEV kept the big guns on while bradford played a lot of youngsters and more than matched them while chester butler said FEV had more of a starting line up than us and when we have our starting line up in the season we can comfortably beat them

[Monkeymagic22]

Let’s be honest these preseason friendlies give little indication on how the season will go, but clearly some Bulls seem to be rattled by the loss. For me, Wakey will run away with the League, with the rest of the usual teams battling for playoff places. The Bulls have a big squad, but is it that much better than last seasons team?.

[The Phantom Horseman]

There's certainly an element of truth in the first part above, though to be fair Eamon O'Connell was fairly dismissive of it when Gledhill suggested it in the interview. As I said earlier in the thread, Bradford outgained us by far in the first hour, making almost 50% more yardage, and were much faster over the gain line and won more of the collisions, and then they did bring a lot of youngsters on in the last 20-30 minutes, though we had a fair number of triallists/youngsters on ourselves in the closing stages.

The comment from Butler about us having more of a starting line-up than they did in terms of what both teams will look like in the regular season is clearly wide of the mark though. He mentioned Lawrence and Dan Smith to come in for them, and yes they will be upgrades over Okoro and Hallas, but I think the 6 replacements I mentioned above for us will have a much bigger impact. They will need to, mind, if we are to be competitive against the better sides in the division, but it's very early days of the season.