Sun 23rd Feb: The Betfred Championship Match Thread

[John Drake]

Discuss this weekend's Betfred Championship games here.

SUNDAY 23rd FEBRUARY
Halifax Panthers v Barrow Raiders KO 15:00
Hunslet v Bradford Bulls KO 15:00
London Broncos v Featherstone Rovers KO 15:00
Oldham v Batley Bulldogs KO 15:00
Widnes Vikings v Sheffield Eagles KO 15:00
York Knights v Toulouse Olympique KO 15:00

[roversspud]

25 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Discuss this weekend's Betfred Championship games here.

SUNDAY 23rd FEBRUARY
Halifax Panthers v Barrow Raiders KO 15:00
Hunslet v Bradford Bulls KO 15:00
London Broncos v Featherstone Rovers KO 15:00
Oldham v Batley Bulldogs KO 15:00
Widnes Vikings v Sheffield Eagles KO 15:00
York Knights v Toulouse Olympique KO 15:00

The Neets against TO XIII will be close but I expect a response from York to last weeks' debacle.

[Barley Mow]

Halifax Panthers v Barrow Raiders          by 14
Hunslet v Bradford Bulls                           by 18 
London Broncos v Featherstone Rovers by 12
Oldham v Batley Bulldogs                         by 20
Widnes Vikings v Sheffield Eagles          by 8
York Knights v Toulouse Olympique         by 4

[Trinity1873]

Halifax, Bulls, Fev, Oldham, Widnes, York

[Roughyed Rats]

Fax, Bulls, Fev, Oldham, Sheffield, Toulouse

[Normy_Rover]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

Halifax Panthers v Barrow Raiders KO 15:00
Hunslet v Bradford Bulls KO 15:00
London Broncos v Featherstone Rovers KO 15:00
Oldham v Batley Bulldogs KO 15:00
Widnes Vikings v Sheffield Eagles KO 15:00
York Knights v Toulouse Olympique KO 15:00

 

[The Phantom Horseman]

Some interesting dual reg  and loan selections this week. Konrad Hurrell is again in Halifax's squad (they seem to have only named 18 players if the RFL website is correct), and now another big-name centre in Warrington's Roderick Tai, who played in last year's Challenge Cup Final, has been drafted into the Widnes squad on DR, along with Max Wood.

Batley have Jayden Myers and Isaac Shaw in on DR from Wakefield whils London have three Wigan players in on loan.

York v Toulouse perhaps the hardest game to call this weekend, York will be smarting from last week and determined to fight back whilst Toulouse probably should have won last week having dropepd the ball over the line three times but are struggling with injuries/lack of a half back and the loss of Dom Peyroux will hit them especially hard.

Until about a week ago I thought Fev's game at London would be an opportunity to pad the points difference stats but it now has a very different look after London seemed transformed against Bradford and were full value for their half time lead whilst Fev are missing both half backs from last week with Reynolds injured and Herring having departed on compassionate leave. Reynolds is by some way Fev's most important player and this suddenly has the look of a very trappy game for them.

Elsewhere I'd probably go with the likely favourites in Fax, Bradford, Oldham and Widnes.

 

[JonM]

9 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

now another big-name centre in Warrington's Roderick Tai, who played in last year's Challenge Cup Final, has been drafted into the Widnes squad on DR

Where have you seen that, out of interest? Can't see an announcement from either club. I know he got injured in pre-season training and missed last week and was expected back this week, so it might make sense for Warrington.

[The Phantom Horseman]

6 minutes ago, JonM said:

Where have you seen that, out of interest? Can't see an announcement from either club. I know he got injured in pre-season training and missed last week and was expected back this week, so it might make sense for Warrington.

https://www.rugby-league.com/match-centre/match-preview/2298679

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Bradford only away winners.

[JonM]

The forecast weather for Sunday afternoon might level a few games up. Toulouse's lack of a kicking game might not matter so much when any high ball is going to end up behind one set of posts or the other.

[The Masked Poster]

Can you pay on the gate at Hunslet? 

[JonM]

7 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

Can you pay on the gate at Hunslet? 

You can. It's £25 though (for the Widnes NRC game, at least. Maybe not for regular season fixtures.) £20 if you buy online in advance.

[The Masked Poster]

40 minutes ago, JonM said:

You can. It's £25 though (for the Widnes NRC game, at least. Maybe not for regular season fixtures.) £20 if you buy online in advance.

Cheers. It's not 100% but I'm hoping to meet up with an old friend and it would be ideal. I'll see....

[The Blues Ox]

Halifax Panthers v Barrow Raiders Fax by 16
Hunslet v Bradford Bulls Bradford by 28
London Broncos v Featherstone Rovers Fev by 4
Oldham v Batley Bulldogs Oldham by 16
Widnes Vikings v Sheffield Eagles Widnes by 10
York Knights v Toulouse Olympique York by 8

[DEANO]

4 hours ago, JonM said:

Where have you seen that, out of interest? Can't see an announcement from either club. I know he got injured in pre-season training and missed last week and was expected back this week, so it might make sense for Warrington.

Make sense for warrington?. Are you implying that they are using another club to get their player match fit at the expense of someone who’s been training since before Christmas 

[JonM]

36 minutes ago, DEANO said:

Make sense for warrington?. Are you implying that they are using another club to get their player match fit at the expense of someone who’s been training since before Christmas 

If I'd meant to imply that, I would have said it. Given the size of the WIdnes squad, I don't think he would've been taking the place of someone else anyway. It's going to get a bit boring if you keep making the same point about DR every week, particularly as most of us agree and I don't think anyone here has the power to do much about it.

In any case, he's not in the 20 man squad that Widnes have announced on social media, so I assume that means he's not actually playing.

[DEANO]

There is something every club could do. They could refuse the deal. 

[Fevrover]

6 hours ago, Chronicler of Chiswick said:

Bradford only away winners.

You honestly think Hunslet will beat Bradford?

[ricky]

28 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

You honestly think Hunslet will beat Bradford?

I think you've misunderstood his post

[Fevrover]

1 minute ago, ricky said:

I think you've misunderstood his post

Lol i did cheers.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

12 hours ago, Fevrover said:

You honestly think Hunslet will beat Bradford?

Given my track record in predictions that'll probably happen!

Edited February 22 by Chronicler of Chiswick

[Fevrover]

11 minutes ago, Chronicler of Chiswick said:

Given my track record in predictions that'll probably happen!

Can you imagine my predictions lol.

[ricky]

I'm going to exploit my all-encompassing ignorance and predict more away wins than home wins. When I am, inevitably, hopelessly wrong, no one will take the blindest bit of notice; if fate, though, trips over its shoelaces and produces enough away wins to make me right, I'll look like a blessèd idiot savant (o.n.o.)

[Ainley Top]

14 hours ago, DEANO said:

There is something every club could do. They could refuse the deal. 

Spot on️