Fri 22nd Mar-Sun 24th Mar: The Betfred Challenge Cup Sixth Round Match Thread

[JohnM]

9 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

I know, some people on here seem to have been lifted straight out of a 1970's sitcom.

Ooh, Matron....

[JohnM]

16 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

anyone know if the leigh v fev match is free on youtube sportsman again?

Shan't tell. You'll only moan...

[graveyard johnny]

5 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Shan't tell. You'll only moan...

please do- I actually thought the wakey v fev match coverage was excellent and posted as much here

[overtheborder]

3 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

please do- I actually thought the wakey v fev match coverage was excellent and posted as much here

To be fair I hadn't realised until I saw this but yep it's on the Sportsman. Also surprised Batley vs Cas isn't floating around on some iPlayer stream or something as another poster mentioned earlier in the thread.

[JohnM]

The go-to site is rugby league on TV. https://www.rugbyleagueontv.com/

[LeytherRob]

Any highlights of the KR/Salford or Wigan/Sheffield matches?

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

8 hours ago, Chrispmartha said:

Nope it’s just not allowed, you have to hate watching RL, it’s the rules I’m afraid 

Agreed.....I assumed everyone knew being a RL fan has nothing to do with gaining pleasure, contentment or happiness 

I'm in it for the hot takes, the rage and the constant anxiety 

[Tommygilf]

50 minutes ago, JohnM said:

At one point he says , "what can you do?" Well, and this applies to ALL coaches, not just interim newbies like Smiffy,  you can stop moaning and focus on the teams on-field performance: individual, team, subs strategy, discipline, skills, fitness, speed, passing, kicking, tactics, etc. That helps us fans better undertstand the game. His comments , and any other similar from other coaches, should not go un-sanctioned. 

I always think blaming the ref in a game you've lost by more than 2 tries is woeful.

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

It would take 15 minutes to stick it on the website....if there is genuinely no one with the time at the club surely there must be trusted club volunteers who can look after things like that 

Hope you get there and boo Cas!

It's just a bit "village" as the cricketers would say.

[ATLANTISMAN]

Why are we wasting time on this dead as a dodo comp give the players a rest.

The fans are voting with their feet another half full Wembley beckons.

One BIG winner is the way to go Super League Grand Final winners 

 

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

You missed a great second half. Scintillating long distance tries, a bit of biff, the refs shorts got ripped, several well- endowed streakers and the sun came out.

What I saw of it wasn't a bad game, decent enough. But the production definitely impacted it. It felt like I was watching an old Macron VHS from the local video shop for a while. 

The sound was actually one of the main issues, you couldn't hear the ref, the crowd was low volume and the wide angled views for most shots made you feel too out of the action. We now expect replays to show close ups, and just showing a replay with the same angle you've seen it live doesn't work really. 

I must admit, I worries that this was what the additional Sky coverage was going to look like, and I still have a nagging feeling about that when it goes to their app instead of main channel. 

I wonder whether the red button SL coverage next week will be like this. 

[dkw]

38 minutes ago, JohnM said:

The go-to site is rugby league on TV. https://www.rugbyleagueontv.com/

Yep, that's the site I use, very useful. 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

10 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Why are we wasting time on this dead as a dodo comp give the players a rest.

The fans are voting with their feet another half full Wembley beckons.

One BIG winner is the way to go Super League Grand Final winners 

 

Disagree 

It was poorly attended last night due to the exact same teams playing the same fixture the week before....and the fact CC fixtures are not released long in advance 

Wembley has not had two big British teams in the final for a while 

A cynic might suggest Catalan being in the final in 2018 was a catalyst for lowering the bar for crowd number and atmosphere ...it was dismal though I enjoyed the result (I was there as a neutral and wouldn't go again if it ends up being like that so plenty of other casuals may have been put off recent years) 

It's recovering now ...I was there last year for the nearly 60,000 crowd and it was fantastic (that would be two thirds full not half) 

I'd confidently predict if the final this year involves two from Saints, Wigan, Wire, FC( ha ha obvs but you never know), KR....then it will be mid 60s plus 

[Hopie]

1 hour ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

It would take 15 minutes to stick it on the website....if there is genuinely no one with the time at the club surely there must be trusted club volunteers who can look after things like that 

Hope you get there and boo Cas!

If you google Batley Bulldogs the 2nd result is their facebook page and the third result is their twitter/x page, both of these have details on how to buy a ticket today on the gate.

Earlier in the week were posts detailing how to buy tickets online via their website.

If people want this information it is easy to find. Some unfair criticism in this thread.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

12 minutes ago, Dave T said:

What I saw of it wasn't a bad game, decent enough. But the production definitely impacted it. It felt like I was watching an old Macron VHS from the local video shop for a while. 

The sound was actually one of the main issues, you couldn't hear the ref, the crowd was low volume and the wide angled views for most shots made you feel too out of the action. We now expect replays to show close ups, and just showing a replay with the same angle you've seen it live doesn't work really. 

I must admit, I worries that this was what the additional Sky coverage was going to look like, and I still have a nagging feeling about that when it goes to their app instead of main channel. 

I wonder whether the red button SL coverage next week will be like this. 

Just dint understand why it wasn't on a BBC2.....it's a big fixture 

[phiggins]

13 minutes ago, Dave T said:

What I saw of it wasn't a bad game, decent enough. But the production definitely impacted it. It felt like I was watching an old Macron VHS from the local video shop for a while. 

The sound was actually one of the main issues, you couldn't hear the ref, the crowd was low volume and the wide angled views for most shots made you feel too out of the action. We now expect replays to show close ups, and just showing a replay with the same angle you've seen it live doesn't work really. 

I must admit, I worries that this was what the additional Sky coverage was going to look like, and I still have a nagging feeling about that when it goes to their app instead of main channel. 

I wonder whether the red button SL coverage next week will be like this. 

Quite possible. It was very similar to the quality of coverage that Sky give to Championship football on the red button. If it is, I’d question the logic of having a video ref.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

Just now, Hopie said:

If you google Batley Bulldogs the 2nd result is their facebook page and the third result is their twitter/x page, both of these have details on how to buy a ticket today on the gate.

Earlier in the week were posts detailing how to buy tickets online via their website.

If people want this information it is easy to find. Some unfair criticism in this thread.

Professional sports teams put ticket information on their website mate ....most well run amateur teams do 

As I say ....Batley will have plenty of folk willing to volunteer to take that on 

I have no social media...if I try and go on Facebook it just says I have to register ....

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

3 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Disagree 

It was poorly attended last night due to the exact same teams playing the same fixture the week before....and the fact CC fixtures are not released long in advance 

Wembley has not had two big British teams in the final for a while 

A cynic might suggest Catalan being in the final in 2018 was a catalyst for lowering the bar for crowd number and atmosphere ...it was dismal though I enjoyed the result (I was there as a neutral and wouldn't go again if it ends up being like that so plenty of other casuals may have been put off recent years) 

It's recovering now ...I was there last year for the nearly 60,000 crowd and it was fantastic (that would be two thirds full not half) 

I'd confidently predict if the final this year involves two from Saints, Wigan, Wire, FC( ha ha obvs but you never know), KR....then it will be mid 60s plus 

Also it's the most beautiful trophy in world sport 

[phiggins]

22 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Why are we wasting time on this dead as a dodo comp give the players a rest.

The fans are voting with their feet another half full Wembley beckons.

One BIG winner is the way to go Super League Grand Final winners 

 

Or, we could put more effort into selling tickets for the final to people in the capital, and restructure the early rounds and put more space in between the draw and the tie being played.

 

[Hopie]

13 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Professional sports teams put ticket information on their website mate ....most well run amateur teams do 

As I say ....Batley will have plenty of folk willing to volunteer to take that on 

I have no social media...if I try and go on Facebook it just says I have to register ....

[Dave T]

14 minutes ago, phiggins said:

Quite possible. It was very similar to the quality of coverage that Sky give to Championship football on the red button. If it is, I’d question the logic of having a video ref.

That's the thing that gives me some hope, to have a VR you need more cameras really so hopefully the minimum is what we are currently getting at the likes of Catalans games, which is noticeably lesser coverage, but good enough to look professional. 

I've enjoyed sky's coverage so far. 

[Barley Mow]

44 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Why are we wasting time on this dead as a dodo comp give the players a rest.

The fans are voting with their feet another half full Wembley beckons.

One BIG winner is the way to go Super League Grand Final winners 

 

The final will most likely be the third biggest rugby league attendance in the world this year, as it regularly is (it has been in the top two within the last 10 years)

Although I'd love to see improvements in some areas, it's still a fantastic competition in my opinion and definitely not a waste of time.

Edited March 23 by Barley Mow

[The Blues Ox]

My unbiased view of last nights televised game.......

I actually thought that Leeds would win the game when they managed to go in at half time only 4 down despite what I thought was one of the worst performances ive seen from any team this season. If they could have just sorted things out I thought they might have the beating of Saints who were no better than last week but then again they really didn't need to be.

I didn't think the ruck area was reffed well and thought the old masters Saints got away with quite a bit of extra stuff on the floor to slow Leeds down. Leeds kicking game was as bad as I have seen from any team in a long time and it summed it up when Leeds had escaped for what seemed like the 10th time and finally got a decent set in to take them up to the 40m line or so only to see them mess the kick up and end up putting a little chip over the top. Total coach killer that.

BBC production was garbage that should not have even been afforded an amateur game never mind one of the biggest games we will see in such a prestigious cup competition. The commentary I rarely moan about but it was painful, I have no problem with feamle commentators and Im sure Ive heard Sharon on the radio many times, but thought she was trying to do too much. I'm watching the game, I can see what is happening, every second does not have to be filled, there just needs to be a slight difference between radio and tv. I should add that I think she is very knowledgable and I love her enthusiasm for the game and can't fault her for that, give me her over Jonathan Davies every day of the week.

[Worzel]

53 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Why are we wasting time on this dead as a dodo comp give the players a rest.

The fans are voting with their feet another half full Wembley beckons.

One BIG winner is the way to go Super League Grand Final winners 

 

I think it’s far more to do with clubs switching to a membership audience growth model, and often a subscription-based one at that. That’s the sales strategy that drives Super League attendances, and then clubs just aren’t geared up to execute a different marketing approach to short-notice, one-off cup games.

From a marketing perspective it’s like the difference between being a Test cricket player and a 20:20 player. Some of the skills and strategies overlap, but there are significant differences and if you don’t approach it differently you’ll fail. I don’t think clubs’ teams know how to do it now. 

It’s not a lack of interest in the Cup per se, it’s the commercial strategy (or lack of) around it.

[Dave T]

29 minutes ago, Worzel said:

I think it’s far more to do with clubs switching to a membership audience growth model, and often a subscription-based one at that. That’s the sales strategy that drives Super League attendances, and then clubs just aren’t geared up to execute a different marketing approach to short-notice, one-off cup games.

From a marketing perspective it’s like the difference between being a Test cricket player and a 20:20 player. Some of the skills and strategies overlap, but there are significant differences and if you don’t approach it differently you’ll fail. I don’t think clubs’ teams know how to do it now. 

It’s not a lack of interest in the Cup per se, it’s the commercial strategy (or lack of) around it.

Couldn't agree more. If we base things purely on the attendance then we'd have scrapped playoffs a while back too. 

We have absolute clear evidence of the impact of season tickets vs all pay games. We also used to see that when a round of teh Cup was included in season tickets fans turned up. 

I've banged on about this for years and years now, we are gonna allow the cup to die if we just keep burying our head in the sand. 

Just opening the turnstiles isn't good enough to get a crowd in.