National Leagues 2006

[terracesider]

A very interesting article, T.

The Welsh Rugby Union has thumbed its nose at this area, denying locals the chance to watch and support a top level side which represents their own community by killing off the Celtic Warriors.

So a vacuum exists for an alternative which the town of Bridgend and its surrounding areas can get behind.

The WRU seem to be even more stupid than the RFU, if thata is possible, which is why there has never been a better time to expand into Wales.

It is just up to the M62 lot whether they want to see their sport grow or not.

Although a minority could not care less, I think the majority are in favour of expansion. It's important, however, for the RFL not to make the mistakes of the past, such as doing nothing when the expansion clubs has problems.

 

[terracesider]

Northern Rail Cup Final on Sunday so the only NL1 game is a postponed fixture from Round 6.

Rochdale 38v46 Widnes (Sat)

NL2 Round 15
Celtic 42v12 Barrow
Dewsbury 27v 20Hunslet
Gateshead 36v38 Blackpool
London S. 31v6 Keighley
Swinton 26v22 Featherstone
Workington 10v70 Sheffield

No NL3.

 

[Padds]

NL1: Round 9

Batley 36v38 Widnes
Doncaster 22v18 Halifax
Rochdale 16v6 HKR
Whitehaven 32v22 Leigh
York 56v14 Oldham

NL2: Round 12

Sheffield 44v18 Featherstone
Blackpool 6v24 Gateshead
Hunslet 12v42 Dewsbury
Keighley 26v18 Barrow
London S 4v48 Celtic
Swinton 46v30 Workington

NL3: Round 9
Dudley Hill 34v0 Underbank
Hemel 90v14 Featherstone
Bramley 70v8 Gateshead
Warrington 36v26 St Albans

The Rochdale result should read Rochdale 16 Hull KR 66

 

[terracesider]

Thanks Padds. It's corrected. Don't tell HPH:lol:

 

[terracesider]

Underbank's NL3 round 11 match last weekend was postponed because Gateshead pulled out.

http://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co....adline=call-off-causes-a-storm-name_page.html

In a League Weekly (no web link) report the Widnes Chairman was moaning that he thought he was taking over club debts of £60000 but the figure turned out to be five times that. Takes some believing. That's Widnes screwed.

 

[bartman]

NL3 as a competition is really struggling it seems, again.

Does that Widnes debt equal the figure for Peachey's salary by any chance?

 

[terracesider]

Peachey's cost can't have helped but there's probably more to it than that. I don't suppose all the players they picked up from Wigan last year were all that cheap. So much for the salary cap ending serious debts.

You're right about NL3 Bartman. I doubt it can continue in its present form. I don't think the point of it was ever clearly thought out by the RFL.

 

[terracesider]

NL1: Round 12
Oldham 8v40 Batley
HKR 49v24 Widnes
Leigh 12v22 Whitehaven
Rochdale 28v30 Doncaster
York 24v37 Halifax


NL2: Round 16
Sheffield 46v0 London S.
Blackpool 0v52 Celtic
Dewsbury 36 8v Gateshead
Featherstone 32v8 Barrow
Hunslet 24v24 Swinton
Keighley 19v12 Workington


NL3: Round 12
Dudley Hill 34v12 Hemel
Gateshead 26v18 Featherstone
Underbank 12v32 Bramley
Warrington 36v18 Dewsbury

 

[terracesider]

A big game for York. A win will take them to only two points behind Fax and three behind Donny. The wheels are off at both those clubs and panic has reached sack the coach levels.

At Fax, Farrell was a promising young coach doing a good job with the available resources and I think he'd been involved with the West Indies.

Anybody is going to have job following St John Ellis at Donny.
http://donrl.com/website/13706.htm

 

[bartman]

Things generally tend to get desperate when clubs sack their coaches. I'd given up on York's hopes of staying up, but this weekend's game now takes on a new dimension.

We'll also see if Hull KR can bounce back from a loss, or whether they're well and truly coming back to the pack.

 

[terracesider]

NL1: Round 13
Batley 12v20 Whitehaven
Doncaster 58v10 Oldham
Halifax 22v42 Widnes
Rochdale 28v29 Leigh
HKR 21v10 York (Wed 2 Aug)

NL2: Round 17
Gateshead 22v26 Featherstone
Sheffield 18v14 Swinton
Barrow 38v14 Keighley
Celtic 18v 38 Dewsbury
London S. 24 v 16 Hunslet
Workington 58v20 Blackpool

NL3:

Round 13
Dewsbury 50v20 Gateshead
Underbank 10v38 St Albans
Featherstone 8v44 Bramley
Hemel 24v45 Warrington

 

[terracesider]

York gave it a good go but all looks lost now.

Booby Goulding has been reported as saying he wants the Doncaster job.

Whitehaven are threatening the RFL with legal action if they get turned down for ESL.

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyle..._NAME=rleague/06/07/24/RUGBYL_Whitehaven.html

 

[bartman]

Very inept performance in the first half from York, and Fax made them pay. Had enough points in the bank to hold out the York comeback in the second half. So that's York and Oldham going down to NL2 then.

Haven should be rightly miffed, having been approved to go up the previous two years. Looks to be only out of three for promotion if they can win through - Leigh, Widnes, and Hull KR.

 

[terracesider]

The RFL has refused to confirm the story.

But an RFL spokesman told BBC Sport: "This is purely speculation.

We cannot comment on any individual club's situation until we are ready to clarify them all."

In politics that's what is called a non-denial denial, in RL it's called more RFL BS. :lol:

 

[terracesider]

NL1: Round 14
Leigh 36v10 HKR
Oldham 8v56Halifax
Whitehaven 22v12 Doncaster
Widnes 18v31 Rochdale
York 20v26 Batley


NL2:

Wed 2 Aug:
Round 16
Hunslet 24v24 Swinton

Round 18
London 31v12 Featherstone
Blackpool 20v40 Sheffield
Celtic 22v26 Gateshead
Dewsbury 24v14 Barrow
Hunslet 18v44 Workington
Keighley 28v6 Swinton

NL3: Round 14
St Albans 56v28 Featherstone
Warrington 56v16 Dudley Hill
Gateshead 6v48 Hemel
Bramley 88v16 Dewsbury

 

[bartman]

Best chance York will get for an upset against an under-strength Hull KR tonight...

Paul Broadbent in the local press this week talking up York's chances of still beating the drop :lol: ...think he's just trying valiantly to keep the home attendances up until end of season.

 

[terracesider]

York led 10-0 at half time but went down 21-10. Apparently the conditions were bad and the game wasn't much better.

6 points adrift, 5 games left, including Whitehaven and Leigh. Time to start preparing for next year.

 

[bartman]

Indeed. Heading backwards will be a challenge to the appetite for league in York, but with the football club facing troubles of their own at the moment we shouldn't lose too much ground.

 

[terracesider]

Tables here

A weekend of surprises.

Leigh proved it's not all over yet . Widnes probably aren't going anywhere for a year to two . Celtic continue to make heavy weather of it; it looks as though they will have to rebuild completely to survive in NL1 and ESL is a far off dream at the moment.

But, for me, the biggest surprise was London Skolars beating Featherstone; LS must be heading for their best ever season.

 

[bartman]

Celtic Crusaders seem to have been sliding steadily of late. They may not even get into NL1 at this rate... The four bottom teams in NL2 have each won a decent amount of games, seems to be quite a competitive league this season.