Fri 8th-Sun 10th Aug: The Betfred Championship Match Thread

[League Express]

Fri 8th-Sun 10th Aug: The Betfred Championship Match Thread

Discuss the games here.

Please don't accuse match officials of deliberate bias or cheating, or your posts will be removed and your account may be banned without further warning.

FRIDAY 8th AUGUST
Bradford Bulls v Doncaster KO 19:45

SUNDAY 10th AUGUST
Halifax Panthers v Sheffield Eagles KO 15:00 (at Bartercard Odsal, Bradford)
Hunslet v York Knights KO 15:00
London Broncos v Toulouse Olympique KO 13:00
Oldham v Barrow Raiders KO 15:00
Widnes Vikings v Batley Bulldogs KO 15:00
 

[Fevrover]

Donny,Fax, Knights, Toulouse, Oldham and Widnes.

 

[Vyvyan]

Bradford

Fax

York

Toulouse

Barrow

Widnes

[doc]

6 hours ago, League Express said:

Fri 8th-Sun 10th Aug: The Betfred Championship Match Thread

FRIDAY 8th AUGUST

Bradford Bulls v Doncaster KO 19:45

SUNDAY 10th AUGUST
Halifax Panthers v Sheffield Eagles KO 15:00 (at Bartercard Odsal, Bradford)
Hunslet v York Knights KO 15:00
London Broncos v Toulouse Olympique KO 13:00
Oldham v Barrow Raiders KO 15:00
Widnes Vikings v Batley Bulldogs KO 15:00
 

 

[Jemmo]

After a period of relative stability Dons now have hit their injury ridden period with gusto (everyone gets them, it's out turn). Literally going into this with no three quarters and half the pack missing.

If we had a kids team I'd be writing Friday off and sending them

[Fevrover]

50 minutes ago, Jemmo said:

After a period of relative stability Dons now have hit their injury ridden period with gusto (everyone gets them, it's out turn). Literally going into this with no three quarters and half the pack missing.

If we had a kids team I'd be writing Friday off and sending them

We had ours earlier in season, York and Donny having theirs now,other clubs have also been hit hard  throughout the season. We still have some players out like most if not all clubs.

Edited August 7 by Fevrover

[Jemmo]

6 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

We had ours earlier in season, York and Donny having theirs now,other clubs have also been hit hard  throughout the season. We still have some players out like most if not all clubs.

Aye. I always say when supporters complian about their injuries that we all get it. Our first month was pretty bad, then been managable at worst, until the last week or so.

We've done what we set off to do really this year so I'm not going to moan, what will be will be

[Bulls2487]

1 hour ago, Jemmo said:

After a period of relative stability Dons now have hit their injury ridden period with gusto (everyone gets them, it's out turn). Literally going into this with no three quarters and half the pack missing.

If we had a kids team I'd be writing Friday off and sending them

The Bulls had ours earlier in the season. We have everyone back now except Donaldson who is done for the season. 

[Barley Mow]

Bradford Bulls v Doncaster
Halifax Panthers v Sheffield Eagles 
Hunslet v York Knights 
London Broncos v Toulouse Olympique 
Oldham v Barrow Raiders
Widnes Vikings v Batley Bulldogs

[The Phantom Horseman]

Some good points above regarding injuries - this is probably an unpopular view but I have always thought that if P & R is to take place, whether traditionally or via a points-scoring system, the league leaders' table is going to be the most informative and fair method of deciding it rather than a knock-out comp at the end of the season when everyone's beat up, injuries can have a massive impact on a short-term scale, and some clubs might have just improved dramatically over the closing weeks by adding a few late short-term signings.

 

[TrueBull]

19 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Some good points above regarding injuries - this is probably an unpopular view but I have always thought that if P & R is to take place, whether traditionally or via a points-scoring system, the league leaders' table is going to be the most informative and fair method of deciding it rather than a knock-out comp at the end of the season when everyone's beat up, injuries can have a massive impact on a short-term scale, and some clubs might have just improved dramatically over the closing weeks by adding a few late short-term signings.

 

Some clubs as in Bradford, York and Toulouse.....

Who all have the most to gain. 

[TrueBull]

All home wins apart from Hunslet. 

[The Phantom Horseman]

1 minute ago, TrueBull said:

Some clubs as in Bradford, York and Toulouse.....

Who all have the most to gain. 

I wasn't really talking about this year, it happens most years. For instance my own team Featherstone was only 30 minutes away from getting into SL in 2019 from a fifth-placed finish with a team that was unrecognisable in terms of personnel from the first half of the season, and then in 2023 key short-term signings such as Cory Norman and Dean Phare got London into SL from the same finishing position, in both cases the 2 clubs finished 18 points behind the league leaders. I just think too much emphasis is placed on winner-takes-all play-off games which doesn't necessarily elevate the best team over the course of the year.

[Jemmo]

36 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Some good points above regarding injuries - this is probably an unpopular view but I have always thought that if P & R is to take place, whether traditionally or via a points-scoring system, the league leaders' table is going to be the most informative and fair method of deciding it rather than a knock-out comp at the end of the season when everyone's beat up, injuries can have a massive impact on a short-term scale, and some clubs might have just improved dramatically over the closing weeks by adding a few late short-term signings.

 

Agreed

Even when we (Donny) got promoted from League One we took advantage of deadline day recruitment to help it along the way

[Simon Hall]

3 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

 I just think too much emphasis is placed on winner-takes-all play-off games which doesn't necessarily elevate the best team over the course of the year.

Winning the play-offs doesn't elevate the best team now either.

[Fevrover]

1 hour ago, Jemmo said:

Aye. I always say when supporters complian about their injuries that we all get it. Our first month was pretty bad, then been managable at worst, until the last week or so.

We've done what we set off to do really this year so I'm not going to moan, what will be will be

Yeah we can't change owt lol.

[The Phantom Horseman]

5 minutes ago, Simon Hall said:

Winning the play-offs doesn't elevate the best team now either.

No it doesn't, and league position is significantly under-represented in the IMG scoring system in my position, but as I stated "if P & R is to take place, whether traditionally or via a points-scoring system, the league leaders' table is going to be the most informative and fair method of deciding it".

It's probably a moot point now given the switch to 14  but I'd say, for instance, that York are better judged on their overall performance over a kernel-smoothing 24-game season when they have mostly had their starting half backs than on perhaps a wet windy September fielding a new half back combination.

[Expatknight]

1 minute ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

No it doesn't, and league position is significantly under-represented in the IMG scoring system in my position, but as I stated "if P & R is to take place, whether traditionally or via a points-scoring system, the league leaders' table is going to be the most informative and fair method of deciding it".

It's probably a moot point now given the switch to 14  but I'd say, for instance, that York are better judged on their overall performance over a kernel-smoothing 24-game season when they have mostly had their starting half backs than on perhaps a wet windy September fielding a new half back combination.

Very true, London being promoted from where they were is a classic example as has already been pointed out, and that didn’t do them any favours whatsoever. 

[Southern Reiver]

10 minutes ago, Expatknight said:

Very true, London being promoted from where they were is a classic example as has already been pointed out, and that didn’t do them any favours whatsoever. 

Err think you are forgetting the IMG and RFL position. Broncos being told before preseason they were being relegated at the end of SL, sort of influences how much money you spend on a team.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

York only away winners.

[The Blues Ox]

8 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

I wasn't really talking about this year, it happens most years. For instance my own team Featherstone was only 30 minutes away from getting into SL in 2019 from a fifth-placed finish with a team that was unrecognisable in terms of personnel from the first half of the season, and then in 2023 key short-term signings such as Cory Norman and Dean Phare got London into SL from the same finishing position, in both cases the 2 clubs finished 18 points behind the league leaders. I just think too much emphasis is placed on winner-takes-all play-off games which doesn't necessarily elevate the best team over the course of the year.

Hunslet another example. They were in no way equipped to play in the Championship this season and it would have been way better for the Championship to have kept Swinton in. As it were the division was weakened for the sake of 80 minutes of excitment in a play off game.

[gogledd]

York and Toulouse away wins..all the rest home wins

[Simon Hall]

12 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

Hunslet another example. They were in no way equipped to play in the Championship this season and it would have been way better for the Championship to have kept Swinton in. As it were the division was weakened for the sake of 80 minutes of excitment in a play off game.

That was one of the most entertaining games I saw last season. Don’t think there’s many Hunslet fans who would swap that for anything,

One of my favourite RL memories was when York won the 2010 playoff, we went up and got beat most weeks but that final still lives on in my memory. 

[Normy_Rover]

On 06/08/2025 at 16:41, League Express said:

FRIDAY 8th AUGUST
Bradford Bulls v Doncaster

SUNDAY 10th AUGUST
Halifax Panthers v Sheffield Eagles 
Hunslet v York Knights
London Broncos v Toulouse Olympique 
Oldham v Barrow Raiders 
Widnes Vikings v Batley Bulldogs 

 

[The Blues Ox]

58 minutes ago, Simon Hall said:

That was one of the most entertaining games I saw last season. Don’t think there’s many Hunslet fans who would swap that for anything,

One of my favourite RL memories was when York won the 2010 playoff, we went up and got beat most weeks but that final still lives on in my memory. 

Which is exactly what that format is designed for. I love the playoffs, I just don't think you can have a playoff that involves teams from 2 divisions especially how the RFL did it with the Championship & League 1 last season. Hunslet ended up with an unlikely promotion and this season has been a complete shambles on the field and off the field for them and has probably set them back a number of years, or at least it might have if the divisions were not going to be merged.

Its funny you mention play off games as one of my favorites in my time watching Fax was the York playoff relegation game, I can't imagine the disaster we would have faced if we were relegated that season and the comeback in that game was one for the ages and set us on the path to been one of the most succesful clubs in the Championship over the next few years.