Sunday at Widnes

[andyacko]

Network Rail is replacing Castleton bridge which carries the main railway line over the M62 between Manchester and Rochdale as part of the Manchester Victoria to Leeds route.

The M62 will be closed in both directions in September for two full weekends when the bridge will be removed and replaced. (including this weekend 7/8th) between junction 20 of the motorway at Rochdale and junction 19 at Heywood. A clearly signed diversion will be in place with drivers leaving the westbound M62 at junction 20, joining the southbound A627(M) and then using the westbound A664 and northbound A6046 to re-join the M62 at junction 19.

[andyacko]

Widnes Vikings v York RLFC

08th September, KO: 15:00

• Referee: L. Rush
• Reserve Referee: C. Murphy
• Touch Judge 1: T. Jones
• Touch Judge 2: P. Marklove
• Time Keeper: P. Cluskey

[Expatknight]

This week I think I would go with :

 

Brown, Ward, Law,  Field, Towse, Hingano, Williams, Michael, Jubb, Martin, Bailey, Gannon, Cunningham

subs :Teanby, Santi, Daley, Antrobus

fitness permitting for the sake of consistency, with Pembo as 18th man

[DEANO]

Some win is that

[HaxbyKnight]

Terrific win, only downside may come from the disciplinary reviews on Thursday. Let's hope Gannon and Hingano can prove their innocence.

[Expatknight]

1 minute ago, DEANO said:

Some win is that

Very ugly, but to win at Widnes the way they have been been playing is mega, just hope Ata and Jake come through the disciplinary on Thursday but I think one or both might miss a game or two. Joe Brown - who said he can’t play Full Back? Yet again he has put in a stellar performance. 

[georgeb1]

And who said there was nowt to play for in the championship this season, the majority of the teams are busting a gut to get in the playoffs or avoiding relegation, long may it continue.

[Puk]

1 hour ago, georgeb1 said:

And who said there was nowt to play for in the championship this season, the majority of the teams are busting a gut to get in the playoffs or avoiding relegation, long may it continue.

I was one who thought the playoffs were beyond us this season but what a job Applegarth has done since he took over as the only place we were going under Hendo was relegation.

[andyacko]

That team wouldn't have been relegated if my cat was coaching 'em!

[georgeb1]

14 hours ago, Puk said:

I was one who thought the playoffs were beyond us this season but what a job Applegarth has done since he took over as the only place we were going under Hendo was relegation.

agree, playoffs might still happen , but a lot of ifs and buts yet

[andyacko]

I know that's sound very dismissive of a personal opinion but if you know the people involved and take time to talk to them, it is very apparent the pride and passion firstly the players as a whole have in playing for the Knights. The time and experience invested by not only Mash since he came in but Ged Corcoran, Paul Cooke, Will Leatt and the staff is huge - they are great rugby league people and I certainly include Hendo too. A coach backs himself to field a team that is competitive and winning and invests his time and ideas into that. That can be massively influenced by the impact of injury. Sometimes it doesn't quite work or gel also. Apologies for the rant but "the only place we were going under Hendo was relegation" shows a disrespect to some really good people. If you doubt what I say, have a chat to Ged, have a chat to Liam Harris. They are very approachable.......

[georgeb1]

12 hours ago, andyacko said:

That team wouldn't have been relegated if my cat was coaching 'em!

betty boop  must be one hell of a coach

[andyacko]

Just now, georgeb1 said:

betty boop  must be one hell of a coach

You'd be surprised how much RL she watches - how many cats do you know whose favourite player is Mitchell Moses!! 

[andyacko]

Further to what I was blathering on about yesterday, I did the arithmetic and made it that the Knights went 194 minutes without conceding a point - that's pretty impressive defending...

[Clarence Street]

6 hours ago, andyacko said:

I know that's sound very dismissive of a personal opinion but if you know the people involved and take time to talk to them, it is very apparent the pride and passion firstly the players as a whole have in playing for the Knights. The time and experience invested by not only Mash since he came in but Ged Corcoran, Paul Cooke, Will Leatt and the staff is huge - they are great rugby league people and I certainly include Hendo too. A coach backs himself to field a team that is competitive and winning and invests his time and ideas into that. That can be massively influenced by the impact of injury. Sometimes it doesn't quite work or gel also. Apologies for the rant but "the only place we were going under Hendo was relegation" shows a disrespect to some really good people. If you doubt what I say, have a chat to Ged, have a chat to Liam Harris. They are very approachable.......

 Thanks for helping me out Andy! Since I read that post re Hendo and relegation I've been wondering how to put my feelings into words. You've saved me a job and got it bang on! I agree entirely.

 

[Stirlin]

Given that Lge 1 has now finished I assume Alex Donaghy is now back training with the squad , primarily a full back he has also played centre. As young Joe Law will not be playing for us this w/end Alex is a possible replacement freeing Oli to go back to the pack where he is at his best. 

[Cam varley]

Wouldn’t bother with donaghy anymore here’s hoping Jesse is fit 

[Gav Wilson]

10 minutes ago, Stirlin said:

Given that Lge 1 has now finished I assume Alex Donaghy is now back training with the squad , primarily a full back he has also played centre. As young Joe Law will not be playing for us this w/end Alex is a possible replacement freeing Oli to go back to the pack where he is at his best. 

Zero interest in that. 

[Puk]

8 hours ago, andyacko said:

I know that's sound very dismissive of a personal opinion but if you know the people involved and take time to talk to them, it is very apparent the pride and passion firstly the players as a whole have in playing for the Knights. The time and experience invested by not only Mash since he came in but Ged Corcoran, Paul Cooke, Will Leatt and the staff is huge - they are great rugby league people and I certainly include Hendo too. A coach backs himself to field a team that is competitive and winning and invests his time and ideas into that. That can be massively influenced by the impact of injury. Sometimes it doesn't quite work or gel also. Apologies for the rant but "the only place we were going under Hendo was relegation" shows a disrespect to some really good people. If you doubt what I say, have a chat to Ged, have a chat to Liam Harris. They are very approachable.......

Strange how Applegarth has turned this team around with more or less the same players and didn't some players actually speak to Clint how things weren't going right under Hendo before he was supposedly moved upstairs!

[andyacko]

As I understand it (and I was at training at that time) there was a 'general feeling' to give Ged and Cooky more responsibility coaching-wise and, I assume, subsequent to that, Mash became available. What I'm saying is that this team, regardless of who was coaching it, would not have been relegated. As for players speaking to Clint, is that fact or hearsay? And one difficult patch does not make a coach a bad coach - it happens to most at some point in a career...

[andyacko]

2 hours ago, Stirlin said:

Given that Lge 1 has now finished I assume Alex Donaghy is now back training with the squad , primarily a full back he has also played centre. As young Joe Law will not be playing for us this w/end Alex is a possible replacement freeing Oli to go back to the pack where he is at his best. 

Has it been confirmed that Joe won't play against Wakey?

[DEANO]

See what the disciplinary brings

[andyacko]

11 hours ago, DEANO said:

See what the disciplinary brings

Can't wait - the gift that keeps on giving! 

[georgeb1]

14 hours ago, andyacko said:

Has it been confirmed that Joe won't play against Wakey?

good point, with trinity already confirmed as league winners it would be a bit petty to not allow him to play , but IF we reach the playoffs then i could understand him not playing against them.

[HaxbyKnight]

In some respects, the Wakey game won't decide whether we make the play offs. IF, we beat Sheffield and Fev, we'll have 30 points. Fev play Sheffield this week so only one of those could make 30. At the minute our points difference is better than either of them, so in effect worth another point that would leave us 5th. Widnes still have Donny away, Toulouse at home and Barrow away. It's not out of the  question we could overtake them and finish 4th. Lots of ifs and buts, but it's in our own hands now, everything to play for.