WIDNES VIKINGS say they could withdraw from the 1895 Cup final over a row with the RFL about fixture scheduling.
The Vikings are due to tackle Championship leaders London Broncos at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31.
That means both finalists rescheduling their last matches of the regular league season, which would have taken place over that weekend.
London will now meet Swinton at Richmond Athletic Ground on Saturday, September 5, which is the weekend of the first stage of the play-offs.
With the Broncos almost certain not to be involved until the second stage (the top two in the final table sit out the first stage) and the Lions highly unlikely to make the top ten, that date was given the green light.
But the situation with Widnes’ away game against Sheffield is trickier given the Vikings could well have a play-off tie the weekend after the 1895 showpiece.
Because there is no mutually free weekend before, the match looks set for a midweek slot – something Widnes are unhappy with, citing player welfare concerns.
Chairman Stuart Murphy, speaking on the club’s Forge Podcast recently, said: “We were getting asked to play the game on (Thursday) August 27.
“As it stands, we would play Workington on (Sunday) August 23, then Sheffield on August 27 then the 1895 Cup final on August 31,
“That is 100% not acceptable in terms of player welfare, player registrations or anything else.
“Sheffield are not pushing this, they want the best for both sides.”
Final positions in the table determine when teams come into the play-offs, whether or not they are involved in elimination ties, and who has home advantage.
And Murphy added: “If the league ends up more important to us, we won’t play the cup final.
“And we’ve thrown it the other way. If it actually ends up we can’t change position in the league, then we’ll just field whatever strength squad we need to for Sheffield to make sure we’ve got a competitive squad for the 1895 Cup final.”