Match thread: 1895 Cup. Hunslet v Featherstone Rovers. Sunday 28th January 2024.

[marklaspalmas]

Right. That's the pre-seasons out of the way with. Plenty of talking points, given the number of new players and trialists we've had a look at in these two matches. Now, the real stuff. Well, the 1895 Cup anyway, which will be real enough if we make it to the knockout stages and start to smell another visit to Wembley. First we have to beat Hunslet & Batley.

Still 12 days till the Hunslet match so we can speculate on the line up next week.

I thought I'd bring up a couple of points:

 

Firstly, it's worth noting that in in the first nine weekends of the season, eight are set aside for Cup rugby. So, just how busy we are depends on how quickly we gel and start winning games (and of course the luck of the draw):

1. We could end up playing just four games over nine weeks if we are not successful.

2. But if we things go well, we could play eight games.

A big difference at this stage with our squad still taking shape.

 

Secondly, the squad as it stands today. Despite scarce info, apparently we have 20 players signed up and a number of other trialists still being considered. The release of updated squad numbers could clear things up soon.

We seem to have a strong looking spine: Aekins, Reynolds, Lacans, Jones, Addy.

Some good outside backs, Gale, Hardcastle and Minikin and some promising ones.

A solid pair of second rowers, Day, Bussey

A useful set of middles: Springer, Yei, Albert, Massey.

Players such as Bowes, Wynne, Kamano, Wacokecoke, etc have staked claims to be in the XVII v Hunslet too.

Beyond that, there are opportunities up for grabs. It'll be a very different 2024 to 2023, but here we go.

Up The Rovers!

 

 

Edited January 17 by marklaspalmas

[The Phantom Horseman]

Worth adding that the club has said all along that we'll be using DR this season and it's unlikely that the flurry of triallists/fringe players that we have seen in the two pre-season games will alter that. Unlike the Challenge Cup, DR players will be available for the 1895 Cup and it shouldn't be a surprise if a sprinkling of HKR players are in the squad for the Hunslet and Batley games.

The most interesting factor from team selection will be how many of our main 4 props will be available. Gadwin has looked in top form but Massey hasn't played in pre-season, we haven't seen Yei in the training videos yet and there doesn't seem to be any news on Albert being back in the country.

We've already had a behind-closed-doors "opposed training session" against Hunslet and Hunslet's coach seemed very pleased with how that went in a recent interview so it should be an interesting game.

[marklaspalmas]

1 hour ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Worth adding that the club has said all along that we'll be using DR this season and it's unlikely that the flurry of triallists/fringe players that we have seen in the two pre-season games will alter that. Unlike the Challenge Cup, DR players will be available for the 1895 Cup and it shouldn't be a surprise if a sprinkling of HKR players are in the squad for the Hunslet and Batley games.

The most interesting factor from team selection will be how many of our main 4 props will be available. Gadwin has looked in top form but Massey hasn't played in pre-season, we haven't seen Yei in the training videos yet and there doesn't seem to be any news on Albert being back in the country.

We've already had a behind-closed-doors "opposed training session" against Hunslet and Hunslet's coach seemed very pleased with how that went in a recent interview so it should be an interesting game.

Good point. WE all hate DR but at the same time we can recognise there were times when it worked for us with Leeds. With Hull KR we just don't know yet. They've published a long 35 man squad list which doesn't include their Academy players, so you'd think they'd have players to spare regularly. Whether that fits in with what we want and need remains to be seen.

I hope that with those absent (to date) PNG props it will be a case of us keeping our powder dry until we need them. But yes, it would've been good to have seen them have at least half a match pre-season.

Still waiting for updates on Bussey and Massey.

[marklaspalmas]

Thank you to the fan who pointed out that Hunslet dropped the "Hawks" name in 2017! I get worse. I was going to say that in my defence, we haven't played Hunslet for years. But we did. In the Cup in 2020 just before Covid started.

[The Phantom Horseman]

5 hours ago, marklaspalmas said:

Thank you to the fan who pointed out that Hunslet dropped the "Hawks" name in 2017! I get worse. I was going to say that in my defence, we haven't played Hunslet for years. But we did. In the Cup in 2020 just before Covid started.

Better to make that mistake now for a relatively low-key 1895 Cup game than when the league season games start against Northern, the Bluesox, the Wildcats, the City Knights, etc.

Edited January 17 by The Phantom Horseman

[marklaspalmas]

1 hour ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Better to make that mistake now for a relatively low-key 1895 Cup game than when the league season games start against Northern, the Bluesox, the Wildcats, the City Knights, etc.

One thing we can all be thankful for. When the club was formed in a back room of the Railway Hotel in 1902, it was called Featherstone Rovers, and has been every day since for 122 years.

[Fevrover]

1 hour ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Better to make that mistake now for a relatively low-key 1895 Cup game than when the league season games start against Northern, the Bluesox, the Wildcats, the City Knights, etc.

Correct me if iam wrong ( no doubt you will lol) but didn't we try to change our name to Pirates,or was that just on merchandise?

[POR]

2 hours ago, Fevrover said:

Correct me if iam wrong ( no doubt you will lol) but didn't we try to change our name to Pirates,or was that just on merchandise?

Here you go F 

 

[marklaspalmas]

2 hours ago, Fevrover said:

Correct me if iam wrong ( no doubt you will lol) but didn't we try to change our name to Pirates,or was that just on merchandise?

Just a logo idea I think, interpreting the word Rover as buccaneer or brigand. It didn't really work.

[jamescolin]

When the pirate wanted an ear ring he had to pay a buck an ear. As a Rovers supporter to safeguard them he had to wear a flatcap. UTR

[POR]

32 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

Just a logo idea I think, interpreting the word Rover as buccaneer or brigand. It didn't really work.

That's true M

Rover/ noun

a pirate or pirate ship

[Fevrover]

1 hour ago, POR said:

Here you go F 

 

Remember  the logo well.

[POR]

On 16/01/2024 at 20:12, The Phantom Horseman said:

 it shouldn't be a surprise if a sprinkling of HKR players are in the squad for the Hunslet and Batley games.

IN an article in wakey express Vickars has said

"Our partnership with Hull KR was much sought after by the club as we believe that Hull KR have invested in one of the strongest and deepest squads in the British game. Once the pre-season friendlies are complete and we head to the 1895 Cup, and the league season, those players will start to be released to our club and with other additions also set to arrive at a similar time,

[Phil Briscoe]

We head into a season with more uncertainty about which 17 will take to the field for the first competitive match than for many a season in my humble opinion. We have four forwards, all likely picks, who haven’t featured yet, a DR in place but the nature of that beast is we don’t know who will be made available to us. We also have some players on trial but with no word from the club as to if any have been signed permanently. Also a suggestion that some ‘other’ players are coming in when the DR ones are announced. Are these new players or likely announcements on players on trial having been signed??? So maybe 4,5,6,7 of the players who play at Hunslet wont have played in the pre season friendlies. Far from ideal but given the reduced budget probably unavoidable. All of the above would suggest we’ll have a slow, poor, disjointed start to the season….but we are Fev! So let’s strap ourselves in for a ride on the Fev rollercoaster!!

[POR]

1 hour ago, Phil Briscoe said:

 So let’s strap ourselves in for a ride on the Fev rollercoaster!!

According to our CEO P we have a squad with players that have real hunger and desire to perform to their best for FEV and he's  sure we  will be excited about the team that will take the field for Rovers.”

[The Phantom Horseman]

17 hours ago, Phil Briscoe said:

We head into a season with more uncertainty about which 17 will take to the field for the first competitive match than for many a season in my humble opinion. We have four forwards, all likely picks, who haven’t featured yet, a DR in place but the nature of that beast is we don’t know who will be made available to us. We also have some players on trial but with no word from the club as to if any have been signed permanently. Also a suggestion that some ‘other’ players are coming in when the DR ones are announced. Are these new players or likely announcements on players on trial having been signed??? So maybe 4,5,6,7 of the players who play at Hunslet wont have played in the pre season friendlies. Far from ideal but given the reduced budget probably unavoidable. All of the above would suggest we’ll have a slow, poor, disjointed start to the season….but we are Fev! So let’s strap ourselves in for a ride on the Fev rollercoaster!!

I think most of this is fair comment. I've said before that this season reminds me of 2019 in terms of it being the start of a rebuilding operation, and whilst it would be wildly optimistic to expect us to progress in 2024 like we did in 2019, there must be a good chance we'll be at our weakest in the early stages.

The Hunslet game is difficult to assess at the moment because as PB says we don't know what team we will turn out. It's worth noting they were unbeaten at home in the league last season albeit in League 1. It's possible we could turn out with a team like this...

Aekins
Wacokecoke
Wynne
Minikin
Gale
Reynolds
Lacans
Springer
Jones
Kamano
Day
Tomlinson
Addy
subs
Bowes
Roberts
Arnold
Hardcastle

However, if/when we have our absent forwards back (which I doubt for this game for at least some of them) and added a couple of DR options we could go with what would look a much stronger team, something like...
Aekins
Senior/Hall (DR)
Wynne/Hardcastle
Minikin
Gale
Reynolds
Lacans
Springer
Jones
Massey
Day
Bussey
Addy
subs
Bowes
Yei
Albert
Ayden (DR)/Kamano

 

[Featherstonerovers2000]

I was told Aj Wallace, senior ,aydin and Zach fishwick will be available for featherstone most of the season (of course injuries change this )

[The Phantom Horseman]

50 minutes ago, Featherstonerovers2000 said:

I was told Aj Wallace, senior ,aydin and Zach fishwick will be available for featherstone most of the season (of course injuries change this )

They are probably the four obvious ones from their first-team squad. It sounds like Corey Hall has had a good training camp so he might be out of the equation but I'm still not sure who he would displace to get into HKR's starting line-up with Gildart and Opacic probably in front of him.

Fishwick is promising and so is another young prop Leo Tennison, a towering lad who reminds me a bit of George Delaney who played for Swinton last year before becoming a regular for St Helens.

I'm not sure I'd play Wallace in front of Bussey or Day but we have no quality depth at back row unless Hardcastle makes the switch to that position.

Aydin is a fair player but strikes me as a good Championship performer rather than a SL prospect so it wouldn't be surprising to see him appear regularly for us.

[The Phantom Horseman]

A sneaky quiz question for the Hunslet game...
Hunslet's squad this season includes two players who played for us in Finals, and two players who played against us in Finals...can you name them?

[Michael Bates]

Jack Render for us in Toronto 2019 is one (I think)

Michael Knowles against us for Sheffield 2012 (I think again)

 

 

Edited January 22 by Michael Bates

[The Phantom Horseman]

3 minutes ago, Michael Bates said:

Jack Render for us in Toronto 2019 is one (I think)

Michael Knowles against us for Sheffield 2012 (I think again)

 

 

Yes both correct, that's 2 of the 4. The other two are a bit sneakier.

[Michael Bates]

Jack Coventry in the 2015 shield final?

[The Phantom Horseman]

33 minutes ago, Michael Bates said:

Jack Coventry in the 2015 shield final?

Yep - 3 out of 4...

[Rovers fev]

Did spencer darley play any major games for us ? Think he came the same time as a few other Leeds lads 

[The Phantom Horseman]

9 minutes ago, Rovers fev said:

Did spencer darley play any major games for us ? Think he came the same time as a few other Leeds lads 

I think he was one of a bunch of players who just had a couple of games for us in the 2019 pre-season at Castleford and Dewsbury and were never seen again. The second of those games was competitive in that it was a short-lived revival of the Yorkshire Cup.