*** Official Rugby League SLXXIV Thread ***

18-6 at half time. Allez Dragons!

***edit***

Second half kicks off and again a high tackle on Casty early on. Guess we know what the game plan is from opposing teams this year...clobber the captain :rolleyes: Tomkins has made the penalty, so the lead is now 20-6.

***edit 2***

Farrell's just hurt himself trying to tackle Whitley. He's going to have to be replaced.
 
Last edited:
A fluid first half gave way to a bruising, stop-start second. But we end up taking the contest 27-10.

Good showing from us. Matt Whitley was particularly excellent. Sam Tomkins played well, that last try was rather more down to opportunity and luck than skill and judgement but what the hell. You make your own luck, and he was aware and in the right place when the ball got bouncy.

Hopefully we can make Brutus a bit more of a fortress this season, anyone who comes here needs to expect a bloody tough encounter rather than a 'gimme'. We got beat at home too often in the last campaign.

***edit***

The tries from the game, courtesy of les Dracs' YT:

 
Last edited:
Missed the Catalan game unfortunately.

Was disappointed today, but not for the usual reasons. Rovers performance against Warrington was excellent today, barring a couple of errors we should have been much closer and the scoreline is perhaps a little harsh on Rovers. 22-18 would have been fairer, we probably didn't deserve to win, but we deserved a more respectable scoreline, the Rovers squad this year is made of stern stuff and that's arguably our hardest fixture out of the way.

One thing, I didn't see it too clearly but it looked potentially like an elbow from Blake Austin on Joel Tomkins when he was already tackled on the ground. Tomkins then got taken straight to hospital with an extremely severe concussion, including loss of memory. He got a sin bin, but I think could see a ban for that. Must have been quite some elbow force to do that much damage. Very disappointed to lose Joel in the game though, he's a key member of the team.
 
Last edited:
The Austin-Tomkins incident didn't look like much (at least, not malicious) at first glance, but it gets worse every time I see it replayed. Kinda hope he does take some kind of ban for that.
 
physichull said:
One thing, I didn't see it too clearly but it looked potentially like an elbow from Blake Austin on Joel Tomkins when he was already tackled on the ground. Tomkins then got taken straight to hospital with an extremely severe concussion, including loss of memory. He got a sin bin, but I think could see a ban for that. Must have been quite some elbow force to do that much damage. Very disappointed to lose Joel in the game though, he's a key member of the team.
Click to expand...

Was going to ask about that. Whatever else you can say about Joel Tomkins, he isn't one to go off easily. Be interesting to see it back and whether it gets cited. Wahtever happens, I'd be very vigilant taking it in in the return fixture if I was Austiin :)
 
Roosters have 8 start with the bookies on Sunday evening. I hope I'm wrong, but I think they'll cover that.

Two things can be guaranteed: Roosters win - more evidence of NRL superiority, Wigan win - poor quality refs/weather/balls/slow ptbs/etc/etc

I did wonder what the fuss was about when I saw the Austin/Tomkins incident. There's a few clips of the Wigan v Manly game from the 80s floating about with the game on Sunday coming up. I wonder what the disciplinary would have made of that :)
 
TonyM19 said:
Roosters have 8 start with the bookies on Sunday evening. I hope I'm wrong, but I think they'll cover that.

Two things can be guaranteed: Roosters win - more evidence of NRL superiority, Wigan win - poor quality refs/weather/balls/slow ptbs/etc/etc

I did wonder what the fuss was about when I saw the Austin/Tomkins incident. There's a few clips of the Wigan v Manly game from the 80s floating about with the game on Sunday coming up. I wonder what the disciplinary would have made of that :)
Click to expand...

And the NRL teams use it as a pre season friendly.
 
Slow start killed Wigan. They only really fired up after the late challenge on Powell. Once they realised they could rip into them like anybody else it was too late. You can't pull 10 ponts back against a top team.

Not whining, but all our refs seem to referee these games differently to how they referee each week in SL. You get an Aussie ref, you struggle with their interpretation. You get one of ours, they seem to adapt to what an Aussie ref would do.

Having said that, Roosters were clearly the better team, especially when they had the ball.
 
As is usual, NRL teams are just bigger, stronger and faster than our teams, not particularly more skilful. Their wingers are like our centres, their centres are like our second rowers and so on.

Rovers toiled this weekend for a victory against London. By all accounts one of the worst Rovers performances in years in the first half, but a clinical 20 minute spell in the second half put the game to bed. Got to be better against Salford on the weekend. Both teams will be wanting to win this one and a 3 wins from an opening 4 is a nice return. Joel Tomkins back after concussion but now we lose Greenwood to concussion and Crooks to a back issue.

Why were there only 2 SL games this weekend? Why did all the others not play?
 
Widnes on their way to administration. That's us wiped out. Would take at least seven years to get anywhere near Super League. Look at Bradford and Toronto...
 
Kemik said:
Widnes on their way to administration. That's us wiped out. Would take at least seven years to get anywhere near Super League. Look at Bradford and Toronto...
Click to expand...

Feel sorry for you and all the other Widnes fans. Its a bleak situation to be in. I guess it shows just how fragile SL clubs are once relegated. I often think if Salford had lost THAT million pound game then they would be nowhere to be seen right now. There do however appear to be beacons of hope in the Championship, you only have to look at the fantastic gains made by York - exciting times and they are about to get a new ground too.

What's the prognosis for Widnes now then? It all seemed relatively positive and stable a month or so ago, with Gelling still at the club, etc.
 
Koukash to the rescue? Not until they go into administration though as I'd hear 500k debts. God knows what he'd want to do to them though - Liverpool RLFC?.

It's gutting. They are a real RL town. Watch the other clubs come in and try to cherry pick their (excellent) young players and Academy for sod all. If clubs would come in now and pay their true value it might help to get them out of the hole that their previous board has put them in. It's not ideal, but I can't realistically see another way out
 
Wakefield 22-12 Catalans. We lost that in a 5 minute period in the first half where we couldn't stop giving away penalties for silly stuff, along with the stuff-up from a kick-off after we'd scored that gave them possession deep in our half.

David Mead got hurt bad late on as well. Bit of a night to forget all around.
 
I believe, that’s it for us. Widnes are in administration, and beyond next month’s wages, there’s no other funds. Unless a credible buyer comes forward within the next week, we’re done. :(

James Rule inflicted similar carnage when he had the reigns at Hull FC IIRC, quite how he was allowed to, fully this time, destroy another club by the RFL is beyond me.

Just joined a ship with work for the next 3 months and was looking forward to enjoying some games in the warm May sunshine when i got back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom