Challenge Cup 2025

[Damien]

5 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

So if Round 3 was called Round 1, would that make it ok with you then?

Ludicrous isn't it

[KiwiRL]

Just now, Wellsy4HullFC said:

So if Round 3 was called Round 1, would that make it ok with you then?

It's the final set field of 32 teams playing straight knock out from Rd 3 this year right? If so, yes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chrispmartha]

1 hour ago, Griff said:

To be honest, I would have preferred it if the Superleague clubs were at home.  Under this system, the chances of an away day to a ground your club rarely visits are all but eliminated.

Isn't it exactly the opposite?

The lower clubs get to host a team who will bring support, they get to make it an event and earn some cash, do it the other way and you just have a quarter empty stadium.

[Impartial Observer]

It is as if this wasn't announced months ago

[Griff]

34 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

So if Round 3 was called Round 1, would that make it ok with you then?

Which is what we used to do.

It just meant that the preliminary rounds were harder to sell.

[Chris22]

 

We are now between stages 4 and 1 of the Challenge Cup cycle!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

1 hour ago, KiwiRL said:

It's the final set field of 32 teams playing straight knock out from Rd 3 this year right? If so, yes. 

You must really hate the FA Cup then!

[OriginalMrC]

Look the only way of deciding the best cup team is that every team in the country all play each other at least once in some sort of cup competition. That would be too 'convoluted' though and involve too many matches so if only there was some way of drawing teams against each other in some sort of knock out competition

We could also made it similar to the most famous cup competition in the world the FA Cup by allowing Super League clubs to join at say round three. Sounds bonkers I know but may just work.

[BilliejoesBlue]

With amateur community clubs playing against professional Super League teams, isn't this a welfare and player safety issue?

The strength and conditioning of full time athletes is a potential health and safety risk for amateur players. You wouldn't pit an amateur boxer against a top tier pro fighter.

An injury to an amateur player could mean months off work injured. 

[Click]

11 minutes ago, BilliejoesBlue said:

With amateur community clubs playing against professional Super League teams, isn't this a welfare and player safety issue?

The strength and conditioning of full time athletes is a potential health and safety risk for amateur players. You wouldn't pit an amateur boxer against a top tier pro fighter.

An injury to an amateur player could mean months off work injured. 

Why are people thinking that SL clubs are going to playing their first 13 against these community clubs? 

Rather than a mix of their reserves/younger players, like they always do when they face these types of opponents.

And an injury to an amateur player could mean months off work injured, or it could mean a couple days, or it could mean no time off work. Not all RL players are labourers when they're not playing RL.

Also an injury to a professional player is technically months off work injured.

[sam4731]

35 minutes ago, Click said:

Why are people thinking that SL clubs are going to playing their first 13 against these community clubs? 

Rather than a mix of their reserves/younger players, like they always do when they face these types of opponents.

And an injury to an amateur player could mean months off work injured, or it could mean a couple days, or it could mean no time off work. Not all RL players are labourers when they're not playing RL.

Also an injury to a professional player is technically months off work injured.

Insurance

[Padge]

Meanwhile it looks like Rose Bridge v Longhorn is going to be played. Crowd funding sources have raised a little over £2,500 to help with costs so far to get Longhorns back over to play this weekend.

Announced by Rose Bridge. (Though not seen anything from Longhorn as yet)

Location: Ince Rose Bridge Sports and Community Club, Pinfold Street

Date: Saturday 18th January

Kick-Off: 2:00 PM

 

 

[Impartial Observer]

1 hour ago, Click said:

 

Rather than a mix of their reserves/younger players, like they always do when they face these types of opponents.

 

Like when they play Hull FC you mean

 

[The Blues Ox]

11 hours ago, JohnM said:

Earlier, you wrote: Ergh Catalans at home if we get through the next round. Worst possible SL team to draw at home.

Now you write: I have zero feelings about Catalan

Which is right? Zero or negative?

Of course, should you end up playing them, your club could do something positve, like. well, lets see...trying to market the event and sell some tickets. Promote the Blue Sox vs Red Dragons, for example and I think you might find the less insular sporting population of Halifax are more aware of things over the channel than you give them credit for.  

I can have an opinion about how the draw turned out for Fax without having feelings about Catalan. They literally do not interest me as a team, I neither dislike them or like them.

10 hours ago, Damien said:

If Halifax can't sell a tie against a SL club then maybe that explains why they are were they are financially.

Half of SL clubs can't sell a tie against fellow SL clubs but the difference is they have a sugar daddy. 

[Hopie]

2 hours ago, BilliejoesBlue said:

With amateur community clubs playing against professional Super League teams, isn't this a welfare and player safety issue?

The strength and conditioning of full time athletes is a potential health and safety risk for amateur players. You wouldn't pit an amateur boxer against a top tier pro fighter.

An injury to an amateur player could mean months off work injured. 

At a time when the discussion/profile of the dangers of Rugby League are at a high point, it is a strange change to allow amateurs to be drawn routinely against pro teams. The differences in strength and conditioning between those on pro contracts and those who turn out for fun is a big risk factor. 

[sam4731]

How about to level it up, the amateur teams only have to retreat 5 instead of 10?

[Snowys Backside]

10 hours ago, Derwent said:

It’s nice when we play Leigh, gives us the opportunity to reminisce about the time we beat you 94-4 . That was 30 years ago next month in the CC 4th Round - time flies.

Best away game I have ever been too. 
 

Don’t remember a thing other than our coach breaking down outside a pub and after time !

[Gomersall]

 

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, The Blues Ox said:

I can have an opinion about how the draw turned out for Fax without having feelings about Catalan. They literally do not interest me as a team, I neither dislike them or like them.

Half of SL clubs can't sell a tie against fellow SL clubs but the difference is they have a sugar daddy. 

Who are these clubs? In reality, only Salford and Hudds get bad crowds regularly.

[Padge]

6 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Who are these clubs? In reality, only Salford and Hudds get bad crowds regularly.

I think he means two SL clubs playing in a challenge cup round, not the regular SL season.

Which makes you wonder why he thinks Fax v an SL club other than Catalan will be a massive draw.

Edited January 15 by Padge

[JohnM]

2 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

I can have an opinion about how the draw turned out for Fax without having feelings about Catalan. They literally do not interest me as a team, I neither dislike them or like them.

Half of SL clubs can't sell a tie against fellow SL clubs but the difference is they have a sugar daddy. 

Sugar daddy (plural sugar daddies)

A man who spends money on an often younger romantic or sexual partner in order to maintain the relationship. 

Usage notes

This term typically implies that there is a romantic relationship between the two

[Hopie]

1 hour ago, Padge said:

I think he means two SL clubs playing in a challenge cup round, not the regular SL season.

Which makes you wonder why he thinks Fax v an SL club other than Catalan will be a massive draw.

If you (the collective you) genuinely think that most Super League clubs wouldn't take more fans to Halifax than Catalans then I am very surprised, as such Halifax would have benefitted financially from drawing a different Super League team, some more than others.

Games with a good travelling support have a better atmosphere, and more traditional rivals do attract fans who remember those rivalries from the time they used to attend, nostalgia bait, so it is easier to attract lapsed fans too. What evidence is there that this fixture would attract more fans than another draw?

This is just reality, I'd suggest those posting defensively about this accept it rather than seeking to defend the expansionist club when it is not needed. Catalans bring more to the game than their travelling support to this one fixture but when a club only has one game in the cup to boost their coffers, its no surprise to see disappointment that there were bigger fish available.

[Padge]

20 minutes ago, Hopie said:

If you (the collective you) genuinely think that most Super League clubs wouldn't take more fans to Halifax than Catalans then I am very surprised, as such Halifax would have benefitted financially from drawing a different Super League team, some more than others.

Games with a good travelling support have a better atmosphere, and more traditional rivals do attract fans who remember those rivalries from the time they used to attend, nostalgia bait, so it is easier to attract lapsed fans too. What evidence is there that this fixture would attract more fans than another draw?

This is just reality, I'd suggest those posting defensively about this accept it rather than seeking to defend the expansionist club when it is not needed. Catalans bring more to the game than their travelling support to this one fixture but when a club only has one game in the cup to boost their coffers, its no surprise to see disappointment that there were bigger fish available.

He said SL v SL cannot create a crowd, 

Once again we have a professional club relying on away support to pay their bills without putting any effort at all in themselves to get their own supporters or neutral supporters to attend an event.

We want a local SL club, that way we don't have to do anything, after all they will turn out in droves for SL v Champs match when they won't turn out for SL v SL.

Its lazy, what would happen if they drew a none SL club, who would they blame for no feka turning up then.

Typical bone idle gimme Yorkshire club attitude.

 

Edited January 15 by Padge

[Hopie]

1 minute ago, Padge said:

He said SL v SL cannot create a crowd, 

Once again we have a professional club relying on away support to pay their bills without putting any effort at all in themselves to get their own supporters or neutral supporters to attend an event.

We want a local SL club, that way we don't have to do anything, after all the will turn out in droves for SL v Champs match when they won't turn out for SL v SL.

Its lazy, what would happen if they drew a none SL club, who would they blame for feka turning up then.

Typical bone idle gimme Yorkshire club attitude.

 

What rubbish, and obviously doesn't address my question it all.

If they market it well, they will still attract less than a well marketed game against a club with better travelling support. 

Did you notice that the draw guaranteed Super League clubs would be playing away from home, did their travelling support not have anything to do with that?

[Padge]

9 minutes ago, Hopie said:

What rubbish, and obviously doesn't address my question it all.

If they market it well, they will still attract less than a well marketed game against a club with better travelling support. 

Did you notice that the draw guaranteed Super League clubs would be playing away from home, did their travelling support not have anything to do with that?

So a SL club is playing away from home, as per the guarantee.  

They got what they were guaranteed, we would still hear the same moans if they got Salford, why couldn't we have Leeds or Wigan not the collapsing club Salford.

This typical, and it is typical of Yorkshire clubs (gone on for over a hundred years), moaning about not playing big clubs to prop them up because they are c£@p at being successful without another team propping them up is really tiresome, get on with it and shut the fek up moaning about it.

Edited January 15 by Padge