Indeed. Think facing a tough Batley team who have had 3 extra days recovery time than ourselves will be too much of an ask. However after that, we play 4 of the current bottom 5 plus Keighley at the bash and a real opportunity to string some wins together. None of the them will be easy games as results have shown. But with the table as tight as it is, any team that strings 4 or 5 wins together could find themselves very high up in the table. Things could look very rosey when we play Fax on 18th June.

It makes the brainfarts against Keefly and York even more irritating.... What might have been now?

The attitude was much improved on the Keighley debacle. We came out ready to play this time. Thought the pack was immense. It helps to have a couple of old heads out there, you could see Thompson and Donaldson doing plenty of talking. Thought Holmes was excellent at the back. Again I thought Lilley was most effective when he went to dummy half. Jowitt's take at the end was another highlight.



It was so important that we capitalised on the opposition errors and for the most part we did that. They really didn't help themselves with their errors, ill discipline and booting the ball out on the full twice from kick offs is unforgiveable. Some of the penalties they gave away were very relieving and lifted the pressure at key moments. Their sin bin was utterly needless too. I bet Grix is pulling his hair out.



Losing Blackmore and Arundal in quick succession meant it was squeaky bum time at the end when we had 12 men on the field and no subs left. Dunning seemed to suggest that Blackmore's injury was a dead leg but to me it looked like he pulled something. Arundal's was meant to be cramp. With DFJ still doubtful due to a knee injury we could again be depleted in the backs next week.

To be fair, we’ve done alright considering we’ve had Walker out since minute 2.



Lawrence and Thompson have been sidelined for nearly half the games.



Our starting second rower retired before a ball was kicked.



Matongo has been out since the 1 game he played.



We’ve got bodies to come back over these next 5 games as well as 3 back from bans.

We may have plenty coming back which is good but we're not exactly blessed with outside backs.



How did that Fijian lad look versus Midlands Hurricanes? Could he be on option on the wing if needed?

Fijian lad? Don’t think we had a Fijian playing that game? Wingers were Blackmore and DFJ. Centres were Arundel and Myers. Bench was Wallace, Johnson, Rodgers and Turgut.



Right in what you say though. Only DFJ and Walker to come back in the backs. Very light in centre/wing. Maybe why we keep going back for Tindall and Roberts.

Sorry, the Fijian lad played in the reserves game versus Salford not vs Midlands. Adrea Vasuitoga - was in the Army sevens team and had a trial for Cas last year.

Ah. I haven’t seen the highlights of that game yet although I think they are on Youtube now. Has he been going well for us so far?

In all seriousness, the two Leeds forwards were immense, and I'd welcome back Donaldson any day. I suspect Roberts is not an instinctive player who can be parachuted somewhere and thrive. He'll need to build up a relationship with his centre and then he'd have been on the end of some of the opportunities he missed last night (not all of which were his fault).

I'm sure we've had similar numbers of loanees/dual reg players in the past when we've been beaten and nobody has said a thing. Wonder why?

That 2017 season was mad for loans. As was 2014 when we got relegated from SL:



2014: Bridge, Mullally, Pitts, Arundel, Sutcliffe, Burke, Kaufusi, Baldwinson, Tonks, Williams.



2017: Larroyer, Murray, Lilley, Hallas, Jordan-Roberts, Oledzki, Smith, Chamberlain, Aston, Chapelhow, Brooks.



EDIT - Also had 10 loans when we got promoted from League 1.

All clubs use loans. Wakey who get SL funding are having to get players on two week loans. As Bullseye said, sure it's just a coincidence we're winning games that focus is on our loan players...

That was my point. I highlighted two losing seasons (both ending in relegation) yet there wasn’t any noise from opposing fans about loans. Now we’re having a few good results it’s different.



Wakey may as well be a Championship team tbf. This has been coming. Hopefully they come down.

As much as I am not a fan of Wakey I don't wish that on them, I cant see them getting out of this league and surviving the carnage that follows. They averaged about 4600 attendance last year?



They'd have to rebound immediately and we've already got some withered historical clubs going nowhere. Hate to see another proud club plumbing the depths.

If it were up to me I’d have a 20 team (or at least 18 team league) Super League. And Wakey would be in it. However, with promotion and relegation being as it is, I’d prefer Wakey to come down. Any of the other teams come down, they just steam roll the Championship. I feel if Wakey came down it would be a lot more even.



I don’t want to see them go under

Think Cas would also lose a lot of players if they came down. Hull I think would be a different matter. It's currently between Wakey, Cas and Hull for the drop. Leigh seem to have recruited better this time.

In the same way that the vitriol was leveled a Fev when we had a DR agreement with Leeds. May be it is just a DR agreement with Leeds that does it.







PS I'd like to see rid of DR and the 2 week loans and go back to the "traditional" four week loans we had previously, but if it is in the rules then it is up to each club to decide how to use the rules that will give them as a club the best benefit. Just because I don't like it doesn't make the use of it wrong given it is in the rules.

I agree mate. The rules are the rules and clubs are always going to take advantage of that. We dropped DFJ and brought in Tindall (for height and yardage against Toulouse) as they had taller centre and wingers and it was a great move as we won.



The problem is, is players coming to teams in the Championship who just aren’t ready. The Championship is a bloody tough league and sometimes these SL kids come to teams and just aren’t ready because they’ve only had reserve experience. We’ve had Ruan for two weeks and he’s been god awful, not just a bad couple of games, the urgency, the behaviour, the technique. Hasn’t been there.

"Time" is there the essential word. When Leigh were voted into SL to replace Toronto, it was already mid-December when they got the nod and the other eleven teams had already just about finalised their squads leaving slim pickings for the then Centurions. They had an extra couple of months at the end of 2022 - and would have had more time were it not for the blummin' stupid play-offs and "MPG."



Whether by accident or design, these sort of things keep non-established SL teams "in their place" and IMG's drivel will only cement that - as it was intended to do!



Yes, were Wakefield to go down this season it would be a long, long haul back - if indeed it were ever to happen.



Bongser hopes that Leigh stuff Wakey next weekend but that is about the former's security this season rather than any animosity toward the latter.

Without repeating anything, we all agreed that the given’ spot was tainted beyond belief! Leigh took it, failed under ridiculous circumstance and now I feel have recruited better. Like you have said B&B.



If Bradford was given that spot. Which was widley publisised. We would have gone down.

What a win that was! Well deserved as I thought we were the better team for the majority of the game. Fax didn’t help themselves with the errors and the crazy sinbinning but we had to take advantage and we did that well. Kicking game was far better than Fax and forwards were immense.



My only concerns were how much sharper they seemed in the backs when they moved it around but thankfully for us (bizarrely for them) they didn’t test us enough there.



Very worried towards the end when we lost a few more bodies and fax exploited young Jowitt on the wing but we managed to see it out.



Suspect they will have too much for us in the cup game, again with home advantage and looking for revenge but it will be another cracker im sure

Have to admit loving the meltdown from this result.



"Bradford cheating because of DR"

"Tom Grant was biased"

"Bradford are average and aren't going to achieve anything"

"Bradford celebrating like they've won the title"

"It rained so that's why Bradford won"

"Odsals pitch is small"



Desperation to put some narrative because we won is hilarious. You can already hear the shrieks if Fax beat us in the return fixture (I'd have them starting as favourites anyway as they're at home and will be hurting from this result)



It was a good comfortable result with half our squad out. We enjoyed the win and hopefully we can build on it.

Instead of starting a new thread perhaps we can use this one.



Another massive game this weekend away at Halifax. The winner goes through to the next round and also earns a place in the 1895 Cup Semi Final meaning we are potentially 80 mins away from a Wembley appearance if we can win this game.



I assume we'll be without any of the Leeds DR players as the Rhinos won't want them being cup tied. Walker slotting back in at FB for this game and moving Holmes into the halves alongside Patton. Lilley moves to 9 and I'd go with Jowitt over GF Sr on the bench.

Typical Bradford fan trying to live on past glories.

I've also started a thread on the Leeds Rhinos forum due to the amount of Dual Reg players we have.