Whitehaven RLFC v Dewsbury Rams: Sunday 16th August, KO: 15:00

[horbury ram]

Officials for Sunday

• Referee: A. Belafonte
• Reserve Referee: I. Carson
• Touch Judge 1: O. Maddock
• Touch Judge 2: R. Schofield
• Time Keeper: G. Hewer

[Transpennine Ram]

I went to watch Haven at Rochdale on Sunday with my Whitehaven pal.

They looked good. No stand out performances but well-drilled, organised and fit. Beat a Rochdale side that were much better than when we played them.

[Blind side johnny]

They are on a good run at present and I don't know how we stand for injuries etc. We will be odds against at the bookies, I'm certain.

Unfortunately another trip that I won't be making - I've drawn a blank for Cumbria this year; must make more effort in 2027.

[Wakefield Ram]

If we play well we are in with a chance. We should be fresh after a week off.

We beat them at home. We just need to show some composure and organisation in the opposition 20. 

[NickD]

We’re away so have a chance but I won’t be popping down the bookies to pit any money on.  

[graham fisher]

14 hours ago, Wakefield Ram said:

 

 We just need to show some composure and organisation in the opposition 20. 

And don’t forget to put some kicks into the corner for us to challenge

[Wakefield Ram]

7 minutes ago, graham fisher said:

And don’t forget to put some kicks into the corner for us to challenge

I've given up on that

But hopefully Tom Delaney will catch one from the opposition and run the length of the field to score..

[Crown Flatter]

Whitehaven look certain to be in the play-offs, so it will be between us and Batley most likely. We have had a good run with winning matches away from home, but that seems to have ceased after allowing Goole to win after we took the lead late on.
 

‘Haven are in a rich vein of form, winning 7 of their last 9 matches and I can’t see us winning this one; we just haven’t the nous to play for 80 minutes.

Whitehaven 30-12 Dewsbury

FTS: Lumb

MoM: Nelmes

Att: 684

Edited August 12 by Crown Flatter

[Wakefield Ram]

1 hour ago, Crown Flatter said:

Whitehaven look certain to be in the play-offs, so will be between us and Batley. We have had a good run with winning matches away from home, but that seems to have ceased after allowing Goole to win after we took the Alexa late on.
 

‘Haven are in a rich vein of form, winning 7 of their last 9 matches and I can’t see us winning this one; we just haven’t the nous to play for 80 minutes.

Whitehaven 30-12 Dewsbury

FTS: Lumb

MoM: Nelmes

Att: 684

We won't be in the play-offs 

[Crown Flatter]

2 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

We won't be in the play-offs 

Definitely not, the way we are playing.

[Blind side johnny]

2 hours ago, Crown Flatter said:

Definitely not, the way we are playing.

Three wins in 8 days would see us go sailing into the playoffs and a crushing 1st round defeat. That's what was expected in '73 wasn't it?

[coolie]

Will be the final nail in the playoff coffin in 2026  

Defeat and we're done 

Rochdale (we could win) 

Batley (we won't win) 

Newcastle (not a chance of a win) 

And for some there will be relief the 2026 campaign is over, and be remembered for been the most disjointed, dull, uneventful (bar a few wins at the start of the season) 

Have we accomplished our goals for this season NO

Has it been a successful season NO

Should we have made the top 10 YES

Stand out moments of the season 

Losing a 28 nil lead in 40 minutes of rugby 

S.h.itshow at Keighley 

Losing in the last second at home to Sheffield 

Losing to Goole at home 

Losing to what felt like twice against Goole at their ground 

Yes I'm struggling for a positive through the fog of war of my mind 

Can someone please give me some positives about the 2026 season please  

Edited August 13 by coolie

[NickD]

2 hours ago, coolie said:

Will be the final nail in the playoff coffin in 2026  

Defeat and we're done 

Rochdale (we could win) 

Batley (we won't win) 

Newcastle (not a chance of a win) 

And for some there will be relief the 2026 campaign is over, and be remembered for been the most disjointed, dull, uneventful (bar a few wins at the start of the season) 

Have we accomplished our goals for this season NO

Has it been a successful season NO

Should we have made the top 10 YES

Stand out moments of the season 

Losing a 28 nil lead in 40 minutes of rugby 

S.h.itshow at Keighley 

Losing in the last second at home to Sheffield 

Losing to Goole at home 

Losing to what felt like twice against Goole at their ground 

Yes I'm struggling for a positive through the fog of war of my mind 

Can someone please give me some positives about the 2026 season please  

Cracking post Coolie.  My memories of this season will also be pants but…..reckon if you were one of the stalwarts that go away you’d be pretty pleased. We have won some crackers on the road while losing some stinkers at home.  Goole at home, where we missed all the conversions was bad but  the  last minute loss to Sheffield when we knocked on at the scrum will linger a long and long and long and long time in the mind.  Last week wasn’t much better to be honest but at least there were “some” mitigating circumstances.  
Cant see another win Sunday but you never know. Apparently we like a nice wide pitch so here’s hoping whitehavens fits the bill. 

[Blind side johnny]

2 hours ago, coolie said:

Will be the final nail in the playoff coffin in 2026  

Defeat and we're done 

Rochdale (we could win) 

Batley (we won't win) 

Newcastle (not a chance of a win) 

And for some there will be relief the 2026 campaign is over, and be remembered for been the most disjointed, dull, uneventful (bar a few wins at the start of the season) 

Have we accomplished our goals for this season NO

Has it been a successful season NO

Should we have made the top 10 YES

Stand out moments of the season 

Losing a 28 nil lead in 40 minutes of rugby 

S.h.itshow at Keighley 

Losing in the last second at home to Sheffield 

Losing to Goole at home 

Losing to what felt like twice against Goole at their ground 

Yes I'm struggling for a positive through the fog of war of my mind 

Can someone please give me some positives about the 2026 season please  

It was a lot better than a few that I can remember, and some of those are in quite recent times.

We haven't lost to an amateur side in the cup.
We haven't finished next to bottom.
The stand didn't burn down.
We didn't spend all season at Mount Pleasant.

BTW you forgot losing at the death at Batley.

Cheer up they said, things could be worse.
So I cheered up, and they were worse.

[Transpennine Ram]

Hunslet away was ace. Actual game management. Rochdale away was a riot. I missed Newcastle this year. Barrow away up until half time.....if you could bottle that feeling.

Enjoyed the ice cream and the choir at Keighley the first time.

[Wakefield Ram]

It started well and gradually trailed off. Think the turning point was the two close last gasp defeats to Sheffield and Batley. Could have won both if we had landed an easy kick in each game. 

From then the season seems to have faded away. Effort has always been top drawer but think the lack of size upfront wore us down and the other things that have held us back all season. But we could have made the play-offs even with just a better kicker. 

Not sure yet what 2027 holds, but if PM stays, I won't be coming. I've already spent two seasons watching the exact same sets of 6 from Dewsbury in every game. 

[Blind side johnny]

3 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

It started well and gradually trailed off. Think the turning point was the two close last gasp defeats to Sheffield and Batley. Could have won both if we had landed an easy kick in each game. 

From then the season seems to have faded away. Effort has always been top drawer but think the lack of size upfront wore us down and the other things that have held us back all season. But we could have made the play-offs even with just a better kicker. 

Not sure yet what 2027 holds, but if PM stays, I won't be coming. I've already spent two seasons watching the exact same sets of 6 from Dewsbury in every game. 

Do you think if the McShanes had remained things would have been different?

We will need a new kicker in 2027 if what I hear is correct.

Edited August 13 by Blind side johnny

[grumpyoldram]

10 hours ago, coolie said:

Will be the final nail in the playoff coffin in 2026  

Defeat and we're done 

Rochdale (we could win) 

Batley (we won't win) 

Newcastle (not a chance of a win) 

And for some there will be relief the 2026 campaign is over, and be remembered for been the most disjointed, dull, uneventful (bar a few wins at the start of the season) 

Have we accomplished our goals for this season NO

Has it been a successful season NO

Should we have made the top 10 YES

Stand out moments of the season 

Losing a 28 nil lead in 40 minutes of rugby 

S.h.itshow at Keighley 

Losing in the last second at home to Sheffield 

Losing to Goole at home 

Losing to what felt like twice against Goole at their ground 

Yes I'm struggling for a positive through the fog of war of my mind 

Can someone please give me some positives about the 2026 season please  

The weather’s been nice in Lincolnshire.

[Wakefield Ram]

32 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

Do you think if the McShanes had remained things would have been different?

We will need a new kicker in 2027 if what I hear is correct.

Craig McShane was a big loss, but Bailey O'Connor is a very talented player and wasn't given much opportunity at centre.

But no I don't think it would have changed much.

If we do need a new kicker next year, think we've got a better one already in O'Connor. 

[grumpyoldram]

7 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

It was a lot better than a few that I can remember, and some of those are in quite recent times.

We haven't lost to an amateur side in the cup.
We haven't finished next to bottom.
The stand didn't burn down.
We didn't spend all season at Mount Pleasant.

BTW you forgot losing at the death at Batley.

Cheer up they said, things could be worse.
So I cheered up, and they were worse.

There’s the rub. The Norman Smith years at batley were the ones I remember as being the most entertaining, apart from our couple of glory years obviously.

[NickD]

40 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

It started well and gradually trailed off. Think the turning point was the two close last gasp defeats to Sheffield and Batley. Could have won both if we had landed an easy kick in each game. 

From then the season seems to have faded away. Effort has always been top drawer but think the lack of size upfront wore us down and the other things that have held us back all season. But we could have made the play-offs even with just a better kicker. 

Not sure yet what 2027 holds, but if PM stays, I won't be coming. I've already spent two seasons watching the exact same sets of 6 from Dewsbury in every game. 

Good comments WR.   Goal kicking has been very erratic and def cost us points.  Imagine if we had Barry Eaton back

The lack of a decent pack size has probably cost us more mind.    As someone else posted we have a cracking back line but they are battling behind a beaten pack too often. I suspect it’s no accident we have most of our games on wider pitches.  
you haven’t mentioned it this time but the lack of a kicking game on the opps line is also so frustrating.    
Hopefully all the off field stuff will bolster the budget we will pick up next year but hard to criticise anyone who walks away to be honest. 

[NickD]

8 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

Craig McShane was a big loss, but Bailey O'Connor is a very talented player and wasn't given much opportunity at centre.

But no I don't think it would have changed much.

If we do need a new kicker next year, think we've got a better one already in O'Connor. 

Disagree.   Think the loss of the Mackers was massive and I think we’d have be in a far better position if they’d stayed. 

[NickD]

6 minutes ago, grumpyoldram said:

There’s the rub. The Norman Smith years at batley were the ones I remember as being the most entertaining, apart from our couple of glory years obviously.

Best three years of following Dewsbury I have had for sure.   All at Mount Unpleasnt

[Wakefield Ram]

1 minute ago, NickD said:

Disagree.   Think the loss of the Mackers was massive and I think we’d have be in a far better position if they’d stayed. 

It's what forums are for It'd be pretty dull if we all agreed all the time. 

[Wakefield Ram]

27 minutes ago, NickD said:

You haven’t mentioned it this time but the lack of a kicking game on the opps line is also so frustrating.    
Hopefully all the off field stuff will bolster the budget we will pick up next year but hard to criticise anyone who walks away to be honest. 

True, but if you want the full list..

Going into many games with just one prop. Luke Nelmes is my player of the season for his efforts this year. Louis Collinson isn't a prop. 

And not selecting two of our biggest forwards Everett and Tomlinson. But then PM barely selected Sam Day last season. That didn't make sense either. 

Drafting in Louie Walker from playing NCL to play at stand off. Hunslet unsurprisingly ruthlessly exposed this.

Substitutes. Some players playing 10-15 minutes with others being flogged to play 80 minutes.

No kicking game in the opposition 20. We have great catchers in Graham and Delaney. We have put kicks through and scored tries, but nowhere near often enough. Instead we get some random play that the rest of the team don't know about. 

Sticking all season with a kicker who missed easily kickable goals that cost us matches. 

PM has created a team in his own image. A tough, competitive side that battles for 80 minutes. But it needs more than effort to win most matches. After 3 seasons, I can't see it changing. 

Edited August 13 by Wakefield Ram