Hello! A New Trin Fan Looking Forward to Their First SL Season!

[Lucy_1873]

Disclaimer: I apologise if this is in the wrong thread, I could not find a dedicated introductions thread.

 

Hello everyone! I'm Lucy, it's nice to meet you all. I have recently decided to embrace watching Rugby League and am certainly looking forward to my first SL season.

 

A bit of background information about me - Here are Five Facts about me: 

 

1. I'm a native of East Anglia (Norfolk & Suffolk, I won't hear anyone include Essex or Cambridgeshire in with us).

 

2. I'm a graduate of De Montfort University International Centre of Sports and Culture, having received my Masters in 2021.

 

3. I first watched a League game when I was still doing my paper round, with the advantage that my early mornings allowed me to catch some NRL coverage. 

 

4. I decided to support Wakefield Trinity for some reason that may appear odd but are rational to myself - I liked their badge and colours, They are an old club, and they hadn't won a major trophy (Top Division/CC since the 1960). I didn't want to be seen as a glory hunter.

 

5. Rugby League is a novelty in East Anglia, with only Kings Lynn and Wymondham of Norfolk boasting the Knights and Anglian Vipers respectively - with the latter missing out on L1 as Goole Vikings were picked. Had they not missed out I would have probably picked the Vipers due to location. Suffolk no longer has to my knowledge a League team (it's a poor footballing codes county with Ipswich Town being it's only professional side for the Association game, and Bury St Edmunds probably the best amateur Union side). Eastern Rhinos RL used to be based in Ipswich but is now based in Colchester, Essex.

 

While I'm still trying to get my head around all the rules of the game - it's a lot different from the association game - I've indulged in some CC 3rd Round action and love it. Unlike football, where I can watch a neutral game with little passion, watching a neutral RL game has my heart in my throat. It was particularly good seeing Bradford beat Castleford 18-16, as well as Halifax Panthers defending amazing in their first half against Catalans.

 

While I understand that having achieved A Grading Wakefield cannot be relegated, my only hope for us is that we don't come bottom. However, if Castleford doesn't play better they may be more prone to suffering such a fate... But what do I know, I'm new to the game!

 

I'd love to hear from fellow Trin fan and non-fan alike, as I hope to become a semi regular member of this community.

Edited February 9 by Lucy_1873

[Padge]

Welcome.

[Lucy_1873]

Just now, Padge said:

Welcome.

Thank you!

[unapologetic pedant]

1 hour ago, Padge said:

Welcome.

To the Pleasuredome.

[Jonty58]

Welcome Lucy.

[moorside roughyed]

Welcome to the forum Lucy. You'll love the forum,there are some grumpy ones amongst us but we're mainly a decent bunch that love rugby league. Enjoy your Rugby league experience, enjoy the ride 

[The 4 of Us]

Are you sure you’re not a 50 year old Cas fan that enjoys fishing? I say 50 as I haven’t heard anyone below that age refer to the “association game” before!

[ELBOWSEYE]

Haven't they had plenty of SL seasons, or are we on one of the new restarts where we forget anything before, if so as a wire I am all for it we can reset the counter to zero and make other fans make a different song/chant.

[Eddie]

Welcome Lucy. The Anglian Vipers are working hard to build Rugby League in East Anglia, with a kids section starting this year to add to the two men’s and one women’s team. While very much amateur get yourself along to see a match at Wymomdham; it’s a friendly club, the bar is open and you’ll see some great rugby. 

[Celtic Roosters]

8 hours ago, Lucy_1873 said:

Disclaimer: I apologise if this is in the wrong thread, I could not find a dedicated introductions thread.

 

Hello everyone! I'm Lucy, it's nice to meet you all. I have recently decided to embrace watching Rugby League and am certainly looking forward to my first SL season.

 

A bit of background information about me - Here are Five Facts about me: 

 

1. I'm a native of East Anglia (Norfolk & Suffolk, I won't hear anyone include Essex or Cambridgeshire in with us).

 

2. I'm a graduate of De Montfort University International Centre of Sports and Culture, having received my Masters in 2021.

 

3. I first watched a League game when I was still doing my paper round, with the advantage that my early mornings allowed me to catch some NRL coverage. 

 

4. I decided to support Wakefield Trinity for some reason that may appear odd but are rational to myself - I liked their badge and colours, They are an old club, and they hadn't won a major trophy (Top Division/CC since the 1960). I didn't want to be seen as a glory hunter.

 

5. Rugby League is a novelty in East Anglia, with only Kings Lynn and Wymondham of Norfolk boasting the Knights and Anglian Vipers respectively - with the latter missing out on L1 as Goole Vikings were picked. Had they not missed out I would have probably picked the Vipers due to location. Suffolk no longer has to my knowledge a League team (it's a poor footballing codes county with Ipswich Town being it's only professional side for the Association game, and Bury St Edmunds probably the best amateur Union side). Eastern Rhinos RL used to be based in Ipswich but is now based in Colchester, Essex.

 

While I'm still trying to get my head around all the rules of the game - it's a lot different from the association game - I've indulged in some CC 3rd Round action and love it. Unlike football, where I can watch a neutral game with little passion, watching a neutral RL game has my heart in my throat. It was particularly good seeing Bradford beat Castleford 18-16, as well as Halifax Panthers defending amazing in their first half against Catalans.

 

While I understand that having achieved A Grading Wakefield cannot be relegated, my only hope for us is that we don't come bottom. However, if Castleford doesn't play better they may be more prone to suffering such a fate... But what do I know, I'm new to the game!

 

I'd love to hear from fellow Trin fan and non-fan alike, as I hope to become a semi regular member of this community.

I first drove down from Salford to watch Ipswich Rhinos in the 70's and have watched them a few times since then at Ipswich RUFC (where Martin Offiah first started playing rugby) and at Ipswich YMCA RUFC, both on Humber Doucy lane in Rushmere. They also played some games in Felixtowe. I had a replica shirt until fairly recently, and they were a very well run club. They played friendlies away in Scotland and at East Leeds. I understand Pete Le Marquand, who was a player when I watched them, runs the club now in Colchester. I did have half a dozen, or so Ipswich Rhinos match programmes but I went to watch Ipswich Wanderers FC .v. Walthamstow (also on Humber Doucy lane) just before Christmas and I gave them to a guy down there. I've also watched Rugby League at South Norfolk Saints (Thetford) and Southend Invicta .v. Salford about 1984.

[Lucy_1873]

5 hours ago, Jonty58 said:

Welcome Lucy.

Thank you for your warm welcome!

[Lucy_1873]

2 hours ago, moorside roughyed said:

Welcome to the forum Lucy. You'll love the forum,there are some grumpy ones amongst us but we're mainly a decent bunch that love rugby league. Enjoy your Rugby league experience, enjoy the ride 

As a Trin fan I'll definitely love the ride!

[Lucy_1873]

2 hours ago, The 4 of Us said:

Are you sure you’re not a 50 year old Cas fan that enjoys fishing? I say 50 as I haven’t heard anyone below that age refer to the “association game” before!

It's probably because I'm a sports historian who specialised in football from 1870-1914 that I use the term so much!

[Lucy_1873]

1 hour ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

Haven't they had plenty of SL seasons, or are we on one of the new restarts where we forget anything before, if so as a wire I am all for it we can reset the counter to zero and make other fans make a different song/chant.

[Lucy_1873]

49 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Welcome Lucy. The Anglian Vipers are working hard to build Rugby League in East Anglia, with a kids section starting this year to add to the two men’s and one women’s team. While very much amateur get yourself along to see a match at Wymomdham; it’s a friendly club, the bar is open and you’ll see some great rugby. 

It's certainly on my to do list!

[sweaty craiq]

Welcome Lucy, I am sure if you attend a Wakey game that someone will offer to guide you around the occasion and help you better understand our little idiosyncrasies 

We are a unique lot in that we will passionately defend our club and sport but make all fans very welcome - enjoy the journey as you have picked a club where the ride will be interesting but to experience and enjoy the highs you must take in plenty lows

[The 4 of Us]

33 minutes ago, Lucy_1873 said:

It's probably because I'm a sports historian who specialised in football from 1870-1914 that I use the term so much!

What are the chances of that? If you post often enough, you’ll soon get your cross code privileges. 

Edited February 10 by The 4 of Us

[JohnM]

Welcome Lucy_1873. Your education in all things Rugby League (teams, matches, rules, geography, politics and future of the sport, and much more) is about to  enter a new and dynamic phase.  On here, we pontificate, discuss, argue, debate, remark, sometimes in a calm, clear informative and logical  way, sometimes in a vigorous way, sometimes in an angry and emotional way (who? me?) .

We are though, all United in our agreement that Wigan Warrors are without a doubt, better than all the rest.

Old skeptic question. Is everything as it seems? 

Edited February 10 by JohnM

[Lucy_1873]

36 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

Welcome Lucy, I am sure if you attend a Wakey game that someone will offer to guide you around the occasion and help you better understand our little idiosyncrasies 

We are a unique lot in that we will passionately defend our club and sport but make all fans very welcome - enjoy the journey as you have picked a club where the ride will be interesting but to experience and enjoy the highs you must take in plenty lows

Thanks! Who wants to be a glory hunter anyway?

[Lucy_1873]

24 minutes ago, The 4 of Us said:

What are the chances of that? If you post often enough, you’ll soon get your cross code privileges. 

Maybe 

[Lucy_1873]

24 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Welcome Lucy_1873. Your education in all things Rugby League (teams, matches, rules, geography, politics and future of the sport, and much more) is about to  enter a new and dynamic phase.  On here, we pontificate, discuss, argue, debate, remark, sometimes in a calm, clear informative and logical  way, sometimes in a vigorous way, sometimes in an angry and emotional way (who? me?) .

We are though, all United in our agreement that Wigan Warrors are without a doubt, better than all the rest.

I'm thrilled to have received such a warm welcome! What I know re: teams is: St Helens, Leeds, Wigan, are up there as biggest clubs (like Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool of the sport); Matches, are a nice even 80 mins as opposed to footballs 90 which is better; rules - faster-pace which I like, no mauls; Geography - clubs are relevantly close together in Northern England (one reason I was reluctant to embrace the game earlier was my unfounded fears I wouldn't be accepted as I'm not a Northerner); politics - would love to see how it compares to the politics of the Association game, especially re: long-fan/foreign fans.

Yes I gather Wigan are a sure bet given the amount of trophies they've won!

[Damien]

Geez Wakey get a bit of money and all the glory hunters jump on the bandwagon!

Seriously though, welcome to the forum Lucy.

[Lucy_1873]

30 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Old skeptic question. Is everything as it seems? 

Unfortunately so - the curse of being autistic is getting far too in-depth about passions, especially new passions, and I'm in a bored period as job searching is depressing as hell.

[BadlyOverdrawnBoy]

As a sports historian you need to read The Forbidden Game by Mike Rylance. This will explain the antipathy towards Rugby Union expressed by some posters.

[Lucy_1873]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

Geez Wakey get a bit of money and all the glory hunters jump on the bandwagon!

Seriously though, welcome to the forum Lucy.

Thanks Damien. Perhaps this may be controversial about these parts (being new) but I think SL should consider relegation again via sporting means not only IMG grading - although that should also be a factor - as if Wakey go all season without a win (for example) they should be able to reset in the Championship for a year re: last year.