Match thread: Challenge Cup 4th Round. Keighley Cougars v Featherstone Rovers. Sunday 25th February 2024.

[marklaspalmas]

No match this Sunday, and if we don't beat Keighley it'll be another while until the league programme starts, so it'd be best to go all out to win this one if only for the sake of match practice. Victory v Cougars will mean Rovers the have a week off (1895 QFs) and then another Cup tie, then the league programme starts at Batley. Then another week off (unless we've won our possible 5th round tie) then Wakey, our first home league game of 2024 on Good Friday.**

At Keighley, Greg Minikin will be out suspended, and one assumes Dean Roberts too.

The break this weekend (an opposed training run v Dewsbury is planned) will give various players the chance to get fit/fitter.

Reynolds with his hamstring (is it?), Jack Bussey, McKenzie Yei and Jack Arnold.

Then there's new arrivals Jayden Tanner and (presumably) Wellington Albert.

So, plenty to look out for.

Keighley had to come from behind to win at Hunslet by 8 points. Not sure if that's much of a guide to their 2024 squad.

 

 

** what away to organise a fixture list eh? Away draws in the 5th and 6th round of the Cup could see us play SEVEN successive away games before our first home fixture.

 

 

[lingaro]

What was Roberts sent off for I saw nothing? 

[marklaspalmas]

8 minutes ago, lingaro said:

What was Roberts sent off for I saw nothing? 

Dissent

[marklaspalmas]

[Rovers fev]

Bussey had a small calf strain following on from his earlier injury and Reynolds has still been struggling with a quad issue which kept him out against dewsbury 

[fevnut]

2 hours ago, marklaspalmas said:

Dissent

No, it was for abusing opponent. Not the most sensible thing to do in the week when the RFL launched their RESPECT policy.

[marklaspalmas]

13 minutes ago, fevnut said:

No, it was for abusing opponent. Not the most sensible thing to do in the week when the RFL launched their RESPECT policy.

Alleged at this stage

[Daft old hooker]

Do we know when Jayden Tanner is due to arrive?

[Rovers fev]

4 hours ago, Daft old hooker said:

Do we know when Jayden Tanner is due to arrive?

Some point this week

 

same was said about Albert tho 3 weeks ago 

[bigbaldnmad]

On 14/02/2024 at 17:09, Daft old hooker said:

Do we know when Jayden Tanner is due to arrive?

He has arrived...

[The Phantom Horseman]

On 14/02/2024 at 12:39, marklaspalmas said:

Dissent

Roberts incident referred to tribunal which means he's looking at 6+ games. Not surprising really, if you are sent off for something you say to an opponent it's nailed on to be for something seen as discriminatory (race, religion, sexual orientation or disability) otherwise you wouldnt get sent off, and that's always in the 6+ games category.

[sentoffagain2]

           Times have changed and for the better.In the early seventies i was sent off for swearing at the referee due  a decision i thought he got wrong.Fined £10 about £200 in today' money.And suspended for one match.We were a couple of players short the next week and i played when suspended under a false name.Remember it well Redhill away and i could have been sent off again for a high shot bounced off the shoulder and made contact with the side of players head.I must say Redhill put a good spread on in the pub for both teams and we parted on good terms.

[marklaspalmas]

Obviously it's going to be no pushover on Sunday. Keighley only lost 26-18 to Bradford yesterday.

[The Phantom Horseman]

Take your earplugs if you're going on Sunday...have a listen to the PA when Keighley score and you'll see what I mean, somebody really needs to have a quiet word about that.
 

 

[Indigogo]

21 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Take your earplugs if you're going on Sunday...have a listen to the PA when Keighley score and you'll see what I mean, somebody really needs to have a quiet word about that.
 

 

It's embarrassing, I'm not sure why as a club we still allow it to happen.

[The Phantom Horseman]

12 minutes ago, Indigogo said:

It's embarrassing, I'm not sure why as a club we still allow it to happen.

Yeah, by all means announce the scorer's name and be upbeat about it if it's a home team try, but the PA doing that sort of thing during play just sounds wrong.

[Michael Bates]

We'll probably lose and end up costing ourselves a decent pay day in the next round. 

[Indigogo]

25 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Yeah, by all means announce the scorer's name and be upbeat about it if it's a home team try, but the PA doing that sort of thing during play just sounds wrong.

It's not the announcer that is making noise during the game. The announcer that names the teams and try scorers sounds professional and speaks when appropriate (try scorer, conversions, interchanges). The noise you hear during the game is Mick O'Neil (our former owner from the cougarmania days and current owner (Ryan O'Neils) father. He tends to get on the mic for the more club related announcements (events, passings of club members etc)

I genuinely think he just gets excited and picks up a mic It might have been more acceptable in the past but I think it's run it's course now, doesn't help that his mic never seems to work.

[Fevrover]

29 minutes ago, Michael Bates said:

We'll probably lose and end up costing ourselves a decent pay day in the next round. 

Nowt like a it of confidence lol.

[Michael Bates]

3 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

Nowt like a it of confidence lol.

Recency bias. Challenge cup last year. Play off semifinal last year. 1895 Cup this year. Seem to be good at losing games that will bring extra money in if we win.

[Fevrover]

2 hours ago, Michael Bates said:

Recency bias. Challenge cup last year. Play off semifinal last year. 1895 Cup this year. Seem to be good at losing games that will bring extra money in if we win.

I know what you're saying but we've got to get behind the team and show some faith in them.

[The Phantom Horseman]

On 19/02/2024 at 14:26, marklaspalmas said:

Obviously it's going to be no pushover on Sunday. Keighley only lost 26-18 to Bradford yesterday.

I watched that game today. To be honest the scoreline isn't really a refelction of how the game went as Bradford's pack dominated in terms of yardage but their discipline/penalty concessions were really poor and Keighley mounted a bit of a late fightback which saw them score the last two tries.

Keighley battled hard but lack a bit of quality, all their attacking moves seem to involve Miller setting up Pickersgill through a planned move, either through a kick or a pass back on the inside so we'll need to watch that.

 

[The Phantom Horseman]

Squad named for Sunday's game on the RFL website. Only 20 names, and no Ben Reynolds. We probably have about 5 others that we know of that are missing (Yei, Albert, Arnold, and the suspended Minikin and Roberts). Jayden Tanner is in the squad. We've also named Connor Moore, a former Hull KR prop who was last seen playing for St Gaudens Bears in the French Elite 1 League.

https://www.rugby-league.com/match-centre/match-preview/2271471

[Michael Bates]

5 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Squad named for Sunday's game on the RFL website. Only 20 names, and no Ben Reynolds. We probably have about 5 others that we know of that are missing (Yei, Albert, Arnold, and the suspended Minikin and Roberts). Jayden Tanner is in the squad. We've also named Connor Moore, a former Hull KR prop who was last seen playing for St Gaudens Bears in the French Elite 1 League.

https://www.rugby-league.com/match-centre/match-preview/2271471

No Reynolds is a worry, we've looked lost without him in pre-season. Is the injury he picked up still bothering him or more to the Hull KR rumour?

[The Phantom Horseman]

24 minutes ago, Michael Bates said:

No Reynolds is a worry, we've looked lost without him in pre-season. Is the injury he picked up still bothering him or more to the Hull KR rumour?

Looks like the latter...
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/hull-kr-halfback-breakthrough-move-9120082?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=communities