The One Pointer

Test Post 1

2008-03-09T15:04:00.000Z

Test Post 1

Cas will canter back to Super League

2007-04-13T08:58:00.000+01:00

Not that any of you will be surprised.

Last night's televised demolition of Doncaster Lakers set the benchmark for the rest of the National League promotion contenders and Doncaster, if you believe the people that run the club, were supposed to be one of them.

The Tigers racked up 66 points from 13 tries, starving Doncaster of possession throughout the game, forcing errors and clincally finishing their attacking plays.

Having spoken to people at the club prior to the National League kicking-off, it's clear the people at Welford Road are on a mission. The squad is right and the off-field operation looks to be moving in the right direction, with a new home at Glasshoughton in the pipe-line. Unusually for a Rugby League club, they're also thinking long-term. Having had to patch up a Super League squad in the space of a few months last season, it's evident that Super League recruitment has already begun. The squad is filled with quality, not least with Awen Guttenbeil and Danny Brough committing to the club despite last years relegation and as evidenced last night, the club's junior ranks are starting the bare fruit.

Widnes will obviously have something to say about this and it would be easy to forget how they dismantled Leigh last week. Whilst Castleford will end the regular season at the top of the tree, promotion does ultimately come down to one day in October at Headingley.

As for Doncaster, if that is a potential Super League franchise then perhaps it's time for a rethink on the whole concept. The club does have a stadium that would be the envy of certain Super League clubs and the pre-match entertainment is very much reminiscent of the "Bullmania" that has made Bradford famous, but the playing side is a long way from the required standard. The club made the decision to go full-time this season and so far, it's not paying off. Super League in 2009? They've got no chance.

Eggsciting Weekend

2007-04-05T08:32:00.000+01:00

The Easter weekend is upon us and in Rugby League land, that doesn't just mean that the crappy Easter puns will be resurfacing.

Easter is by far the busiest period in the sport's calendar. Not only does the National League kick-off today with Leigh's trip to Widnes, but Super League starts to get serious with two rounds played in the space of one weekend.

The coaches hate this weekend, claiming that it's just too much too soon but the RFL, Sky and I suspect most fans love it. With three derby games, including the first Hull derby for twelve years, this weekend definately captures the imagination.
Monday's clash at the KC Stadium sold out two weeks in advance, with tickets changing hands on eBay for in excess of £100. Wigan have sold out the JJB Stadium for the visit of St Helens and Leeds' trip to Bradford will attract the usual big crowd. The following round has a couple of attractive ties as well, with Bradford going to Wakefield and Leeds hosting Wakefield in dress-rehersal's for the side's respective Challenge Cup ties.

But aside from the accountants, the club's hate this weekend. Leeds have got arguably the easiest schedule, with four days break between their games over the bank holiday but even then, bruising encounters with the Bulls and Warriors in such a short space will take their toll. The usual complaints from coaches will inevitabley surface over the course of the weekend but whilst it fills the schedules of Sky Sports, it's a part of the season that's here to stay.

Has the cup lost it's magic?

2007-03-29T21:24:00.000+01:00

The forth round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup gets underway this weekend and to be honest, nobody seems that bothered.

In the past few years, the forth round of the competition has been seen as something of a joke amongst many. This week, as in previous years, sees a host of one-sided mismatches which are far from catching the public's imagination.

Despite various attempts to revive the competition, leading to the final being switched from May to August, it's still not until the latter stages when the crowds start to take an interest in the Challenge Cup. Wigan have sold the majority of their allocation for their trip to Widnes and so a good crowd will be expected at the Halton Stadium, as perhaps it will at Warrington but apart from that, the sight that will greet most spectators this weekend is that of empty seats and deserted terraces, despite the host of cut-price tickets on offer.

It's not hard to see why supporters are somewhat apathetic about the early stages of the cup. Fancy taking in the Cumbrian part-timers of Workington battling it out against an international filled Leeds side? How about Batley's trip to the world champions St Helens? If not, then how does Hull FC vs Hunslet float your boat?

Even if the lower rounds come in with something of a whimper, it is far from the end of the competition. The Challenge Cup Final has always been the "day out" event in the calendar and with Wembley now ready to host the showpiece event, the RFL should have little trouble in peddling the 90,000 tickets that the new venue offers.

The Challenge Cup is in many respects, an unfortunate problem borne from the success of the professional divisions. As the Super League players get fitter and more NL1 sides opt to go full-time, the minnows have to go through the mere formality of bowing out of the competition, but making a few quid in the process.

For the time being, we've just got to hurry up into the quarter finals and pretend to care whilst we try and get there.

Smith named new Great Britain coach

2007-03-27T09:52:00.000+01:00

For those of you that have been living under a rock for the past week in RL land, Leeds Rhinos coach Tony Smith has been named as the new Great Britain chief.

The Aussie, who will see out the remaining six months of his contract at Leeds, will take part-time charge of the squad for June's friendly with France before taking on the role full-time.

Opinion appears to be divided on whether the 40-year old is the right man for the role. RFL Chief Exec Richard Lewis hopes that Smith's track record of success with a young, British squad at the Rhinos can be transferred to the Lions to break a 37-year duck without a test victory against Australia.

In his three and a half years at Leeds, Smith has walked out at two Grand Finals, winning one as well as a Challenge Cup Final. He also led the side to a World Club Challenge victory over Canterbury in which of all the points scorers, all bar Willie Poaching had come from the Leeds academy.

But there are some dissenting voices. Since his first season in which Smith brought home the Super League trophy, the side has progressively gone backwards. Runners-up in 2005 could be attributed to some bad luck but an early play-off defeat at home to Warrington had many at Headingley calling for Smith to be shown the door, as has the side's indifferent performances thus far in 2007.

But of all the possible appointments, this is probably the most logical choice. Smith has handled International players and has played a part in the development in much of what may well prove to be the GB side in November. I still don't think it's enough to beat the Australians, but in the current setup, I don't think any coach would achieve that feat.

Give to those less fortunate

2007-03-21T10:50:00.000Z

With Comic Relief just passed, it's probably time to take advantage of the goodwill of the nation.

Please help this noble and worthwhile cause, to aid those less fortunate than ourselves. Those supporters who have little knowledge of the rules of Rugby League, who think that the referee hates them with a passion, those who think that referee decisions are influenced by Radio Leeds commentators and those who have the misfortune of supporting Wakefield.

Please sign this petition to make Belle Vue a safer place for our media. Just one lesson will help followers of the Wildcats understand that striking, persistent offsides, ball stealing and dissent are in fact, penalty offences. A small donation may even buy a Trinity fan an RFL rule book.

Thank-you for your support

Ashton switch reflects Wigan mis-management

2007-03-19T12:50:00.000Z

After weeks of speculation, Wigan full-back Chris Ashton has confirmed that he will become a Rugby Union player at the end of the Super League season.

The 19-year old has been offered a £140,000 salary by bottom of the table Northampton Saints and looks almost certain to be plying his trade at Franklin's Gardens after his current deal at the JJB expires.

This, as you can imagine, has riled Wigan chief Maurice Lindsay - a man who evidently prefers to conduct salary negotiations in the national media. To anyone, it would seem unusual that such information would be freely disclosed until you start to bear in mind that Mr Lindsay is well known for being a strong opposer of the salary cap concept.

With club spending on salaries restricted to £1.8m per annum, Lindsay and his accountants have to constantly keep tapping away at the abacus in order to get each and every player under the limit and abide by the rules of the game and Mr Lindsay doesn't like that.

So when Ashton decides to leave Lancashire, the £140k figure gets banded about in yet another attempt to pester the RFL into ditching the cap so that he can then spend money in setting an impossible benchmark for the rest of the competition, making the sport as predictable as it was in the early 90's whilst running up huge debts in the process. The only difference is that this time, he can't sell the club's ground to a supermarket chain to get the club back in the black.

What Mr Lindsay and his comrade Brian Noble won't mention in their anti-salary cap campaign is the signings of ageing Antipodeans, big-name GB internationals and Aussie test stand-off's.

If properly managed, the salary cap is more than enough to ensure that our best talent remains in the 13-man code. If however, you spend a good chunk of your allowance on players such as Michael Withers, David Vaealiki, Pat Richards and Shane Millard, then you deserve no sympathy whatsoever.

The problem is not with a lack of talent in grass-roots Rugby League, nor does the problem lie with the salary cap. There are several Wigan academy graduates plying their trade in Super League away from the JJB Stadium.
Like all the clubs that answer to Red Hall, the Rugby Union clubs are bound by salary cap regulations laid down to them by the men at Rugby House. The numbers might look bigger but after you factor in the bigger Union squads and the compulsory employment of "specialist" players, the overall difference is minimal. Only the sponsorships and the International prestige make the numbers look bigger.

The problem therefore, lies with Wigan's reliance on overseas players to meet short-term success targets and for that, the buck stops with Lindsay.

The truth behind the Wigan salary cap (I think)

2007-03-14T09:23:00.000Z

Like the Beast of Bodmin or a UFO landing, Wigan's salary cap is considered by many in RL land as just another urban myth.

After declaring last season that that Kris Radlinski was "playing for free" because the club "had no money", they then went and snapped up Great Britain forward Stuart Fielden. To say that a few eyebrows were raised is something of an understatement.

So when it gets announced on Tuesday that Aussie RU and former Brisbane winger Lote Tuquiri had recieved an offer from the JJB, questions were once again being asked.

But don't fret people, Maurice Lindsay has set the record straight by declaring that Brian Carney will not be returning to the club, even if Chris Aston leaves for Rugby Union.

So that's settled then, now we have to start taking new bets on which high-profile new signing will bail the club out of relegation trouble again.

Inside the mind of Terry Newton

2007-03-07T21:19:00.000Z

Anyone with the slightest mediocum of knowledge of Rugby League will be unsurprised to hear that Terry Newton is no stranger to the Red Hall judiciary.

The Bradford Bulls hooker missed the start of his inaugural season at Odsal after receiving a suspension of 11 games, the biggest ban in Super League history, after incidents with Sean Long and Lee Gilmour whilst playing for Wigan and will now miss the next two games for the Bulls after being found guilty of striking St Helens forward Jon Wilkin.

It serves as another example of how the reputation of an extremely talented player can be tarnished by frequent moments of madness in the heat of the battle. Having been vilified by fans at Knowsley Road for his attacks on Long, Gilmour and Wilkin, the former Wigan St Judes amateur is hardly popular in Australia either following an incident with Craig Fitzgibbon in 2003.

Yet despite the misdemeanors, Newton is still held in high regard on the M62 corridor. He made his professional bow as a youngster at Leeds before moving to his hometown club Wigan in 2000. He soon established himself as a first-class hooker and in the eyes of many, was the most talented adopted of the number nine shirt in Super League.

His complicated transfer to Bradford last season despite the lengthy suspension hanging over his head typified the high regard in which he is held and having ousted Ian Henderson, it appears that he has now finally solved the Bulls problematic search for a hooker after the departure of James Lowes.

There are always two arguments when you talk about players with short fuses. One camp argue that "one-man penalty machines" such as this are nothing more than a liability whilst the others put the case forward that such attitudes make players what they are, and they are right.

James Lowes is a classic example. Referee's hated stepping onto the same field as the Bradford hooker. Every decision was met with derision and often he'd earn his side a 10m penalty for dissent. But despite that, he was the best hooker in Britain at the time.

Newton is far from the personality that Lowes was but it's a 'siege mentality' that perhaps brings out the worst, but more often the best in him.

Sharp's teams lacking cutting edge

2007-03-05T15:09:00.000Z

With four rounds of the season gone, it's not been a good start for Super League's 'Sharp' duo, with Huddersfield Giants and last years Grand Finalists Hull FC propping up the table.

Peter Sharp's Hull side currently sit in eleventh place, with just a solitary point to their name courtesy of a 10-10 draw at home to the Dragons whilst Jon Sharp's Giants have found themselves cut down to size on all four outings in 2007.

For the Hull faithful, it's a situation made worse by the fact that their rivals from the East of the City are currently perched in second place, although how long that persists remains to be seen.

There have already been premature rumblings around both camps as to how long both coaches can last at their respective clubs. Hull fans point to the board's decision to rid themselves of John Kear shortly after the Challenge Cup success. With what appears to be one of the strongest squads in Super League, the season has started disasterously for the black and whites.

Jon Sharp may be on more shaky ground. Whilst he can take solace in the fact that his side have gone toe-to-toe with three of the pre-season favourites, the defeats need ceasing before they become a habit.

Sharp is now in his forth year at the Galpharm and despite guiding them to Twickenham last season, has yet to deliver that coveted top six place. The Giants hierarchy are not renowned for their impatience but at the same time, suspicions must be that Fartown are expected to be rubbing shoulders with the Super League giants come September.

Fellow strugglers Hull FC along with Salford and Catalans are next up for Huddersfield and they should be looking for a minimum of four points from the six avaliable. If the next few weeks prove to be fruitless, then the pressure will certainly mount.

Saints push for new stadium

2007-02-27T21:20:00.000Z

After many years of talk, St Helens vision of a new home is still far from becoming a reality, despite plans being drawn up for a brand new 18,000 capacity home last year.

The Independent Saints Supporters Association (ISSA) have now put the matter at the top of their priorities list as the World Club Champions look to vacate their Knowlsey Road ground and move to e venue that not only befits a team of Champions, but one that will actually meet 2009's ground criteria.

ISSA's campaign is bourne out of sheer frustration at the apparent apathy of the local council to put the issue further up the agenda and it seems somewhat unusual that a local council would be lacking in support for the only symbol, barring a fat comedian, that puts the town on the map.

Knowsley Road will hold some fantastic memories of St Helens fans as well as those that have enjoyed fantastic away days at the ground. But sport is about progress and Knowsley Road is simply not in a position to provide the sustained support that is needed in modern sport.

More information about the campaign can be found here.

Your guide to the World Club Championship

2007-02-20T09:30:00.000Z

The Carnegie World Club Challenge kicks off on Friday, with English champions St Helens taking on Australia's finest, Brisbane Broncos.

This year's WCC has followed the trend set by previous years in attracting the usual annual argument over the validity of the fixture.
The marketers at Red Hall bill this as the game that will decide "the best team in the world", yet it's hardly a claim that has many backers. Since the competition was reincarnated in 2000, only Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters have taken the trophy back down under, both sides trouncing St Helens in the process. In the meantime, Brisbane, Newcastle, Penrith, Canterbury and Wests Tigers have all failed, whether they tried in the first place is debatable.

This year, Brisbane claim that they are actually trying this time. They've had the game put back three weeks so that they can send what they feel is their strongest side and on Thursday they got off the plane and straight onto Brewery Field in Bridgend for a warm-up fixture with NL2 side Celtic Crusaders, all with the intention of going into Friday's clash at Bolton to avenge their 20-18 defeat to the same side at the same venue in 2001.

But nevertheless, regardless of Friday's eventual result, the usual platitudes and clichés will be emanating the length on the M62. Here, we aim to clear the confusion with our World Club Championship "quick response" guide.

Should St Helens win by a big margin: Brisbane weren't trying.
Should St Helens win by a small margin: It's a meaningless fixture that disrupts valuable NRL preparation time and has no place in the RL calendar.
Should Brisbane win by a small margin: Brisbane weren't trying
Should Brisbane win by more than a converted try: It is a sad indictment on the state of the British game and yet further proof that we will never, ever be able to compete with the mighty Australians. All bow down before your ruthless Australian overlords.

Superstars stuck in the mud

2007-02-18T22:13:00.000Z

Super League is only just two (and a sixth rounds) old and we're now starting to see the unpredictability that we've been craving.

Bradford and Leeds apart who currently lead the table, the Super League has somewhat of an unfamiliar appearance.
New boys Hull KR currently boast one of only three 100% records after wins over Wakefield and Huddersfield. Harlequins and Wakefield currently occupy unfamiliar positions in the top six and Wigan have been reacquainted with a play-off position.

At the other end of the scale, St Helens are struggling with just two points from six, despite playing three sides with wouldn't be expected to challenge and elsewhere, expected front runners Hull FC have just a solitary point to their name, being involved in one of the two draws seen already this season. So far, only Huddersfield Giants are yet to register a league point in three outings.

Whether this competitiveness will last is questionable. With the majority of Super League pitches, including that in the south of France currently resembling quagmire's, handling and kicking skills are hampered and the fleet-footed runners quickly find themselves bogged down. When the summer hits I'd fully expect the strong to feed amongst the weak, but for the time-being at least, this competitive edge will hopefully draw in the crowds.

Running the rule

2007-02-12T21:38:00.000Z

With the first full week of Super League underway, the knives are already out for the men in the middle.

Every year we see new edicts, interpretations and innovations come out of Red Hall and for 2007, it's the obstruction ruling that's had a little tweaking yet so far at least, the results are far from fantastic.

This weekend's round of six Super League games saw a total of 137 penalties. A staggering 29 off which came at Bradford, Wigan and Warrington traded 26 stoppages, 25 at Craven Park, 24 at Hull FC at the clash between Salford and Leeds saw with whistle blown 20 times. Only St Helens and Harlequins managed to keep the referee relatively subdued, given away just 16 penalties between them.

The result so far has been close games, but ones which have been extremely stop-start affairs. Without making references to the other code, the games have not been the free-flowing end-to-end encounters that we had perhaps expected.

Ashley Klein's performance at Huddersfield last week was roundly criticised for the same reasons. However Klein was in the unenviable position of controlling the first game under the new laws. With little guidance, no benchmark and little communication being made to the viewing public, he was set up by Cummings and Co to be shot down.

When the referee's met today at Carnegie, the number of penalties was no doubt on the agenda, with the noises being made by the paying public, expect the number to drop this coming week.

Super League Preview: Salford

2007-02-09T22:39:00.000Z

In the last of our previews of the new Super League season, we head to the Willows to look at the Salford City Reds.

Salford are a club on the up. With a new stadium around the corner the club are looking to the future and if last season was anything to go by, the club are also progressing on the field.

After being tipped for the drop by many alleged experts, Karl Harrison went and led his side to their first play-off place in their Super League history. The season may have ended on a sour note with a heavy defeat at Bradford, but the Reds certainly earned the respect that came their way.

Next year will be tougher. Teams will certainly be aware of what they are capable of, if they weren't already, and after having the lowest gates last season, their salary cap spending power is somewhat limited against that of their rivals.

Nevertheless, Luke Dorn, Michael Korkidas and Gray Viane have arrived in Greater Manchester along with Mark Edmonson from Sydney Roosters to strengthen the side whilst the key losses will be Andrew Dunemann and Sean Rugertson.

Repeating last year's feats may be difficult for the Reds, but this is a side I tipped for the drop last year.
The competition is stronger and as a result, Salford will struggle to make their second play-off series.

The One Pointer Prediction: 8th
Player to watch: Luke Dorn - can he repeat the form that he showed at Quins?

The One Pointer Final League Table
1. Hull FC
2. St Helens
3. Leeds Rhinos
4. Bradford Bulls
5. Wigan Warriors
6. Huddersfield Giants
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7. Warrington Wolves
8. Salford City Reds
9. Harlequins
10 Les Catalans Dragons
11. Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
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12 Hull KR

Super League Preview: Wakefield

2007-02-09T18:02:00.000Z

In the penultimate preview of the new engage Super League season, we look at last years relegation survivors Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

After leading the great escape last season, Wakefield boss John Kear may well find himself on similar ground. With a small squad reliant on a select few to provide the quality, Super League XII may prove to be a similar struggle at Belle Vue.

Jamie Rooney and Ben Jefferies' qualities are well known with last season's signing of Ryan Atkins proved a masterstroke by Kear and that trio will be expected to provide the creative spark for Wakey.

David Solomona's controversial transfer to Bradford may hit the Wildcats hard. Brett Ferres has arrived as the replacement but is a far different player to the departed Kiwi. Elsewhere, Michael Korkidas has departed, leaving Danny Sculthorpe to fill a big void in the Wakefield front line.

The players coming in at Wakefield certainly don't look better than the players that have departed, indicating that they are in for a frustrating season. Their survival may depend on how Hull KR perform rather than being down to their own doing.

The One Pointer prediction: 11th
Player to watch: Jamie Rooney - surely he won't remain at Belle Vue for much longer?

Super League Preview: Wigan

2007-02-09T09:18:00.000Z

After looking at Warrington Wolves yesterday, we now assess the chances of their opponents in tonight's game, Wigan Warriors.

2006 was a year to forget for everyone involved with the Rugby League operations at the JJB Stadium.
After flirting with relegation for much of the season, dismissing Ian Millward with just two months of the season gone and a two point reduction for salary cap breaches, the Warriors ended the year in seventh place after new coach Brian Noble managed to string together a credible run of results.

Last years failings haven't gone un-noticed by the Warriors hierarchy and Maurice Lindsay has certainly splashed the cash for 2007.
Trent Barrett is the big name to arrive in the town and new half-back partner Thomas Leuluai has arrived from Harlequins, replacing Danny Orr who has headed in the opposite direction.
Phil Bailey's arrival from Cronulla will mean that Pat Richards can now move from the centre position to his favoured wide berth and Michael Withers will add experience to a back line which struggled last term.

Squad depth is again an issue though. Rather than manage the salary cap effectively, Wigan's approach always seems to mean spending large amounts on a small squad and then whinge about the restrictions once injuries kick-in.

That said, an improvement is expected at Wigan and a play-off spot is certainly on the cards. Brian Noble is known for getting the best out of players, and some may be giving him too little credit int he signings he has made.

The One Pointer Prediction: 5th
Player to watch: Thomas Leuluai - with the focus on Barrett, he may sneak in under the radar.

Super League Preview: Warrington

2007-02-08T19:27:00.000Z

As Super League round one approaches, our preview heads down the M62 to take a look at the Warrington Wolves.

Paul Cullen could well be a man under pressure. Despite having a solid squad at his disposal and a multi-millionaire backer bank-rolling star signings, the Wolves remain one of Super League's enigmas.

Having yet to make a major final under the leadership of events promoter Simon Moran, Warrington have failed to string together any notion of consistency. Fantastic results against the league's elite are all too-often marred by inept performances against sides that the Wolves should be pouncing upon.

2007 way well prove to be different. Adrian Morley is without doubt the major signing at the Halliwell Jones Stadium whilst the dependable Paul Johnson and versatile Vinny Anderson have also arrived to add some spark to the Wire.
Elsewhere, Lee Briers will be hoping to impress a new Great Britain coach and Brent Grose may well find the form that earned him rave reviews in 2005.

If the Wolves can put together a solid run of results in Super League XII, then they are easily a top 6 sides and one that should be challenging for honours. Should that fail to materialise though, then their season could crumble and Paul Cullen may well be first across the line in the Super League sack race.

The One Pointer prediction: 7th
Player to watch: Lee Briers - with a GB half-back spot up for grabs, he's going to perform.

Super League Preview: Leeds

2007-02-07T22:20:00.000Z

In the eight installment of our season preview, The One Pointer heads over to Headingley to take a look at Leeds Rhinos.

After promising so much in the early stages of Super League XI, Leeds' season nose-dived in spectacular fashion. A shock Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Huddersfield being the centrepiece of a 5 game losing streak and the Rhinos' 2006 season demise. Good performances against Warrington and the Catalans Dragons helped lift the lingering clouds above Headingley before a Lee Briers drop goal in the play-offs brought an end to Super League XI for the Southstanders.

This season, coach Tony Smith is a man under pressure. After winning the competition in 2004, he has yet to deliver another trophy to Headingley. This year however, he certainly has a capable squad at his disposal.

Brent Webb, arguably the world's best fullback has arrived from New Zealand to replace Richie Mathers and Smith has also bolstered last years threadbare pack with the signing of Kylie Leuluai, in addition to the mid 2006 signing of Jamie Thackray.

Strike power has never been a problem as far as Leeds are concerned. Only St Helens crossed the whitewash more often last season whilst in 2005 and 2004, they topped the points scoring charts. The problem for Leeds has been closing out the tough games and overcoming the strong packs. Warrington took Leeds to the sword last season at the Halliwell Jones, simply overpowering the Leeds forwards.
You can look at the Leeds front six and pick out names such as Ellis, Peacock and Sinfield, but the bulk and presence is sometimes lacking despite these. This years improvements may not stop that, but will make those occasions much less frequent.

The One Pointer prediction: 3rd
Player to watch: Brent Webb - front runner for Man of Steel

Super League Preview: Hull KR

2007-02-07T14:02:00.000Z

Our Super League XII preview moves onwards to East Hull as we assess the prospects of new-boys Hull Kingston Rovers.

After slaying all who opposed them in the National League last season, as well as Warrington in the Challenge Cup quarter final, Hull KR will finally make their long-awaited debut in the Super League.

The Robins, who lost just three games throughout the course of 2006, had built a young squad which was full of enthusiasm and skill which shone through against National League opposition.
Unfortunately for Justin Morgan, it will be a different scenario in 2007.

The biggest criticism of the current promotion system is the lack of time in which the NL1 champions have to built a squad capable of maintaining Super League status for 12 months at least.
Despite that, Aussie test forward Michael Vella, former Leeds Grand Final winner Danny Ward and former NRL winner Mark O'Neil have come in to bolster the pack whilst crowd favourite Stanley Gene has returned to his former club.
Those players will be complimented by the likes of Scott Murrell, Tommy Gallagher, both products of the Leeds academy, and Ben Cockayne who have shown themselves to be potential Super League players in their time at Craven Park.

It will be a tough ask for Rovers to be able to preserve their Super League status. Their squad certainly looks the weakest of the twelve Super League squads (on paper at least) and they may still need time to develop as a team.

Some of the Hull KR squad, not least the younger players, go into the new season with a point to prove. Whilst they may well give some sides an almighty fright over the course of the year, expect them to be holding up the rest of the league come September.

The One Pointer prediction: 12th
Player to Watch: The evergreen Stanley Gene

Super League Preview: Hull FC

2007-02-06T20:19:00.000Z

Our Super League preview moves on to Humberside where, for the first time in the Super League era, both East and West Hull will be represented. We start in the West with Hull FC.

After a shaky start, Hull eventually ended the 2006 campaign as runners-up, eventually sucumming to St Helens in the Grand Final. After John Kear was relieved of his duties in April, new coach Peter Sharp transformed the Airlie Birds into Championship contenters.

This winter, the club have recruited well if at least modestly. Matt Sing is the big name import from North Queensland who will replace the dissapointing Nathan Blacklock but elsewhere, Hull's imports are not perhaps the stars that the faithful had hoped would grace the KC Stadium.

However, in hooker Wayne Godwin they have recruited a player that has the ability to turn even the tightest of defences in knots. The obvious aire to the Richard Swain's shirt when he departs at the end of the season, Godwin will certainly give teams something to worry about.
He is joined by fellow Wigan team-mate Danny Tickle, a second row who may not be the most spectacular ever to grace the back and white shirt, will fill an important role, as will Willie Manu, in the Hull pack.

Ignoring the favourable fixture draw, Hull look a strong bet to end the season as Champions. Their squad is strong, they have depth in key areas and in coach Peter Sharp, they have a great tactical mind leading the way.

The One Pointer Prediction: 1st
Player to watch: Wayne Godwin - Richard Swain may lose his place sooner than he might have expected.

Super League Preview: St Helens

2007-02-02T17:00:00.000Z

With the big kick-off around the corner, The One Pointer's season preview tales a look at last years treble champions St Helens.

Daniel Anderson's Saints marched their way into the history books last season, winning an unprecedented treble of the Challenge Cup, League Leaders Shield and Super League. Of the 35 games played by St Helens, only four were lost, typifying their dominance over the course of the season.

The men from Knowsley Road still look a formidable side, one which is not too dissimilar from the class of 2006. Jamie Lyon has been the most high-profile loss and fellow Aussie Matt Gidley has arrived from Newcastle to try and fill the void whilst the two Andersons, Paul and Vinnie have departed.

That could prove a bigger blow than most people may imagine. Paul Anderson was perhaps one of the most consistent and dependable performers in the St Helens side. His experience, go-forward and reliability often got the Saints out of tough spots. Vinnie on the other hand is perhaps a victim of the salary cap restraints. Anderson, the quality player that he was, struggled for game-time last season. But in any squad, players with the utility value offered by Anderson are always vital and when injuries and suspensions start to bite, it's those players than can dictate whether you win or lose.

For that reason alone, St Helens will fail to repeat the heroics of last season. They set the highest benchmark possible in 2006 and whilst other sides still haven't reached that, the Saints will probably fall short of it as well.

The One Pointer Prediction: 2nd
Player to Watch: Matt Gidley - Can he fill the big shoes left by Jamie Lyon?

Super League Preview: Huddersfield

2007-02-01T21:17:00.000Z

With two sides kicking off the Super League a bit earlier than the rest, The One Pointer swiftly moves it's focus to Huddersfield Giants.

John Sharp's Giants made big strides in 2006, yet despite making a Challenge Cup final that prized 6th place still remains elusive.
Huddersfield ended the season three points off the pace, their second 7th place finish in three years but 2007 could well be the year that Fartown finally get the monkey off their back.

Wests Tigers NRL winning trio of Shane Elford, John Skandalis and Jamahl Lolesi have jetted into the Galpharm whilst shamed forward Ryan Hudson returns to the game following his two year absence.
Every year, Super League presents us with a surprise package and Huddersfield could well be the team for 2007. They appear to have built a strong squad. Giants teams may not be the best to watch but they are efficient in what they do. Chris Thorman is a dependable half-back and vice captain Brad Drew is the creative spark they will look to in the dummy half role.

John Sharp will quickly want to look away from their abject pre-season performance at Leeds but even though they failed to perform then, they did turn in a performance against Wigan, perhaps an indication that their season will be one of inconsistency.
However, their squad certainly looks stronger than those teams that will finish below them, which is enough to boldy predict that they'll be in the play-off mix at the end of the year.

The One Pointer Prediction: 6th
Player to watch: Brad Drew - Huddersfield's livewire at dummy half.

Super League Preview: Harlequins

2007-01-31T21:41:00.000Z

The One Pointer heads to the capital as our Super League preview focuses on Brain McDermott's Harlequins.

Super League's London based side have always been a difficult team to measure. Whilst they can, and will, be utterly dreadful one week they are equally capable of upsetting the league's big boys through the course of the season. Bradford and Hull will be two teams that will vouch for that whilst Wigan, Warrington and Salford will also reluctantly admit to falling short against the Quins.

But whilst they are happy to punch above their weight on occasion, the Londoners can appear lost at times. A 60-0 defeat at home to Leeds, a 62-14 reverse at Huddersfield and a 34-0 thumping at Salford typified the Quins fluctuating fortunes.

But under the leadership of Brian McDermott, Quins ought to be more consistent and the smattering of stars that league fans in the South have become accustomed to have been complimented over the off-season.
Aussie test playmaker Scott Hill has arrived from Melbourne Storm and his experience will be invaluable whilst former Wigan and Castleford stand-off Danny Orr could provide the perfect foil for the NRL veteran.
Julian Rinaldi has jetted in from Les Catalans and joins Henry Paul in a side that lacks no competition for the 6 and 7 jerseys.
But the player to watch could well be one youngster who made a real impact with the opportunities that were handed his way. Talented loose forward Michael Worrincy made an immediate impact against Warrington Wolves last season and is one player who may well cement a place in Brian McDermott's starting line as the season progresses.

The problem for the Harlequins will be stringing a series of results together. On any given day they can leave any visiting team lost in the big smoke. The experienced heads of Orr, Hill and Paul playing in key positions may well be turns that around in 2007 and the 'Mighty Quins' may well make the top six this time around. The odds are against them however. Even if they manage to develop the winning habit, few would envisage them toppling the likes of Warrington and Wigan.

The One Pointer Prediction: 8th
Player to watch: Michael Worrincy - one for the future.

Super League Preview: Les Catalans

2007-01-28T21:55:00.000Z

In the second installment of our Super League season preview, we head over the channel to check out Les Catalans Dragons.

If you happen to be residing in a WF postcode area, the chances are that you aren't overly keen on the Dragon's presence in the engage Super League. As Castleford and Wakefield battled against the drop to the National League, Les Catalans were the ones left propping up the rest of the table, taking advantage of their three year exemption. As most can imagine, that didn't go down very well in Castleford, who eventually made way.

This year the Dragons will be looking upwards and the signs are that the club is thinking positively. Supporters visiting Perpignan brought over £3m in tourist cash to the region, building strong support for the side in the city. 2007 will see the Catalans return to their renovated home, Gilbert Brutus, and they've invited some exciting new faces to the home coming party.

Queensland representatives Casey McGuire and Adam Mogg will add undoubted class to the Dragons back line. McGuire, who scored 25 tries in 117 games in the NRL, an impressive strike rate for a utility player, looks like forming an exciting partnership with Stacey Jones. Mogg on the other hand comes as a renowned scorer, with 33 NRL tries and three tries from as many State of Origin appearances.
Clint Greenshields and Aaron Gorrell arrive from St George whilst the more unknown Sébastien Raguin has signed from UTC's rivals Toulouse.
The French second-row is capable of competing with the best, as Leeds found out in the 2005 Challenge Cup semi-final and if he can produce the same form that saw Toulouse shoot to fame then the Dragons may have one of the finds of the season.

Defensive frailty was what ultimately proved the downfall of the Dragons. The side posted the second worst defence of Super League XI, yet still scored more points than sixth place Salford. How much of that was down to travel sickness is going to be difficult to prove but the players brought in are still not the sort of names you'd bring in to shore up a leaky defence, more add flair to an attacking line.

As for their prospects for 2007, I certainly don't think that they'll be bottom of the pile come September. Despite the poor league position, there were several positives that came out of the French side. Victories over Wigan, Warrington and Salford and having the league's top scorer amongst their ranks were the season's high points and the club ran the eventual Grand Final runners up extremely close on two occasions.
Much will depend on how the Catalans cope with the air miles and how well they can stop their own line being breached. They'll certainly score points, it's just at the other end that where there could be a problem.

The One Pointer prediction: 10th
Player to watch: Casey McGuire - how will his partnership with Stacey Jones develop?

Super League Preview: Bradford

2007-01-27T21:22:00.000Z

The One Pointer has started it's preview of the 2007 Super League season and in our first installment, we look towards Odsal to assess the chances of the Bradford Bulls.

After what could mildly be described as an 'eventful' 2006, the Bulls still only ended up 80 minutes from Old Trafford.
After losing Brian Noble, Stuart Fielden and two league points, Bradford secured forth place in the league table, eased past Salford and battled their way to the Grand Final eliminator against Warrington before succumbing to Hull FC in the penultimate game of Super League XI.

Newly appointed captain Paul Deacon will lead a new look Bulls side into the Odsal bowl, with no fewer than five new players have arrived in BD6, some with their fair share of controversy, whilst seven first team players have walked through the exit door.

David Solomona's much maligned transfer eventually went through and he is certainly the most recognisable of names coming into the club.
Perhaps the biggest signing though could be that of Glen Morrison. The former Parramatta forward has clearly impressed his new employers enough to merit the vice-captaincy and he is one player who many of the Bulls faithful will liken to Brad Mackay, the Aussie lock who served them so well in 2000.
Also in the forwards, Steve McNamara will be hoping Andy Lynch returns from injury sooner rather than later but in 18-year-old Sam Burgess, they've uncovered a more than capable deputy.

But the Bulls do have their weaknesses. Whilst few would the partnership of Lesley Vainikolo and Shontayne Hape, the unexpected departure of Marcus Bai has left a considerable void in the Bradford three-quarter line. Youngster Andy Smith has scored tries for fun in the U21's but it remains to be seen if that form will carry over into Super League.

I wouldn't expect Bradford to finish in the top three but as they've proved in the past, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Bradford know when to peak and it'd be no surprise to see them pushing for a place in the season showpiece come October.

The One Pointer prediction: 4th
Player to watch: Glen Morrison - a workhorse at the base of the scrum

Into the Emerald Isle

2007-01-18T20:29:00.000Z

Back when Murdoch and Co took over Super League in 1995, talk was of Rugby League teams being dotted all around the continent.

Amongst the proposed cities that would host Super League sides was Dublin. It's good transport links to the North virtue of low-cost airlines and ferry links and it's rugby loving public made the Irish capital the ideal venue, or so they thought. Alas, the collapse of the proposed mergers meant Dublin, or any of the other cities, were out of the picture.

Twelve years on, Leeds Rhinos have pushed the Irish case again. The Rhinos are currently training at the Dublin City University and by all accounts, have been impressed with what they've seen. Assistant coach and former Ireland international Francis Cummins has come out and sung the praises of Dublin and touted the merits of an Irish Super League franchise.

For the fans, support is likely to be high. Perpignan has proved a huge success with supporters and a hop across the Irish Sea is sure to be a winner amongst the various bands of travelling fans.
The city is renowned as an enjoyable 'city-break' destination and the area is easily accessible. Low-cost flights are available to Dublin from Leeds Bradford, Humberside, Doncaster Sheffield, Blackpool, Manchester and Liverpool whilst ferry links operate from the north-west.

But on the playing side it's where the pro-Dublin arguments start to falter.
Les Catalans worked for a very simple reason - it was a Rugby League area. The clubs were already in place, a competitive league structure was already in place and most importantly, there is an amateur and youth system which can support a Super League club. Perpignan had everything there, ready to go. It just needed Super League to raise the profile of French rugby.

In Dublin on the other hand, that's not the case. The amateur set-up, although improving, is not capable of sustaining a Super League club. Given the strength of the GAA and the IRU, the talent pool is fairly shallow to begin with and the lack of exposure of the 13-man code to the natives makes it difficult to make the game an attractive proposition to the nation's youngsters.

That makes a Super League franchise an non-starter. In such an environment any side would be reliant on overseas imports and quota loopholes, very much reminiscent of Paris Saint-Germain in the mid-late 90's.

The other option would be to start from the bottom and work upwards. Instead of throwing Dublin in at the deep-end, let them work through the ranks, starting off in National League Two or even the Conference National (the new name for the defunct NL3). That brings it's own downbside though.
In both competitions, players still hold down full-time jobs. We've already seen the disapperance of teams from Coventry, Birmingham, Essex, Teeside and Carlisle due to the demands that travelling to and from Yorkshire placed on their players and an Irish side would quickly follow the same path. Once you've factored in flights and the associated problems and expense, you see that an amateur/semi-pro team from the emerald isle isn't a viable option either.

Leeds' intentions are good and in an ideal world, we'd see an Irish franchise in the not-too-distant future. Unfortunately, the practicalities just don't add up. This isn't like Perpignan. The Catalans had the foundations to build on. The IRL are starting from scratch.

Give that man a Medal!

2007-01-13T20:24:00.000Z

Former St Helens stand-off Tommy Martyn has placed his Challenge Cup winners medal on eBay to raise cash for former team mate Steve Prescott.

Martyn, who won the medal against Bradford Bulls at Wembley in 1996, is hoping to raise at least £2000 to help ex Saints and Hull full-back Prescott in his fight against a rare form of stomach cancer.

With the target already broken with 48 hours still remaining on the auction, the target has already been broken and with the bulk of the bidding traditionally coming in the closing stages, one can only wonder what the final total will amount to.

Hat's off to Tommy Martyn for a fantastic gesture.

It Doesn't Quite Add Up

2007-01-10T21:49:00.000Z

Today the RFL announced a brand-new, ultra confusing points method for the National Leagues for 2007.

Well, it's not that confusing, but it's more complicated than a league points system probably needs to be. Gone is the simple two points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. This year will will see National League One and Two as well as the Northern Rail Cup sides pick up three points for a win, two for a draw and one for a defeat of 12 points or less.

All other competitions, including Super League will still maintain the traditional 2-1-0 format, with the new system appearing to be an experimental system.

The idea is to create more competitive games by giving sides something to play for when a game appears dead. In the 'old' system, being 18 points down with 5 minutes to go would struggle to motivate event the most enthusiastic of players, the new system will give them the incentive of one futher competition point should they manage to get over the whitewash.
It's an idea that has been used in Rugby Union. In the 15-man game, teams can pick-up bonus points for scoring four tries or more and for losing by less than eight points.
It's success has been difficult to gauge. Complete thumpings are becoming less common, but the salary cap, international weeks and rule changes have arguably had more of a influence than the offer of consolation points ever will so the question remains, will we see a difference?

Here's how last season's National League 1 table ended:
1. Hull KR - 32pts
2. Widnes - 28pts
3. Leigh - 26pts
4. Whitehaven - 25pts
5. Rochdale - 16pts
6. Batley - 16pts
-------------------------
7. Halifax - 14pts
8. Doncaster - 13pts
-------------------------
9. York - 10pts
10. Oldham - 0pts

And here's how it would have looked under the new system:
1. Hull KR - 48pts
2. Widnes - 42pts
3. Leigh - 42pts
4. Whitehaven - 39pts
5. Rochdale - 29pts
6. Batley - 28pts
-------------------------
7. Halifax - 27pts
8. Doncaster - 26pts
-------------------------
9. York - 20pts
10. Oldham - 2pts
(with thanks to www.blackandwhites.co.uk for the calculations)

Fundamentaly, there is no difference. Each team remains in the same position. What you can see though is a more competitive competition, particuarly in mid-table. Under the new system, Doncaster could have gone into the last game of the season with the possibility of securing a play-off berth. As it was, their final outing of 2006 was meaningless as far as they were concerned.

I wouldn't expect the new format to get the thumps up from supporters and to be honest, it's not an idea I'm overly keen on. Perhaps the new format will add fuel to the Eurosport fire, making the league more attractive to a prospective broadcaster.

Like with all experiements, it's easy to hold your hands up if things don't as you planned. The 2-1-0 system was simple and functional. We'll wait and see what chaos may or may not ensue with this one.

How long does it take to get in the England Rugby Union Team?

2007-01-07T19:13:00.000Z

Well, how long do you reckon? How long would a complete novice need to prove that he is the man to defend Rugby Union's greatest prize.

Six weeks? Three months? A year? Nope, you'd be miles off. It's actually much quicker than you think.

According to nationaly renowned kick & clap hack Stephen Jones, it takes just eight minutes to prove you are up to task of representing the current World Champions.

Don't believe me? Check out today's Sunday Times:

In an eight-minute spell on New Year’s Day, Andy Farrell became a serious contender for the hugely problematic England inside-centre position.

It takes just ten percent of a Guinness Premiership fixture for a 32 year old code convert to prove that he is indeed the saviour the the RFU thought he would be, so much so that they took a seven figure sum out of the piggy bank back in 2005.

So much for the "specialst skills" needed in the fifteen man game.

Bye Marcus

2006-12-19T11:50:00.000Z

Bradford Bulls winger Marcus Bai has announced his retirement from the game this morning, leaving the Bulls with immediate effect.

The Papua New Guinean winger, who became so much of a crowd favourite at Melbourne Storm that they unofficially renamed the North East Stand in his honour, leaves Odsal after one year in which he scored 12 tries in 26 appearances.

At 34 years of age, Bai remains the only player to have won the World Club Championship with three different clubs, with Melbourne in 2000, Leeds Rhinos in 2005 and Bradford Bulls in 2006 as well as having joined the select band of players who have won a Grand Final in both Australia and England.

A superb personality on and off the field, the 'no-nonsense' Bai was probably one of the most underrated players of the modern game. With 127 league tries in 245 appearances for Melbourne, Leeds and Bradford, the South-Sea islander boasted a strike record amongst the best in the business and his work ethic and honesty was unquestionable.

Whilst Bai's retirement is a loss to the sport, Bradford will move on. Wingers are scarce on the transfer market at present and so academy winger Andy Smith will see this as a prime opportunity to make the step from the U21's whilst the experience of Marcus St Hilare can also cover the number 2 position.

Whilst Bai might not go down as one of the most well-known players ever to take the field, his name should still be among the modern greats.

Saints Rattle a few Cages

2006-12-18T16:44:00.000Z

"Fix", "Swindle" were the cries that surrounded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony in Birmingham last week.

As St Helens walked away with the Team of the Year and Coach of the Year awards for 2006, some people were not so congratulatory. OK, so Paul Sculthorpe is about as eloquent as an alcoholic on Christmas Eve and Sean Long might have looked entirely out of place surrounded by such sophisticated company but that doesn't detract from the achievements of the St Helens class of 2006.

The BBC have come out and defended the public voting system after various claims of rigging and suggestions that the voting system is open to abuse from Internet campaigns, stating that they will be retaining the voting system that clinched the night's major gong for Zara Phillips as well as seeing St Helens amass just over 67.6% of the public vote for team of the year, well ahead of Sussex County Cricket Club (17.1%) and the Ryder Cup boys (15.2%).

The Ryder cup apologists were distraught. Not only did Darren Clarke not win the individual prize, they were outraged that a European team didn't win the 'British Team of the Year' award by virtue of the fact that they beat an inept bunch of American golfers on a boozy week in Ireland.

So all the while the Southern-centric press start crying on their keyboards and typing with rage, we can sit back safe in the knowledge that the game isn't as 'minority' as those at Fleet Street like to think it is.

Mason Jets to NFL

2006-12-08T18:32:00.000Z

Aussie cheap-shot merchant Willie Mason has found the perfect solution for off-season boredom.

The Bulldogs forward has jetted off the the States to take part in "non-contact" training with the New York Jets.

Mason, who is contracted at Canterbury until 2008, has made no secret of his desire to try his hand at gridiron will continue to train with the Jets before heading back to Sydney for the Doggie's NRL preparation.

Anyway, - if the Tri-Nations are anything to go by, those Yanks will be thankful of the extra headgear.

Vote Saints

2006-12-01T13:10:00.000Z

The voting has opened for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year this week and Rugby League has a representative for the first time in I don't know how long.

Treble winners St Helens have made the three-name shortlist for the 'Team of the Year' award, along with the European Ryder Cup team and Sussex County Cricket Club.

To vote for the Saints, text the phrase "Team Saints" to 83199 or alternatively, stay tuned to BBC Radio Five Live (909MW)

We Have the Technology

2006-11-27T09:47:00.000Z

Deep in the bowels of Red Hall, the Rugby Football League super computer has finally finished compilling it's 'randomly' drawn fixture list and the The 2007 Super League fixtures have finally been released to the great unwashed.

After two months anticipation, fans can start bombarding the websites of Ryanair, Jet2 and bmiBaby for their sojourn to the Mediterranean.

It's also been confirmed who each side will now play at the 'Millennium Magic' weekend. Not surprisingly, the RFL have kept it to 'derby' fixtures.

For the event to prove the sceptics wrong, the RFL needs to attract a crowd, both from the North and from Wales and so to do that, they've put their flagship games on parade. Leeds will play Bradford, Wigan will play St Helens and the two Hull sides will also meet each other by the River Taff.

And that all seems fine. If you want fans to embark on a 500mile round trip, you've got to make it seem their while. But unfortunately, the RFL have shot themselves in the foot.

For the sides that face each other on that May weekend, it will be just one of four times they'll go toe to toe in the regular Super League season. That's four Leeds vs Bradford games, four Wigan vs St Helens clashes and four Hull derbys.

For a neutral and for Sky Sports, that's like Christmas and Birthday in one. Sky love the big games and so they'll be rubbing their hands with glee.
But for the rest of us, it's overkill.

Three times is enough, after you've factored in possible cup and play-off games but four, with a feasible possibility of seven games between two sides is doing nothing for the credibility of Super League and taking the excitement and anticipation away from what should be the stand-out fixtures in the calendar.
Derby's are more than just two local sides. They have a rivalry and intensity which makes them special. By having two sides play each other so frequently means that grudges don't have time to grow and the whole build-up to the game becomes shorter. They essentially become just like any other game.

And lets look at fairness. Whilst Leeds, Bradford, St Helens and Wigan are all likely to be taking points off each other, Hull FC can sit back, quietly confident of eight points against relegation fodder in Hull KR. Wakefield coach John Kear is fairly happy as well, knowing that whilst he's got four decent looking games against Huddersfield, Hull KR's draw means that they will probably be rooted to the bottom from rounds one to 27.

The game needs to revert back to the simple 'home and away' format. Playing sides three times is excessive, four times is overkill. Forget the arguments about making a free weekend for internationals, just do it for the games credibility.
Unfortunately, it's the small clubs that are the barrier to this, those who fail to realise that match days are not the only day to create revenue. Take a look around the 12 Super League grounds and you'll find a hotel, a University campus, an NHS clinic, an upmarket restaurant, an athletics stadium, a Rugby Union club, three football clubs and a multitude of conference and function facilities. Some clubs make use of them, some don't and instead, wait for a bumper pay day from the visit of one of the 'big four'.
But anyway, that's another argument entirely.

The RFL were onto a winner with the Millennium Stadium weekend but they've let themselves down. Would a supporter who reluctant to make the long journey south at first be tempted now, knowing that they'll have three more opportunities to see the same two sides in the other 26 rounds?

Nothing can be done now, the fixtures computer has spoken. Lets just hope the RFL take head for 2008.

Stacey Jones to Retire from International Rugby - No Really

2006-11-23T17:37:00.000Z

Kiwi ace Stacey Jones goes into Saturday's Tri-Nations final with Australia for what will probably be the last time he will wear a New Zealand test jersey.

I'm not kidding, really!

OK, so he might have "retired" in 2004 and "retired" again after he announced he'd joined Les Catalans in 2005.

But now he's stated that Saturday's clash in Sydney will "probably be his last" game for New Zealand

Who am I to doubt that?

Another Year, Another Failure

2006-11-20T14:03:00.001Z

For the second year in succession, Great Britain are the first side to bow out of the Gillette Tri-Nations after yet another year of failure on the International stage.

Saturday's 33-10 defeat in Brisbane highlighted how far ahead the Australians are and showed just how little the British game has actually progressed in comparison.

The debates raged long into the night at Suncorp Stadium as to why the Lions were once again shown to be toothless. Scheduling, injuries, travelling, team selection and basic abilities were raised as factors in the Brisbane and Wellington defeats but what reasons actually hold any water?

Problem 1: The Talent Pool.
Phil Clarke, the recently resigned Great Britain team manager raised a point in Sky Sports' after match analysis which I felt was extremely pertinent:

It's no good saying that "we tried hard". Twenty years ago, Brian Noble "tried hard" against Australia and lost. Today, Great Britain "tried hard" and lost again. That tells you that the problem is not one of effort, but one of ability.

You just have to look at the two squads to see where Clarke is coming from. The likes of Jamie Peacock, Paul Wellens and Gareth Ellis could make a strong claim to be amongst the best players in the world but once you look past that, you start to see where the differences apply.
Once Sean Long departed the Great Britain set-up, not only did he leave the side without a recognised goal-kicker, but he also left the side without an experienced half-back. Both Richard Horne and Rob Burrow, as talented as they undoubtedly are, are not battle-hardened on the International stage. Asking an untested partnership in McGuire and Horne to go into a must-win game against the combination of Thurston and Lockyer is the personification of Rugby League suicide.

The talent pool in Britain is light years behind the NRL set-up. You could take any one player from that Australian side and come up with a raft of players suitable to fill the void.
In the full-back position for instance, aside from Paul Wellens, there was only the injured Richard Mathers who could make a realistic claim for a test jersey. The Australians on the other hand, have Karmichael Hunt, Billy Slater, Anthony Minichello and, if push comes to shove, Darren Lockyer.
It's the same story at scrum half. North Queensland's Jonathon Thurston became the Kangaroo's natural successor to Andrew Johns but even if he had he failed to make the grade, the likes of Matt Orford, Brett Finch, Brett Kimmorley or Scott Prince would no doubt have been able to fill the void.

Part of that problem has been fuelled by Brian Noble's decisions to persist with the tried and failed players instead of blooding young, upcoming players in warm-up and exhibition games but the problems also lie at home. The pressures imposed by the threat of automatic relegation coupled clubs' insistence on importing overseas talent prevents the talent pool from growing and forces players from the Super League academies into the National Leagues, where they then lose the benefit of full-time coaching.
This brings me onto the next point;

Problem 2: Maros Kolpak
Never again will a Slovakian handball player from the German second division have such an impact on British sport.
The 'Kolpak ruling' in 2003 opened the floodgates for players from Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and South Africa (amongst other nations) to ply their trade in Super League without being subject to the overseas quota.
Just as an EU resident is able to work freely in the EU, so now is a member of a state which has a trading agreement with the EU.
Whilst this has meant the Super League fans have been thrilled by the skills of David Solomona, the power of Lesley Vainikolo and the personality and flair of Maurie Fa'asavalu, the quality of the imports has at times left much to be desired.
The fear for fans and supporters of Great Britain is that the overseas player are driving talent away from the Super League. In the round 27 clash between Bradford and Wakefield, just 16 of the 36 players on show were available for the watching Brain Noble to select. Such statistics show just how slim the talent pool is and it soon becomes little surprise why injuries and player withdrawals spell disaster of a touring GB side.
Rugby League isn't the only sport that has suffered from this. The same rules apply in Rugby Union but that too is to the detriment of Rugby League. Already we see the RFU, struggling to maintain a competitive England side with what is currently has, "importing" British talent from the 13-man game. Andy Farrell may not have been such a loss given his age, but perhaps the same could not be said for Chev Walker and Karl Pryce.

Problem 3: Scheduling
For the past three years, whilst Australia and New Zealand get two week-long breaks, Great Britain are asked to play four times in four weeks (five times had the made the final).
In such a physical and intense competition, such a schedule is difficult enough on home soil. On tour however, the problems are multiplied. The GB players are typically used to one hour drives across the M62 for away games and are, at worst, asked to endure a 90 minute flight to the south of France. To then ask those players to travel to the other side of the globe and then take no less than six domestic flights between venues is putting undue pressure on already overworked players.
The situation worsens when you factor in the number of games the players are asked to play domestically.
Any St Helens player in the GB squad that was lucky enough to play every game for his club would have played in 28 Super League games (two of which were in France), Five Challenge Cup games, including the final and two play-off fixtures (although this could possibly have been four had they finished lower in the table). That amounts to 35 domestic games in total from a possible 37 (excluding friendlies). In addition, add four Tri Nations matches and a mid-season international to give you 40 games in just ten months. Such a season is far from workable in such a physically intense sport and if GB are have the opportunity to prepare for success and prevent such a difficult international itinerary from occurring again, the the RFL needs to ensure that the number of Super League fixtures are cut.

Problem 4: Team Selection
A stand-off on the wing, a second row in the front row, a complete liability at loose forward, one of our most creative players sat on the couch at home and Sean Long at scrum half.
This years Great Britain team selection, like every other year, has been a mismatch of players picked on reputation being played out of position just so that they can all be accommodated.
Some selections paid off in the sense that they were one of few positives to emerge. James Roby and Gareth Hock played superbly and certainly staked their claim to be Lions regulars in the future.
But there were plenty of negatives. Leon Pryce was taken away from the area of the field where he is dangerous. He is a competent winger, but his talents are wasted there. The selection of Martin Gleeson was questionable to begin with but then his recall in place of the inform Kirk Yeaman suggested that Brian Noble had lost the plot and his persistence handing Sean O'Loughlin the number thirteen shirt showed quite simply that Nobby was indeed nuts.
Elsewhere, Andy Coley must have been wondering what he'd done wrong, after seeing Stuart Fielden keep him out of the side and Rob Burrow will also be questioning if he'll ever don a GB shirt in a test arena.

For many years now, we're constantly being told that we are catching up to the Australians. Those at Red Hall have been quick to point to British performances against NRL clubs in a pre-season friendly as an indicator that we are starting to get the better of the Roo's.
The results speak for themselves though and the past three decades have proved that the Australians are better in every facet of the game. Their infrastructures are better, their talent pool is better, their club game is better and their organisation is better.
Changes need to be made, not just to GB but to the British game in it's entirety, otherwise the Kangaroo's will continue to be leaps and bounds ahead of some very poor competition.

So Long, Farewell

2006-11-16T16:58:00.000Z

After Sean Long landed back in Blighty on Tuesday and was quickly led away by a St Helens official, the British media were still pondering what actually happened as the Lions returned to their Sydney base after the defeat in Wellington.

As the official line of "personal problems" is still maintained by the GB management, a line supported by the need to be with his expecting wife, rumours of mid-air shenanigans on the flight from New Zealand still persist.

But in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Long claimed that his decision to leave the Tri-Nations early had nothing to do with the alleged drinking or gambling incidents, but was due to him believing that he had "nothing left to offer" the Great Britain side.
The man-of-the-match in the victory over Australia in Sydney reverted back to his usual GB standard in the 34-4 thumping at the hands of the Kiwi's and now it seems that the 30 year old has had enough.

So for Long, it will remain just one Test standard performance in eight years of International rugby. After making his debut in the 1998 series against the Kiwi's, Long has been consistently floundered once he comes up against notable opposition. The pin-point kicking game, clinical passing and devastating support play that has made him a favourite at Knowsley Road suddenly go AWOL as soon as he steps out into the International arena.

It also emerges on BBC Radio Five tonight that Long has retired from "tour rugby", effectively ending his International career.

At least now, Great Britain can move forward. Talented individuals such as Hull's Richard Horne, given the Number 7 shirt for Saturday's must win clash in Brisbane and Rob Burrow of Leeds will be handed their chance whilst Salford's Luke Robinson and of course, Lee Briers will be waiting for their chance come 2007 and for the 2008 World Cup.

It is of course, a far from ideal end for Long's International career but like Keiron Cunningham who announced his International retirement before him, few will bemoan the loss of a Great Briton.

The Chris Moyles Stadium?

2006-11-14T21:00:00.000Z

Featherstone Rovers have made the headlines tonight with news off a major coup.

Apparently, the club's Post Office Road ground will now be named after BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, according to a statement on the club's website.

The Leeds-born motor-mouth, who broadcasts to almost 6.8m listeners on Radio 1's flagship show often celebrates his West Yorkshire roots and his support for Rugby League but is more commonly known for his support of Leeds United.

Most of us will put this down to a belated April Fools Joke but the Rovers seem dead serious about this.

Perhaps more will emerge tomorrow morning on the Chris Moyles Show. Until then we'll just laugh at the inventiveness of the Featherstone marketing office.

A Long Flight Home

2006-11-13T19:50:00.000Z

After Great Britain's capitulation in Wellington, scrum half Sean Long has left the Tri-Nations squad and returned to Blighty.

Saturday's 34-4 defeat to New Zealand means that the Lions must now go to Brisbane and at the very least, avoid defeat. That would be a tough task, even with a full strength squad but it then emerged this morning that the architect of GB's win over the Kangaroos in Sydney is heading back this morning.

The official line that came out this morning was that Long had asked permission to return home for "personal reasons" but rumours have been abound since the revelation.

The theory which most fits the reason and the one most of us will accept, is that Long has returned to be with his pregnant partner but more sinister claims have emerged both from the press here and in Sydney.

One story being banded about claims that Long had flouted an alcohol ban on the GB team's Sydney bound flight from Wellington, gambling exploits have also been mentioned - something that earned him a three month ban in 2004 and there is also the claim that Long had become unsettled after reportedly meeting with Australia coach Ricky Stuart over a possible move to Cronulla Sharks.

The Sydney Morning Herald has also put forward the notion of unrest in the GB camp surrounding the hooking role. The SMH has put forward that Long, amongst other players in the camp are unhappy at coach Brian Noble's insistence on starting Terry Newton at hooker, rather than Long's Saints team-mate James Roby.

Whilst I would suspect that the various theories are the result of the press looking for a story that isn't there, I suspect that we haven't heard the last of this. The SMH's "unrest in GB camp" story is the perfect paper seller and look out for plenty of follow-ups to that one leading up to the Brisbane clash.

Grounds for Celebration

2006-11-09T17:07:00.000Z

With 2009 just over three years away and deadline day for Super League franchises fast approaching, clubs are eagerly sprucing up their grounds or upping sticks altogether.

Last week, Salford City Reds finally saw an end to their long-running planning saga as a Government equiry finally granted permission for the club to move to the 20,000 capacity City of Salford Stadium at Barton.
The £130m project next to the M60 wil include retail units a hotel and resteraunt, will finally allow Salford to move away from the notorious Weaste area which is often bemoaned by visiting supporters who have been witness to vandalised property and assaults on supporters by local youths.
Invariably, the Salford club and their supporters were unfairly tarred with the same brush as the local dellinquents and this stadium will go a long way to restoring their reputation amongst supporters.

Some 70 miles away in Doncaster, the Dragons are all set to move into their new home, the Lakeside Stadium.
The 15,000 seater facility, which will be shared with Doncaster Rovers FC, will give South Yorkshire a geniune Rugby League stadium and will certainly be the envy of the National Leagues and possible even in 2009, Super League.

Not only that, but both venues are further possibilities for RFL events. Hopefully well no longer see Challenge Cup semi-finals at Odsal.

With Castleford and St Helens both pushing plans for new grounds forward, Leeds and Bradford undertaking refurbishments of their homes, the future looks much more comfortable for a Rugby supporter.

But whilst the story may be a possitive one, it serves as a stark reminder to other clubs to get their act together. With clubs outside the elite showing progress, the less progressive in Super League need to get their act together or risk being left behind.

GB Unchanged for NZ Clash

2006-11-08T10:53:00.000Z

Great Britain coach Brian Noble has stuck with the same 17 that saw off Australia in Sydney for Saturday's decisive clash with New Zealand in Wellington.

After the 'grannygate' affair which saw the Kiwi's docked two points for fielding an ineligible player, a draw or better will see the Lions qualify for the final against the Roos in Sydney. New Zealand on the other hand, have to win and then hope that Great Britain lose to Australia in Brisbane if they are to sneak through to the Sydney showdown on points difference.

The saying often goes that you don't change a winning side, but concerns must surround Brian Carney. The Irish winger left the field on Saturday due to a suspected hamstring injury - problem that has plauged much of his career.
If Carney is fit there can be no complaints, but questions need to be asked as to why the current Great Britain squad only has two recognised wingmen amongst it's ranks. Leon Pryce has played wing before and Lee Gilmour performed well in that role in Sydney but one must still question the why the likes of Mark Calderwood or Stuart Reardon haven't made the trip.

Time will tell. I assume that Carney is fit but I'd expect the Kiwi's to be making numerous moves towards the GB No2.

Let's all Laugh at Willie Mason.

2006-11-04T19:45:00.000Z

Ha Ha Ha!

So Aussie big gob Willie proved to the Rugby League world that he's all mouth and little action.

Not content with mouthing off in the press all week, disparraging the haka trying to batter anything that wore a white shirt, he then went and cost the convicts the game against Great Britain, winding up the GB side and bombing the ball when presented with a gap wider than the Mersey tunnel.

The result, a 23-12 victory for the Lions, their first on Australian soil since 1992 and a RLIF disciplinary for Mason in the coming week.

Let's not get carried away mind. The odd Great Britain victory over the Roos isn't as rare as people might make out, it's just two consecutive wins that happen to be the problem.

That said, it's still bloody funny!

Damn Those Dirty Cheating Kiwis!

2006-10-30T18:00:00.000Z

New Zealand haven't exactly come away from Saturday's 18-14 victory over Great Britain in a good light have they?

Not content with mucking up the time keeping, shaving about three minutes off the second half, it then it emerges that they may have fielded an inelegible player.
Apparently, Nathan Fein isn't quite sure whether he is from New Zealand or not. The result could be a two-point deduction from the Tri Nations table.

Lets make an example of these nit-wits! ;)

Noble's Lucky Thirteen?

2006-10-26T14:14:00.000+01:00

Great Britain coach Brian Noble named a familiar looking side to take on New Zealand in the Lions Tri-Nations opener in Christchurch.

The usual suspects are there in the starting thirteen although three new caps will be awarded from the interchange bench against the Kiwi's with James Roby, Gareth Hock, Gareth Carvell and James Wilkin all in contention for their first appearance in the Great Britain shirt.

But whilst the line-up was in many ways expected, that still hasn't prevented the arguments and the criticisms regardign selection from surfacing once again. Here, The One Pointer looks at the pro's and con's of Noble's selection.

Great Britain are expected to line up as follows on Saturday:
1. Paul Wellens (St Helens)
2. Brian Carney (Newcastle Knights)
3. Martin Gleeson (Warrington Wolves)
4. Keith Senior (Leeds Rhinos)
5. Leon Pryce (St Helens)
6. Danny McGuire (Leeds Rhinos)
7. Sean Long (St Helens)
8. Stuart Fielden (Wigan Warriors)
9. Terry Newton (Bradford Bulls)
10. Adrian Morley (Sydney Roosters)
11. Jamie Peacock (C) (Leeds Rhinos)
12. Gareth Ellis (Leeds Rhinos)
13. Sean O'Loughlin (Wigan Warriors)

SUBS
Four from:
Gareth Hock (Wigan)
Gareth Carvell (Hull)
James Roby (St Helens)
Lee Gilmour (St Helens)
Jon Wilkin (St Helens)
On paper, that looks a strong enough side, certainly enough to match and even better the Kiwi's, so where do the arguments come from?

1. The Three-Quarters and the Left Centre/Wing Combination
With regards to the backline for Great Britain, Paul Wellens and Brain Carney picked themselves. They are the best British players in their position by some distance.
The rest of the players in that back line should be breathing a sigh of relief. Martin Gleeson hasn't recaptured the form he showed in the 2004 Tri-Nations series, when he returned from his lenghty suspension and Leeds centre Keith Senior has also struggled for form. All the while, Kirk Yeaman and Hull has impressed in the Super League and many argue that he is the one who should start at three or four in Christchurch.
As for the left wing, Leon Pryce's selection has upset many, particuarly those in Wigan and on Humberside.
Pryce, who was represented St Helens as stand-off throughout the season, and who has made not secret of his dislike for the wing positon, has been selected over Hull winger Gareth Raynor and Wigan flyer Mark Calderwood, with the later of the two not even making the trip down under. Many believe that Raynor should take the place of Pryce and that Noble should once again refrain from playing players out of position.
However, I think Noble has got this selection right. A victory on Saturday put GB in the driving seat for a final birth, leaving NZ facing a much win game a fortnight later. With this in mind, Noble has gone for experience. Playing the experience combination of Senior and Pryce on the left is, in my view, a much wiser choice than selecting Yeaman and Raynor, a combination that at present, has just one cap between them.

2. At Sixes and Sevens
Here at The One Pointer, our disapproval of Sean Long's Great Britain performances are hardly a secret.
The selection of Long at scrum half came as no suprise, but what was suprising is the decision to send home GB's best half-back alternative, Lee Briers after the warm-up game in Newcastle.
When he comes up against the world's best, Long has fails to produce. His kicking game goes awol and his attacking ideas are too predictable for the quality of the Kangaroos and Kiwi's.
McGuire is a decision I can support but his game is reliant on players around him making breaks and finding space. Unless Long suddenly finds a way to unlock the solid defences he'll encounter over the coming weeks, that partnership will be wasted.

3. The Loose Forward
In the absence of Paul Sculthorpe and Kevin Sinfield, Sean O'Loughlin will don the number '13' shirt this weekend. The only question is "why?"
O'Loughlin has got to be one of the most over-rated players currenly in the Super League. He has failed to find form this season in a poor Wigan side, his attacking abilities are unspectacular and his tackling technique is non-existent. Add to that a proneness to conceeding soft penalties and you immediatley have a weak link which any half-decent International side will exploit.
Compare the attributes that the Wigan captain brings with the likes of the in-form Jon Wilkin or Paul Cooke and the decision to include O'Loughlin starts to look even more perplexing and it is just a shame that whilst Noble has named a very strong pack based on merit, the last name on his starting team sheet happens to be a player who is completely undeserving of that place.

All in all, the side selected is more than capable of matching New Zealand on paper. The pack is particuarly strong, the back line is experienced and despite a few questionable decisions, Noble appears to have put together a strong side. How strong that side proves to be will be discovered once GB kick-off against a battle-hardened New Zealand outfit.

Schtop! This GB Team, It is Not Ready Yet

2006-10-24T19:43:00.000+01:00

Great Britain officially join the Gillette Tri-Nations this Saturday against New Zealand in Christchurch and the obligatory "this is the best squad I've worked with" has already been trotted out.

The Lions go into the game against the Kiwi's, an indeed the entire tournament, as massive underdogs. The Aussie media have them down as no-hopers and are fully expecting Brian Noble's side to be on the plane home as Kangaroo's kick-off the final against New Zealand.

The Kiwi's however are in desperate need of a victory to keep their chances alive. Two successive defeats against Australia have left them with zero points having played two games more than Great Britain. A third defeat would leave them facing an uphill battle to secure a berth in the Sydney showdown.

They needn't worry though, as Great Britain are fully deserving of their underdogs tag.
This isn't particularly a go at the players. On the whole, the Aussies are certainly stronger and the Kiwi's would claim to be more gifted in many areas, but the current GB squad are capable and indeed have beaten both sides in the past in one-off encounters.
The problem however is putting in consistent performances. A one-off win has always been achievable, it's the second and third win that has proved elusive in the past.

Much of the blame for that must lie with the Rugby Football League.

This year, as in previous years, Great Britain go into the tournament under prepared in comparison to their rivals. A warm-up game against a Newcastle District select does not get you battle-hardened for the toughest competition in sport.
Whilst the Kiwi's and Roo's have two International games under their belts, GB have a series of training sessions and Friday night pub match victory to their name.

It is this shoddy preparation that provided the basis for Phil Clarke's resignation from the post of Great Britain team manager and the lack of support from the RFL has not been fully addressed. A warm-up against a part time team and pre-season friendly against a New Zealand 'A' side is far from good enough. Instead, what is needed is for the RFL to shorten the Super League season.

Rid the year of the six 'additional' games, introduce a larger representative calendar and send Great Britain to the Tri-Nations earlier.
The Yorkshire v Lancashire concept was scrapped far too quickly. The powers at Red Hall were clearly expecting this to be an instant hit. By being sandwiched between two Super League rounds with a mid-week kick-off, this was never going to be the case. In the tried format, the clubs were never going to support it and neither were the fans. Instead, the concept should have been given it's own weekend.
As for Internationals, the Les Catalan franchise will eventually lead to the development of a competitive French side but until then, GB will have to make do with another non-event against New Zealand 'A' in 2007.

The opposers to the 'reduce six games' argument claim that clubs would struggle financially through a loss in match-day income. However, I would argue that clubs that are financially dependent on six 'artificially produced' fixtures should have their Super League credentials called into question.

I could call into question the selection policies and the tactics employed by Noble. I personally would prefer to see Lee Briers in the squad ahead of Long and Roby but the fact remains, Brian Noble is far more knowledgeable about the game than they vast majority of people on this planet. He knows what his sides strengths are and he knows their weaknesses.

The GB players aren't far behind their Southern Hemisphere counterparts. Unfortunately, the Rugby Football League isn't giving them the chance to prove that.

The Super League Shirt Parade

2006-10-23T20:47:00.000+01:00

Christmas is on the way and it's the time of year when Super League clubs start releasing the brand new kits that there players will be modeling next season.

Here at the One Pointer, we take a peak as they are officially unvieled and run the rule over the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Bradford Bulls
Home:

Away:

Catalans Dragons
Home:

Away:

Harlequins RL
Home:

Away:

Huddersfield Giants
Home:

Away:

Hull FC
Home (Black & White) & Away (Blue):

Hull KR
Home:

Away:

Leeds Rhinos
Home:

Away:

St Helens
Home:

Away:

Salford City Reds
Home:

Away:

Wakefield Trinit y Wildcats
Home (white) & Away (red & blue):

Warrington Wolves
Home:

Away:

Wigan Warriors
Home:

Away:

Like any of the kits you see? Why not see it's stocked by our partners?

A Fuss over Nothing

2006-10-20T18:09:00.000+01:00

Wakefield forward David Solomona looks set to complete a move to Bradford Bulls early next week but as you might imagine, the Wildcats aren't happy about it.

The claim by Wakefield Chief Executive Steve Ferres is that the Bulls illegally approached the Kiwi second-rower whilst he was still under contract at Wakefield. Had Wakefield been relegated, Solomona would have become a free agent but with the Wildcats' avoiding relegation on the last day of the season, his contract at Belle Vue remained intact.

Allegations were then made by the Wildcats that the Bulls had illegally approached Solomona towards the end of this season and a complaint was made to the Rugby Football League, which has led to the Odsal club being investigated.
Seven days later, Solomona handed in a transfer request, with Ferres claiming that their prized star had become "unsettled because he has been offered a better financial deal elsewhere."

Unfortunately for Ferres, that is only half the story.

In today's game, agents are always touting players around the clubs. There is no denying that and for any agent that doesn't, it would be questionable if he had the best interests of his client to heart. Clubs are not prevented from contacting agents, just from directly approaching the players themselves whilst they are contracted elsewhere.

As for Solomona, I don't doubt that he's looking to increase his earnings, but I suspect that its more to do with the fact that Bradford are much more progressive, ambitious and forward thinking club than the Wildcats probably ever will be.

At Odsal, Solomona has the opportunity to progress his career, raise his profile and begin adding honours to his name. At Wakefield, he has the opportunity to put his career on the line, fighting against relegation and remaining a big fish in a small pond.

If Ferres wants to attract good players and, more crucially, keep them at Belle Vue he needs to look at his own club before pointing the finger at others. The Wildcats have a poor side. There is little quality that takes the field and with Korkidas already gone, Solomona going and players like Atkins will be picked up sooner rather than later should he continue to impress. With a junior set-up stifled by average overseas players, it seems that many promising players will be prevented from making the grade.
Off the field, they are stuck an unsuitable ground, playing in front of pitiful crowds and have little future in the game unless Wakefield Council step in to save the club with a new stadium.
As a result, Solomona's job security is seriously undermined and the lure of a secure playing contract and sound financial package is understandably too good to turn down.

The current state of the club is always going to lead to the scenario where players feel they have to leave to further their career. It happened with Ellis, it's happening now with Solomona.

The Wildcats bigwigs can cry foul all they want but they aren't doing themselves any favours.
One club will eventually come out of this situation with it's reputation further tarnished, but it won't be the Bulls.

Jonah Lomu Coming to League - Again

2006-10-16T12:41:00.000+01:00

The word in the NRL is that new Queensland franchise Gold Coast Titans have lined up New Zealand Rugby Union legend Jonah Lomu on a one-year contract.

Not for the first time, the All Black winger has been linked with a move to the 13-a-side code. The powerful back, who has 73 International caps, has previously been linked with (the then) Auckland Warriors in the NRL, Wigan, Wakefield and a dual-code deal with Leeds Rhinos and Tykes.

Will this signing be good for the Titans though? For next season Gold Coast will already have Brian Carney, Steve Turner, Jake Webster and Matt Peterson on it's books for next year at 31 years of age, Lomu's best days are probably behind him, before you begin to factor in his health issues which stem back to 1996 and led to a Kidney transplant in 2004.

Since then, Lomu has struggled for fitness. He has appeared for North Harbour and Cardiff Blues but has been dogged by injuries and fitness concerns and missed out on a Super 14 contract for next year, effectively ending his 2007 World Cup hopes.

So from a playing side, it would appear the offering would be minimal. However, one suspects that this signing could be much more beneficial for the men in the marketing office at Carrara Stadium.
Lomu is a name recognised the World over, even by non-rugby enthusiasts. His game style and personality has earned him fans wherever he has played and even though fans remain from the days of the Chargers, the Titans looking to build up a fan base from scratch and there are few better names than that of Jonah Lomu to help shift season tickets.

If the deal does come off, don't expect to see much of Lomu on the field, but there will be plenty of opportunities for Titan's fans to see him off it.

What Went Wrong for Hull?

2006-10-15T18:18:00.000+01:00

After all the hype surrounding yesterday's Grand Final, St Helens eventually cantered to a 26-4 victory to complete a memorable and well-deserved treble.

A second-half blitz from the Saints overcame a Hull side that had promised so much, yet fell at the final hurdle despite a valiant attempt.

But where did it all go wrong?

St Helens are an outstanding side. They have created a side which can play superb attacking Rugby, keep the opposition scoring to a minimum and Daniel Anderson's side have set a benchmark that clubs will struggle to reach regardless of their resources. Give a side as strong as this an inch, and they won't only take a mile, they'll take far more than that.

As for the game itself, in my view, Hull made two critical mistakes. The first one came in the first 15 minutes. In the opening stages, Peter Sharpe's men had the better of the game. They took the game to St Helens and kept the minor premiers penned in their own half. They only thing they didn't do is score. They came close through Gareth Raynor, but after that initial quarter of an hour St Helens came back into the game and once Francis Meli gave them the lead, their tails were up.

The second mistake came on the stroke of half time. With the game at 4-4, Leon Pryce crossed to give St Helens the lead with the last action of the opening 40 minutes.

You can argue that the game was lost in the second half as fatigue caught up with Hull but that Pryce try took the wind out of Hull after a half where they probably should have been in front. Saints were ruthless in the second half, but they were allowed to take confidence from the first period by Hull's lack of composure in attack.

In the end, there was only going to be one winner of Super League XI. Hull can be proud of their performance this season, esspecially after overcoming a poor start to the season and the loss of their trophy winning coach from last season. Expect them to be around the higher reaches of the league next season and with the experience that yesterday will bring, they could go one better in SL12.

Red 'V' for Victory

2006-10-12T11:37:00.000+01:00

The Super League finale is upon us. On Saturday the players of St Helens and Hull FC will walk out onto the Old Trafford turf for the engage Super League Grand Final.

Favourites St Helens go into the game with the League Leaders shield and Challenge Cup sitting proudly on the sideboard whilst Peter Sharpe's Airlie Birds prepare for their first ever Super League final. Of the 18 players in the Hull squad, only Lee Radford and Chris Chester have played in the season's showpiece.

St Helens on the other hand, could have a number of record breakers amongst them. Four of the side, Sean Long, Keiron Cunningham, Man of Steel Paul Wellens and Leon Pryce, will be looking to lift the trophy for a record fourth time whilst the latter could hold the record for the highest number of Grand Final appearances should he take the field on Saturday.

Daniel Anderson's Saints have the upper hand as far as past meetings go, The men from Knowsley Road game out on top in the Grand Final Qualifier and recorded a 46-0 victory at the KC Stadium in March although Paul Cooke's drop goal ended Hull's 18-year baron spell at Knowsley Road with a 27-26 win in June. As for Grand Final form, Saints have never lost in the Old Trafford showpiece, beating Bradford twice (1999 & 2002) and Wigan in 2000.

On Saturday, expect a tight game. Grand Final's are often tense affairs and this will be no different. There are two physical teams on show each with potential game breakers amongst their ranks.
However, St Helens have the upper hand. Hull's exploits last week may mean they are battle-hardened, but a hard-fought win over Bradford may have taken it's toll. Saints on the other hand go into the game fresh and with the added benefit of an extra week's preparation. On the field, there are players in the Saints side who know every inch of the Old Trafford pitch. They know how to win there and I'd expect them to on Saturday.
For the first hour, two heavyweights will slug it out but from that point on, expect the pace and flair of St Helens to provide the sucker punch and complete a fantastic domestic treble.

St Helens and Hull Grand Final Squads:

St Helens (18-man): Paul Wellens, Ade Gardner, Jamie Lyon, Willie Talau, Francis Meli, Leon Pryce, Sean Long, Nick Fozzard, Keiron Cunningham, Jason Cayless, Lee Gilmour, John Wilkin, James Roby, Mike Bennett, Jason Hooper, Paul Anderson, James Graham, Maurie Fa'asavalu.

Hull FC (18-man): Shaun Briscoe, Gareth Carvell, Chris Chester, Paul Cooke, Ewan Dowes, Sid Domic, Graham Horne, Richard Horne, Shane McMenemy, Paul King, Lee Radford, Gareth Raynor, Richard Swain, Motu Tony, Danny Washbrook, Scott Wheeldon, Richard Whiting, Kirk Yeaman

Robins to Rock Super League?

2006-10-10T20:52:00.000+01:00

Sunday's NL1 Grand Final victory over Widnes saw Hull KR achieve what they thoroughly deserved and will see them rubbing shoulders with the game's elite in Super League XII.

After leading the National League table from start to finish, a season in which included 15 consecutive league victories, a National Rail Cup Final and a Challenge Cup semi-final it was only right that Justin Morgan's young side ended off the year with a convincing victory over the Vikings at Warrington.

But for all the celebrations, the hard work now begins to ensure that the Robins don't follow the same path as Leigh Centurions and Castleford by dropping straight back down to where they once came within the space of twelve months. Coach Justin Morgan believes that he'll need around 12 new faces at Craven Park to give Hull a fighting chance of avoiding the drop and already claims to have some "irons in the fire" with regards to new players coming in.

So are Hull KR capable of avoiding the drop? Probably not.

The basis of the Hull side is excellent. The club has a strong blend of young talent such as Scott Murrell, Ben Cockayne, Tommy Gallagher and Byron Ford alongside the experienced heads of Francis Stephenson, Makali Aizue and Michael Smith but that alone won't keep them up.
The full-time professionals of the Rovers stood out amongst a largely semi-pro league. Whilst the likes of Widnes and Leigh were also both full-time, those sides were still left picking up the pieces of last season's relegation and so that left KR as the most talented squad in the National League.

Next season the men from East Hull will be akin to tadpoles, let alone small fish, in a very big pond and whilst they may well compete in some fixtures, the professionalism, skill and fitness of the current band of England's higher reaches will prove the difference.

As for attracting the 12 players required to Craven Park, that could prove much more difficult that people may imagine. Ryan McGoldrick and Fui Fui Moi Moi are names currently being touted but more is needed.
The nature of the Rugby League transfer market and the 'anti-tamper' system means that most available players are already committed to new contracts with other clubs. No player will be prepared to hang around for a National League One side, in the hope that they will achieve promotion. That effectively means that Hull KR are browsing the 'clearance' section of the market. The players that are around at this stage of the season are the players that no over club wants on it's books.

Whilst Hull KR may well have an impressive looking side by the time they kick off their Super League careers in February, the fact remains that whatever side they do eventually put together, the traditional relegation candidates such as Salford, Wakefield and Harlequins have also moved on and that will ultimately leave the Robins stranded at the foot of the table.

I'm no fan of automation promotion and relegation. Not because I'm anti-lower league but because the current system leaves the promoted side with too high a mountain to climb.
English Rugby League is not like football. The sport cannot support 25-30 "big" clubs with resources in abundance. The talent pool for players we have in this country and the current transfer system means that for promoted sides, staying in Super League is fast becoming a futile exercise.
Instead, abolishing automatic promotion and relegation will increase the talent pool by vastly reducing the need for clubs to circumvent the foreigners quota through the Kolpak ruling. By doing this, they will be able to experiment exposing their young players to first team rugby, without fear of the repercussions should the experiment fail.

Enjoy Super League Rovers, it'll be over pretty soon.

National League Finals Day Preview

2006-10-07T21:02:00.000+01:00

This weekend promises to be a huge weekend in the World of Rugby League. With the Grand Final Eliminator already gone, the focus is now on the LHF National Leagues and the Grand Final's of NL1, 2 and 3.

In what is always a feast of Rugby League and an event which is a superb advert for the lower leagues, four teams will be gunning for promotion and even though the other two are just playing for bragging rights, fans heading to Warrington this Sunday will be in for a treat.
Here, The One Pointer goes over the runners and riders:

LHF National League Three Final
Bramley Buffaloes vs Hemel Stags

Bramley will go into the game as favourites against Hemel in the day's opening fixture. Despite there being no promotion at stake, last years final showed that the silverware on offer provides enough incentive.

Last years beaten finalists ended the season as league leaders and in the sides last two meetings, have posted a combined 68 points, despite playing much of their 38-12 victory in August with just 12 men.
Hemel have however upset Paul Cook's men, registering a 24-20 victory at Bramley back in May and so the Buffaloes will be wary of complacency as they look to right the wrongs of last season.

The One Pointer Prediction: Bramley by 10 pts

LHF National League Two Final
Sheffield Eagles vs Swinton Lions

On the road to Warrington, Swinton have completely ignored the script. The side that was supposed to be brushed aside by Featherstone and then walloped by Celtic Crusaders now find themselves one game away from the most remarkable play-off runs in NL2's short history.

Sheffield Eagles go into the game as red-hot favourites after easing past the Crusaders in the qualifying game although the Lions, bouyed by their remarkable run are a battle-hardened side who will fancy their chances of causing an upset. Expect this game to see-saw for the full 80 mins but I believe that Sheffield's class will be enough to just see them through.

The One Pointer Prediction: Sheffield by 7 pts

LHF National League One Final
Hull KR vs Widnes Vikings

It doesn't get in tougher than this. To the winner, a place amongst the game's elite in Super League. Both clubs believe that they should be rubbing shoulders with the best in the country yet only one side will take the place of Castleford next year.

It's too close to call. Hull KR are the minor premiers and beat Widnes in the qualifying game at Craven Park whilst Widnes, looking to bounce straight back from relegation last year, will be able to turn to the old heads of Barrie McDermott and Dennis Moran for inspiration and the experince of coaxch Steve McCormack, leading a side on his third consecutive Grand Final.
Expect a tense, low scoring game. The tension will be much greater than the qualifier two weeks ago and with so much at stake, mistakes will be made. This could come down to just one kick.

The One Pointer Prediction: Hull KR by 2 pts

For all of you heading to Warrington this Sunday, enjoy the day.

Unlucky End for Lynch

2006-10-03T20:07:00.000+01:00

It may well have been the kiss of death, but after I called for Andy Lynch's inclusion in Brian Noble's Great Britain squad, the Bradford prop has seen his season, and Tri Nations hopes come to an abrupt end.

The former Castleford front-row sustained a broken ankle in Saturday's play-off elimination semi-final against Warrington at Odsal with the game just two minutes old.
Initially named in Brian Noble's stand-by squad, Lynch will now be forced to sit on the stands as the Bulls play for a Grand Final place on Friday and whilst Great Britain look to regain some pride down under.

It's a harsh end to the season for a player that has performed admirably for the Bulls this season. Rightly declared the club's player of the season, Lynch started all 28 league games for the Bulls, crossing the whitewash eight times, making him the clubs joint highest scoring forward alongside Brett Ferres.

As for the Bulls, they will be weakend by the loss but as they showed against Warrington, the remaining players can still dominate a strong opposition pack. Young prop Sam Burgess looks to be a player with a big future after his recent performances and the experience of Joe Vagana and Brad Meyers could prove invaluable as the Bulls travel to Hull for a mouthwatering Grand Final Eliminator on Friday. The clash at the KC should be a titanic battle between two physical sides and it's certainly a game not to be missed.

Maths with Stevo

2006-09-30T21:35:00.000+01:00

Mike Stephenson, everybody's favourite Sky Sports commentator is often ridculed for talking absolute rubbish. Aside from the stupid one liners and looking for arguments over nothing, it now seems that Stevo's grasp mathematics isn't quite up to scratch.

For those of you that arn't aware, scoring points in a game of Rugby League can be done in various ways.

By touching the ball over your opponents try line you score four points. This is called a 'try'. You can convert that into six points if your kicker kicks the ball between the posts. 'This is called a conversion'. There are two other ways in which to score. You can kick a penalty that has been awarded after a player has been penalised for breaking the rules such as being offside, or misbehaving. This is worth two points. You can also aim the ball at the posts and by bouncing it onto the ground and if you boot it between the posts, you can collect one point. This is known as a 'field' or 'drop' goal.(The RFL, Official Powergen Challenge Cup Final Programme 2006)

It's a simple concept.

So picture this scenario. You are playing for Warrington at Bradford in a play-off elimination semi-final. You are four points down with 17 minutes left and are 20m or so from the Bradford try line. What do you do?

You probably wouldn't go for a drop goal, even if a big scary bald bloke in the commentary box is shouting "go for the one pointer!"
That would still leave you three points behind, still needing a try to win. You could though score the one point and get a try later which would put you at least one point in the lead......

But wait! If you got the try, which would tie the game, you get chance to kick an extra two points anyway. Decisions decisions....

Only Stevo knows what he was thinking. We all know he loves his drop goals, as does Lee Briers, but come on Stevo, a bit of rational thinking wouldn't go amiss.

One of the all-time classic conversations in the Sky commentary box:

Stevo: "Will the Wolves go for the one-pointer?"
Eddie: "Why would they?"
Stevo: "Why not?"
Eddie: "They're 4 points down?"
Stevo: "It's still a point!"

Enjoy the Grand Final eliminator folks!

Hudson's Giant Step

2006-09-28T16:32:00.000+01:00

Ryan Hudson is set to make his Super League comeback in 2007 with Huddersfield Giants after two years out of the game.

The former Wakefield and Castleford loose forward was sensationally suspended from the game for two years in March 2005 after testing positive for the banned steroid stanozolol, just weeks after joining the Bradford Bulls.
Hudson has always claimed that he was unaware that he had taken the substance, claiming that he acted on the advice of a nutritionist whilst in Australia yet despite this, the former England U21 captain was sacked by the Bulls and has since spent the last two years in the Rugby League wilderness.

Hudson's, who's possible move to Huddersfield had been strongly rumoured for a while, has signed a three-year deal at the Galpharm Stadium, rejoining the club for whom he made his professional debut in 1998 and has immediatly signalled his intention to right the wrongs of the past 24 months.
Hudson has already pledged to work with UK Sport and the RFL on education programmes and if today's press conference is anything to go by, his attitude seems to be exactly right.

On the playing side, Hudson was one of the games hottest properties when he moved to Odsal and there are few reasons why he can't reproduce the form that got him to the fringes of the Great Britain side. Hudson owns his own gym business so fitness and conditioning won't be a major problem and Giants fans will hope that his quick thinking with the ball and handling ability won't have waned during his lay-off.

The 27-year old has never tried to hide his mistake and this isn't as big a gamble for the Giants as people might think. The versatile forward will fit into the loose-forward role but will also provide competition for hooker Brad Drew.

Hudson was an undoubted talent two years ago and if what people say about "form being temporary, class being permanent", then coach John Sharpe has possibly got one of the finds of the season.

Great Britain Squad: Same Old, Same Old

2006-09-25T15:24:00.000+01:00

Great Britain boss Brian Noble today selected his Great Britain squad for the forthcoming Tri-Nations tournament in Australia and New Zealand and, quite frankly, there are few suprises.

With one or two exceptions, Noble has once again gone with the players that have tried and failed miserably against the Roos in the past two tournaments as well as others who's incluson can only be described as baffling.
Ignored are the likes of Andy Coley, And Lynch, Malcolm Alker, Mark Calderwood, Lee Briers, and Paul Cooke, all of whom will have to wait for a call in the reserve squad whilst the 'tired' and tested Sean Long, Lee Gilmour, Lyon Pryce, Paul Johnson and Shaun O'Loughlin will once again get the chance to show how incapable they are of competing with the Australians.

Not only that but Noble has made calls of which I have yet to decide if they fall into the 'brave' or 'stupid' column.
Huddersfield winger Martin Aspinwall gets his call ahead of Wigan flyer Mark Calderwood and Salford's David Hodgson. St Helens hooker/half-back James Roby finds himself on the plane instead of either Micky Higham or, arguably Super League's most consistent hooker, Malcolm Alker and the fact that Gareth Hock has even been considered after spending what seems like forever on the sidelines with injury brings the selection into serious question.

Many have criticised Noble for not giving young players a chance at test level but perhaps what people haven't suggested is that those players need to be upto the task at hand.
The most disappointing omissions are those of Paul Cooke, although his November court case had probably already determined his availability, Bradford player-of-the-year Andy Lynch, arguably one of the seasons most inform forwards and Warrington's Lee Briers who will once again have to watch on whilst Sean Long inevitably fails to produce once again for the Lions.
All three of those players are deserving of a Great Britain cap and all have shown that they are amongst the best in their respective classes, yet for whatever reason they are being left at home along with the injured trio of Paul Sculthorpe, Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Langley.

There are bright spots however, Saints prop James Graham has been included and deservedly so after his performances for St Helens and for Great Britain in the mid-season test against New Zealand.

After two years of failure to break the Aussie's domination, Great Britain need a team capable of winning the Tri Nations. As wrong as I hope to be, this selection differs little from the squads of the past that have shown on several occasions that they are clearly not up to the task at hand. People within the camp will point to poor preparation as the reason for inept performances in the past but GB must learn to play with the cards they are dealt. They have shown they are capable of beating Australia on several occaisions in one-off encounters, now is the time to turn that ability into a consistent run of results. Noblle's omissions have shown that there is strength in depth but some selections also show that the GB set-up hasn't learnt from previous mistakes.

Lee Briers: GB Material?

2006-09-23T22:27:00.000+01:00

It's been one of the longest running debates in recent times. Ever since Warrington half-back Lee Briers burst onto the scene at Wilderspool in 1997, people have proclaimed him as the answer to Great Britain's half-back dilemma.

The predicted plethora of Lions caps however, have failed to materialise. So far the Wolves captain has just one Great Britain cap to his name and will be hoping to avoid another snub as coach Brian Noble names his Tri-Nations side on Monday.

After single-handedly leading Warrington past Leeds Rhinos in Friday night's Elimination quarter final at Headingley, the calls for him to board the plane to Sydney will only increase in volume. The Welsh captain had a hand in all three Wolves tries and kicked the vital field goals in the dying minutes to snatch victory.

So why does Briers consistently get overlooked? Well despite his genuis with the ball, he is also prone to moments of madness. He is unarguably Rugby League's answer to Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde.
His temperment has always been a cause for concern, or ammusement depending on who you support and many claim that all too frequent acts of petulance towards referee's, supporters, the opposition and even teammates will be leathally exposed by the class and calmness of the Australians.

A lack of big-game experience is also often cited. Having never played in either a Grand Final or Challenge Cup Final, it's is questionable if he has the big match nerve. Friday's game did go someway to aiding his cause but the doubts will no doubt circulate as they have done around players such as Malcolm Alker, another player making strong claims for a test jersey.

But are these concerns enough to keep a player of such ability at home this November? In 2000, Briers showed that he can mix it with the best, leading Wales against Australia in the World Cup semi-final. The Welsh almost pulled off the biggest upset in the games history before the class of Lockyer, Johns and Co eventually got the Roos home and to an eventual World Cup Final victory.

If Briers' name isn't on Noble's notpad come Monday, some will despair, some won't bat an eyelid but in my view, calling up Briers is a gamble worth taking.
After dissmal performances last year, Great Britain have little to lose. Various half-back combinations have tried and failed miserably in the past and if Noble continues with the same partnerships that let him down spectacuarly in 2005 and 2004 then questions need to be asked. The likes of Sean Long and Keiron Cunningham have shown that good club form doesn't always translate into test series winning performances and these players have failed to take the chances given to them.
Should Briers start in Australia and New Zealand? Maybe not. Should he be on the flight? Most definatly.

Looking Upwards

2006-09-20T10:18:00.000+01:00

Now that the likes of Wakefield, Wigan and Castleford have finished stealing the limelight and dragging down the rest of the league with them, we can now actually begin the play-off series and a celebration of success.

This weekend sees the games elite rightfully taking back the spotlight as the best that the engage Super League 2006 has had to offer takes centre stage, starting at Headingley on Friday night.

With the top two, St Helens and Hull earning the week off for their superior league position, it's up to Leeds, Bradford, Salford and Warrington to tough it out in the knock-out stages of the play-offs.
The Rhinos take on the Wolves at Headingley on Friday night, a side they beat by 54 points to 16 only three weeks ago and the out of sorts Bulls take on Salford, making their play-off debut after a what will be considered a superb season by all concerned at the Willows.

This years series could be intriguing to say the least. Unlike last year when the Bulls hit the play-offs running to take the Championship from third place, no team, St Helens excepted, is really hitting form.
Warrington are consistently inconsistent, Hull have lost the last two, Salford have faultered lately and could find themselves out of their depth rubbing shoulders with the countries elite, the Bulls are out of sorts and Leeds' good results against Warrington and Les Catalans sandwiched a 60-point capitulation at Knowsley Road.
As for St Helens, they look unstopable but as they found out last season, first place and a minor premiership does not guarantee a Grand Final berth and Phil Clarke's comments on Boots 'n' All that Daniel Anderson's men have a "defeat in them" has got a few analyists stroking their chins in curiosity.

For the first time in many weeks, Sky viewers should witness games of the standard that should befit the games flagship competition, not the mistake-ridden niggle-a-thons that have blighted our screens lately.
All the possible games have an element of intrigue about them. Each side is capable of beating each other and each set of supporters will be looking at how the play-offs work, believing that they have at least a small chance of making their way to Old Trafford on October 14th.

On a side-note, congratulations are due to Batley for their magnificent upset at Hilton Park to end Leigh Centurions' season.

Tigers out of the Woods?

2006-09-18T20:12:00.000+01:00

It's been revealed today that relegated Castleford arn't going to be taking Saturday's result lying down.

The Tigers Chief Executive Richard Wright is planning to meet with Red Hall officials to discuss the posibility of expanding Super League to thirteen teams, a move which, if approved would give the Tigers a stay of execution. At present, the Tigers relegation will be confirmed if either of the competition favourites Hull KR or Widnes win the National League Grand Final in October. Only unlikely victory for Batley or Whitehaven can save Cas.

Wright believes that Castleford are an "asset" to Super League but, seeing as he's their Chairman, one would hardly expect him to say otherwise. Whilst relegation is a shame for the club and the town, Wright's comments may not endear him to the rest of the league, not least the supporters of relegation and the other 12 clubs, who would all have to take a hit in their Sky TV money.

The BBC's Dave Woods has also jumped on the bandwagon, but has gone one further by asking for a fourteen team league.
Again, the familiar line of Cas being a "traditional" club has been troted out, and the possitive attendances at the Jungle have been alluded to, but Woods is missing one major point.

Assuming each squad has 20 quality players, by virtue of the 20:25 ruling, that is potentially another 40 quality players that have to be found in the space of less than five months. Castelford's current side would need to be rebuilt even if they did remain in the league, as many players will have already signed contracts with new clubs prior to Saturday, whilst Hull KR or Widnes would have to turn a NL1 side into a Super League side in a similar timeframe.
The only way that two sides could prepare a side for 2006 would be to head to the South Pacific.
In a season where the presence of Kolpak players has already been bemoaned, Woods seems to be advocating the introduction of more. The current talent pool in Britain cannot sustain 14 Super League clubs. Top clubs want to keep hold of their Senior Academy stars and whilst the Salary Cap permits, they will. The only way to increase the talent pool is to eliminate the need for Kolpak players and encourage youth development and that means abolishing automatic relegation.

In an ideal world, Woods would be right. A fourteen team elite competition contested with the best of British with no consiquences for promoting youth development. Unfortunatly, we don't live in an ideal world. Super League doesn't have the players, the finance or the system in place to properly support two extra sides.

The Value of Relegation

2006-09-17T19:29:00.000+01:00

Saturday's result and Castleford's demotion to the National League has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many, not least those in WF10.

Wildcats coach John Kear had led his side to safety against the odds, bringing a halt to Castleford's short tenure back in Super League after their promotion last season but the fall-out from Saturday night has only just begun.

Tigers coach Terry Matterson has been against relegation for the best part of the season and he despises the notion even more now that fate has befallen him. Many have even gone as far to suggest that relegation should be suspended, claiming that no side deserved to go down and that infact, Castleford's 19 point haul means that this years relegated club was indeed the "best" worst team in the Super League era. Only Whitehaven or Batley could create that situtation now and so Matterson can bemoan the system all he wishes.
His arguments stand up too. Relegation encourages short-term thinking. The two sides that took the field as Wakefield played Bradford last week contained just ten players from 34 who qualified for Great Britain and of Wakefield's side from Saturday, only three players were of any interest to the onlooking GB boss Brian Noble, who became involved in a heated discussion on the subject in the Sky Sports studio.
The fear of relegation creates a fear for the clubs towards the bottom of the table from playing juniors from the Senior Academy. It's no coincidence that the bulk of young British talent currently ply their trade with the top three clubs; Leeds, Hull and St Helens - sides that are free from the threat of relegation.

For the clubs clinging on by their fingernails, throwing in a 19-year-old stand-off is simply not an option. Instead it's much easier to bring in the experienced heads of Julian O'Neill, Deon Bird or in Castleford's case, Brad Davis on short-term contracts to try and get yourself out of that mess.
That may be fine from a club point of view, but talent is going undiscovered because clubs don't have the time to bring teenagers up to Super League standard.

The introduction of the Kolpak ruling, which means that players of Fijian, Tongan, Samoan, Papua New Guinean and South African desent (amogst others) are excluded from any foreign quotas, has created a loophole that many club Chairmen are all to willing to expolit, but few can blame them when the very survival of the club can depend on Super League status.

Thankfully, the RFL has seen the iceburg and the introduction of a franchise system in 2009 will eliminate the need for clubs to fill their sides to the point of bursting with overseas players. Nobody wants to see the likes of Jamie Lyon, Shontayne Hape, Lesley Vainikolo, Ali Lauitiiti and Stacey Jones end up being forced out of the competition. They are the players that fans come esspecially to see, but what fans hate is to get the impression that players who have no real affinity to the club are keeping a potential superstar who has supported the club from childhood.

Another issue for contention since last night is the merit of the Les Catalans Dragons 'experiment'. Some have objected to the move from the start, particuarly those from Widnes who had to make way for the Dragons last year but their objections don't hold much water.

The Dragons have had minimal time, just over one year, to create a team capable of competing in the league, a fanbase capable of sustaining a Super League side and the infrastructure required to pass Super League standards. Cas will claim that they had even less time, since they couldn't recruit players until after last years Grand Final but the bulk of the side remained to feature in Super League. The Tigers eventually only ended the season three points ahead to the French side, despite the Dragons having nothing to play for much of the closing stages of the season.

People also bemoan the Dragons from a financial perspective, with the small minded view that Catalans don't "bring any fans", which is a stupid point on two counts.
Firstly, the Catalans home average attendence of 6,542, which currently stand proudly of those of Wakefield (5,447), Huddersfield (5,398), Harlequins (4,917) and high-flying Salford (4,820).
Secondly, to be perfectly blunt, clubs shouldn't be reliant on visting supporters making the journey and topping up the numbers.

It was often claimed that you could get an idea of a club's true support base by their attendance against London / Harlequins, by virtue of the fact that not many people made the long trips up the M1 or M6.

So last season when the Broncos went to the Halliwell Jones, the marketing team at Warrington actually went and did some work (often unheard of in some Rugby League marketing offices) and instead of shrugging their shoulders and saying "Oh well, lets see what London bring", like Salford Football Director Steve Simms, they went out and came up with the radical idea of getting the locals through the door. The result was a crowd that bettered those against many more local sides, including rivals Widnes.
The Catalans arn't to blame and those arguing otherwise are clutching at straws. They have more home-grown payers than most British sides, they have earned the game greater expsure across the UK and Europe and they have offered the British fan something new. They arn't to blame for Castleford's demise and as I have said before, the Tigers could have avoided Saturday's finale months ago.

Only a minor miracle in the NL1 play-offs will save the Tigers and it is a shame that so many people have put in so much hard work, as opitimised by the emotion shown by captain Danny Nutley at the final whistle. It's just the men from the Jungle have been the victims of an increasingly flawed system. Sky loved this weekend. It's the kind of car-crash TV that makes TV executives rub their hands with glee, but this whole season has been focused on mediocraty.
End relegation, bring in stability and give clubs the opportunity to step up to a level playing field throughout Super League. That way we can celebrate sucess, rather than gawp at failure.

If the Pryce is Right

2006-09-15T11:12:00.000+01:00

As we approach the end of Super League 2007, it looks like Bradford three-quarter Karl Pryce will be joining the Odsal exodus and heading down south to join Leeds centre Chev Walker in the West Country.

The brother of St Helens stand-off Leon, Karl Pryce currently leads the Bulls try-scoring charts having crossed the whitewash 17 times in Super League XI and the 6'6" 18st 7lb man mountain has attracted the attention of those at Gloucester Rugby Union.
The Kingsholm club have eyed the Great Britain International as a major addition to their back line and look set to add Pryce to the list of players currently switching codes at the end of the current season.

So far, Leeds' Chev Walker has already signed on for Bath in November whilst Salford utility player Stephen Myler will head to Franklin's Gardens to join Northampton Saints and whilst many commentators will claim that this is the start of a trend RL talent leaving the game, like in 2000, the coach-load of players predicted to be leaving Super League by the Union-centric media will more than likely materialise to just a motorcycle and sidecar.
In fact, the trend is being reversed down under, with Matt Rogers agreeing to join the Gold Coast Titans whilst Lote Tuquri is thought to be heading back to Brisbane Broncos.

As for Pryce, the loss may be minimal. The 20 year old has had the ability and the potential, but it doesn't seem to have been realised. Defensively he is suspect and whilst his try scoring record is admirable, fans have often got the impression of a player not playing to his true ability. For a player of similar build to team-mate Lesley Vainikolo, someone who he will naturally be compared to, he hasn't hit the same level.

Pryce may find himself better suited to Rugby Union. His size and strength is rarely matched by any current Rugby Union back and he could go on to be a better player than Jason Robinson. Pryce is younger, has longer to learn the game and has the attributes that Robinson lacked. Robinson was known for pace, but with slower ball and more bodies on the pitch in the 15-man game, that threat was often subdued. Pryce has the pace but, as the world learnt from Jonah Lomu in the 1995 IRB World Cup, his power is going to be a vital asset.

Even for a player of his age, Pryce can already boast to being a Grand Final winner and a World Club Champion. Rugby Union will give him a new challenge. The International aspects are well documented but there is also the opportunity for regular European Rugby and few could blame Pryce for taking up an opportunity that may only come his way once.

Preview to Survival Saturday

2006-09-14T10:34:00.000+01:00

It was predicted a few weeks ago, but Wakefield and Castleford will lock horns on Saturday for Sky Sports' car-crash TV extravagansa.

The situation is as simple as they come and the consequences are as serious as they come. The loser on Saturday will drop out of Super League. There are no other results to consider, no complicated calculations to be done, just one game and one result.

John Kear is just 80 minutes from the great escape of keeping a once doomed Wakefield in Super League after three wins from the last five, with only a loss at St Helens and narrow defeat at home to Leeds blemishing that record.
Castleford on the other hand, are coming off the back of a defeat at Salford and despite looking safe many weeks ago, Terry Matterson's men are now the bookies favourites for the drop after just one win from the last six.

A big crowd is expected to turn up at Belle Vue for what is set to be a pulsating encounter. Mistakes are an inevitability which could determine a players career, but there will also be pride, passion and emotion in evidence for a clash which makes perfect TV before the ball is even kicked.

As for the result, Wakefield are favourites and rightly so. I predicted the Wildcats to complete the houdini act last week and I'll stick by that. Kear knows how to win one-off games and Saturday is a cup final in all but name. The Tigers have been feeling the heat and Terry Matterson in particular looks a lot more nervous than his counterpart at Belle Vue.

Wakefield will emerge victorious in a game that should be impossible to take your eyes off.

RFL Drags Super League into New Millennium

2006-09-13T12:03:00.000+01:00

The decision by the RFL, SLE and Visit Wales to take a complete round of Super League fixtures to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is quite possibly one of the best ideas that has been followed through since 1995.

In early May 2007, all twelve Super League clubs will head to South Wales for "Millennium Magic", a full round of Super League action spread over one weekend.

After the success of the Challenge Cup finals that were held at the same venue between 2003 and 2005, the Welsh Tourist Board and Millennium Stadium Plc have clearly seen the value of Super League and that is a real compliment to the RFL, the clubs and the supporters of Rugby League.

The RFL has never been afraid of progress, despite the objections of those that seemingly want to see the game remain a minority M62 sport. The introduction of summer rugby has changed the professional game completely and now Rugby League enjoys a much greater profile across the country and Europe with the presence of sides such as Harlequins, Les Catalans and to a lesser extent, Celtic Crusaders.
This weekend in the valleys will only enhance that. The RFL is bringing Super League to an audience which loves rugby, regardless of which code and the event will no doubt attract much increased media attention nationally. The venue itself is one which has been praised by supporters since it was first used for the 2003 Challenge Cup Final and unlike other stadia built on an industrial estate miles from the city, Millennium Stadium is situated in the heart of the Welsh capital.

The reservations about this event have been coming from various directions. A lack of hotels, suitable transport links, lack of free entry for season ticket holders and of course, the cost have dominated message boards and the League Express letters pages since the idea was first leaked in the Yorkshire Evening Post back in July.
Yes, hotels may be at a premium but Cardiff has good transport links with nearby cities in both England and Wales and the fair ticket pricing implimented by the RFL show that the cost implications have been well thought out.
The RFL have resisted the urge to give in to the narrow-minded objections of a minority and thankfully, the people at Red Hall can finally see that we live in the 21st century.

Everyone will be a winner with the "Millennium Magic" weekend.

Confirmed fixtures:
Leeds Rhinos vs Bradford Bulls
St Helens vs Wigan Warriors
Hull FC vs Hull Kingston Rovers
Warrington Wolves vs Salford City Reds
Les Catalans Dragons vs Harlequins
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats vs Huddersfield Giants

To be played weekend of Sat 5th / Sun 6th of May. Dates and times to be confirmed.

Wellens Shows his Metal

2006-09-11T13:32:00.000+01:00

As St Helens took Leeds apart on Saturday with relative ease on Saturday to complete the fomality of the Minor Premiership, there were plenty of players who stood up and laid claim to the Man of Steel.

A hat-trick from last year's winner Jamie Lyon game put weight behind his claims, James Graham's forward runs showed why he's one of the most promising British forwards in years, Sean Long continued his Lance Todd winning form and Paul Anderson's kicking exploits weren't to be sniffed at either.

But it was another St Helens star that has caught the eye. Ever dependable full-back Paul Wellens has been the star of Super League in 2006 and will no doubt be picking up the British game's biggest individual accolade at the end of the regular season to go with a probable trio of trophies should the Saints do the expected and come out victorious at Old Trafford.

The Great Britain full-back's two tries in quick succession against the Rhinos on Saturday evening put the gloss on what has been a solid season in which he has rarely looked like showing any weaknesses.
His support play is amongst the best in Super League and playing behind the most dominant pack in Super League alongside a creative genius like Sean Long creating gaps, he will certainly add to his season tally of sixteen tries.

As for the autumn, Wellens had his seat booked on the plane to Australia the minute the team Tri Nations dates were announced. With the retirement of Kris Radlinski, the number one shirt was assured. The Kangaroo's will provide a much sterner test but if Wellens and a host of other St Helens players can maintain their form and carry it over whilst wearning a Lions jersey, Great Britain may well improve on last years dismall performances.

Last Chance for Wakefield

2006-09-08T11:43:00.000+01:00

Tonight sees one of the biggest games in the history of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. Defeat tonight against Bradford will condemn the Wildcats to relegation the National League.

The appointment of John Kear has lifted the Wildcats into at least a salvagable position, after looking certain to fall through the trap door five weeks ago. Victories over Castleford and Catalans have since given them at least some control over their own destiny. With teams above them in the relegation mire playing each other, a victory at Odsal tonight as well as a result against Castleford on the last day of the season will give them a fighting chance of avoiding trips to Whitehaven, Halifax and Batley next season.

The Wildcats have been odds-on for relegation for some time given their daunting looking run-in. For the final seven games of the season they had been drawn against Leeds Rhinos, St Helens and Bradford twice, whereas the teams above them have had perceivably easier games.

But tonight, past form will count for little. The basic fact is that if Wakefield lose, they will go down. They will take confidence from previous encounters with Bradford, where in 2005 they did the double against the Bulls and the men from Belle Vue are well known for raising their game against the bigger sides.
Wakefield do have a talented side. The likes of Rooney and Jefferies can create play from nothing, Ryan Atkins will want to prove a point against his old club and the Wildcats pack, containing David Solomona and Michael Korkidas are capable of holding their own against the Bradford front six.

This is sure to be a pulsating contest. Wakefield are fighting for their livelihoods tonight. I'd go as far as saying that they'll win tonight, setting up a superb last day finale.

Silly Season is Upon Us

2006-09-07T10:54:00.000+01:00

The anti-tamper deadlines have passed so inevitably, the wild rumour spreading has begun. This year however, seems to have seen much more elaborate rumours than recent years.

Forget the 'Vainikolo to Leeds as part of a compensation pay-out' claim, this year the 'friend of a friend of a nextdoor neighbour's window cleaner' has pulled out all the creative stops for 2006.

Firstly they say that Danny McGuire, despite having a 2 year contract at Headingley is on his way to Bradford, allegedly taking Ali Lauitiiti with him in the process. Whilst suprising at first, it's not really 'earth-shattering' at first glance. But then you hear that it'll only happen if Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett and Austrailian stand-off Darren Lockyer catch the next plane to Headingley. Regardless of his well-documented family situation, the infamous "reliable source", a term that appears on message boards in practically every thread, has really pulled out all the stops here. Both Bulls half-backs, Iestyn Harris and Paul Deacon are tied up till 2008 and even if one of the two does move on past then, McGuire is unlikely to move to a club where he is likely to become third choice behind two players who have developed a working partnership. It also appears to pour cold water on the claims that Leon Pryce has had enough of Merseyside and will be leaving St Helens to head back to his home town.
As for Lauitiiti, there might be more in that, but the Bulls also rate highly the current crop of second rowers they currently have. Matt Cook, Jamie Langley, Brett Ferres will be joined by Glenn Morrison from Parramatta and Chris Feather from Leeds although the imminent departures of Paul Johnson to Warrington and Brad Meyers to Gold Coast do give that rumour some credability.

Other claims circulating around Headingley surround the supposed clear-out that could happen at Wakefield on Saturday morning. Depending on who you listen to, Ryan Atkins is "nailed-on" to go to Leeds or Bradford. Leeds allegedly see Atkins as the long-term replacement to Keith Senior, whilst Bulls coach Steve McNamara wants to see the Wakefield centre return to Odsal to replace Karl Pryce, who is thought to have been targetted by the RFU. Confused yet?
Jamie Rooney is being linked with a host of clubs, Leeds and Bradford included and Michael Korkidas is another said to be on his way to LS6, but with Leeds having already secured the captures of Jamie Thackray and Kylie Leuluai, it would appear that the door has been shut on that one whilst David Solomona is expected to sign for Hull FC rather than the Bulls.

Michael Withers is thought to packing his bags for Wigan, Paul Sculthorpe will extend his stay at the Jungle and changes are expected at Warrington. Adrian Morley and Paul Johnson are already confirmed as Wolves players for 2007 whilst the situation with Gold Coast and Brian Carney may have longer to run. As for the departures, Paul Wood is expected to sign for St Helens to replace Paul Anderson.

And that's just for starters. With the relegation situation not yet finalised there's still plenty of time to run and still plenty of gossip to change hands. Keep your eyes and ears open folks, there's some really creative deals to be done.

Two Games to Go - Who's Slipping Through the Trap Door?

2006-09-03T19:12:00.000+01:00

Round 26 has been and gone, the results are in and those at the Jungle and the Galpharm are already breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Whilst Castleford fans, players and Molly the Dog were busy congratulating each other on a job well-done against Quins, Wakefield were recovering from an inevitable defeat at St Helens.
But were the Tigers celebrating too soon? Saturday nights scenes were more like a minor premiership victory parade than that of a side that sits three points above the relegation zone.

The current table stands as such after 26 games:

8. Huddersfield - 20pts (-140 diff)
9. Harlequins - 19pts (-290 diff)
10. Castleford - 19pts (-371 diff)
11. Wakefield - 16pts (-146 diff)

At first glance, it looks like Wakefield will be the ones plying their trade in National League 1 next season, but it's not that simple, as Wakefield will play host to Castleford on the last day of the season at Belle Vue.

Looking at the remaining fixtures, heres theonepointer's predictions.

Round 27:

I expect a desperate Wakefield to cause an upset and win at Odsal against an out-of-sorts and unconvincing Bradford.
Salford need to book a play-off place and they will beat Castleford.
If Catalans turn up, they could turn home advantage into points against Huddersfield. Unfortunatly, they won't turn up and Huddersfield will win.
Wigan will beat Harlequins at The Stoop.

Round 28:

Quins will probably beat Salford. Brian McDermott will have his side fired up for a game that will keep them in Super League.
Bradford will overcome Huddersfield.
That leaves the Wildcats against the Tigers and to be honest, I'd be tempted to go for Wakefield. Home advantage will be key and to be perfectly honest, I rate John Kear as the better coach. The win for Wakefield for me.

If that turns out to be true, then that leave the following table:

8. Huddersfield - 22pts
9. Harlequins - 21pts
10. Wakefield- 20pts
11. Castleford- 19pts

So on that basis, it'll be goodbye to Castleford. I do believe it'll go down to the last day of the season and if I were a Cas fan, I would be seriously worried if they leave the Willows with nothing next week.

Matterson Feeling the Heat

2006-08-31T18:15:00.000+01:00

It was all going so well for the Tigers. A well-fought win over Leeds five weeks ago was surely enough to complete the Super League survival act?
Not so it would seem and it sounds like the strain is starting to take it's toll on those at the Jungle.

Coach Terry Matterson's comments about the relegation situation appear not that of a man who is concerned with the general running of Super League, but more the pleas for help from a man feeling the pressure.

The Tigers haven't claimed a single point since their victory over Leeds nearly six weeks ago and after four straight defeats, Castleford go into the final three games of the season just one point ahead of Wakefield, the side they play on what will most likely be a last day relegation decider at Belle Vue.

At first glance, Matterson's comments about the relegation system seem justified and to be perfectly honest, they are not ills that haven't been pointed out before. Problems such as the uncertainty for the clubs at the bottom end of Super League and the difficulty faced by the club promoted from the National League to get together a Super League quality team in the space of just three months have been much discussed and, in that respect, Castleford have been somewhat fortuitous, being able to take advantage of the unexpected availabilities of Danny Ward and Danny Brough.

All such comments may just seem fairly innocuous but it's the timing of these comments, with just three games to go, that show that Matterson isn't just expressing a concern, but more appealing for assistance from those at Red Hall and it seems a shame that a coach who has deservedly earned great admiration for what he has done on limited resources at The Jungle should speak out like this.
The facts are simple. Castleford have been well aware of the relegation criteria since they won the National League Grand Final last October and the fact also remains that they could have ensured their survival some weeks ago.
Granted, few would expect them to be able to pick up points against runaway leaders St Helens or get something from a trip to Odsal but by the same token, they would have been expected to pick up points against fellow strugglers Huddersfield and at least get on the scoresheet at home to an 11-man Wakefield side.

With the bottom clubs all playing each other in the coming weeks and Wigan, Wakefield and Harlequins both finding some form going into the final furlong, Matterson is rightly worried. Granted, some players will return from injury for the game against Harlequins but a defeat in that game could set the Tigers on the slippery slope down to National League One.

Saints will Canter to Super League Glory

2006-08-29T10:34:00.000+01:00

Saturday's Challenge Cup Final turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. The build-up to the game was generally muted, the ground didn't quite fill-up and as for the game itself, the second half was meerly an exibition match for the superstars of St Helens.

Daniel Anderson's men have brushed aside all that have stood in their path this year in Super League and now that the Challenge Cup sits proudly on the Knowsley Road mantlepiece, the Saints are looking odds on for the domestic treble.

Despite the determination of Huddersfield in the early exchanges, the brilliance of a St Helens side, which could even afford to leave out Great Britain forward Nick Fozzard, shone through. Shaun Long's superbly crafted try just prior to half-time effectively turned the game in the favour of St Helens and from that point on, it was always going to be one-way traffic.

With the minor premiership effectivley in the bag, only a fool would back against Anderson's men, but the Saints fans would be forgiven for being just a little wary.
At this point last year they were also looking like Champions but ultimatly, the season ended disasterously, becoming the first minor premiers in the Super League era not to reach the Grand Final after a plethora of injuries hit star players including Sean Long, Paul Sculthorpe and Darren Albert.

This year though, the Saints look unstoppable. Daniel Anderson has created a confident team that oouses class and is by far the best British side to watch with ball in hand. Not only that, but they have a pack of forwards which can compete with the biggest around.
St Helens teams in the passed have been accused of relying too heavily on the so called 'big three' of Sulthorpe, Long and Cunningham yet that is not a criticism that could be levied at this side. The likes of Leon Pryce, Jamie Lyon and Jason Hooper are all capable of changing games through moments of individual brilliance and the emergance of young players such as James Graham and James Roby has added even more competition to an already star-studded line-up.

Whilst the likes of Hull, Leeds and Bradford will all be targetting a place at Old Trafford on October 15th, it'll be the Saints who'll be wearing the Super League crown.

Another Challenge Cup Upset?

2006-08-24T11:18:00.000+01:00

Huddersfield Giants will be hopinbg to emulate the Sheffield Eagles this weekend as they travel to Twickenham for Saturday's Challenge Cup Final.

The Giants go into the game with runaway league leaders St Helens as huge underdogs in a clash which is being likened to the 1998 Final between Wigan Warriors and Sheffield Eagles. That year, Sheffield pulled off what is regarded as the greatest shock in Rugby League history, beating the eventual league Champions 17-8 at Wembley.
The year following that victory, the Eagles contraversially merged with the Giants, a relationship that has since been extirpated and now Huddersfield will prepare for their first Challenge Cup final for 44 years.
The odds are stacked against them. Fartown are currently ninth in the league, just two points ahead of the relegation zone whilst the Saints are four points clear at the top of the league and looking odds on for the Super League championship.
But despite going in to the game as overwhelming favourites, they would be foolish to take the injury-hit Giants as lightly as Leeds Rhinos did in the semi-final. Huddersfield became the first side to beat the Saints his season, with a 19-16 home victory back in May and coach Jon Sharp as also masterminded impressive victories over Warrington, Leeds and Harlequins.
In Robbie Paul, the giants will be led by a Cup Final veteran and Chris Thorman, should he pass a late fitness test, is capable of unlocking the best of defences. If the physical Giants forwards can get on top of the Saints then Daniel Anderson's men may not have it all their own way.

I, as do most people, expect St Helens to be lifting the trophy on Saturday afternoon but at the same time, I don't necesseraly see the walk-over that some people are proclaiming it to be.
If the Saints don't show and the Giants put on a solid, error-free performance, then we could see a repeat of 1998.

Halifax on the Brink

2006-08-23T11:26:00.000+01:00

Next weekend is one that could turn out to be the biggest weekend in the history of Halifax RLFC.
On Sunday 3rd September, Halifax take on Whitehaven at the Shay and reports say that anything less than a 5,000 gate will fail to plug a £90,000 over spend on players wages and could lead to the club folding, taking 133 years of history with them.

It was all supposed to be so different. The dream was to have a top flight team, full of international stars playing amongst the game's elite infront of packed crowds and television audiences in a state of the art stadium. Instead, they are walking the tightrope between National League 1 and 2, playing infront of small crowds in a building site. This is certainly not what envisaged as the club stepped into Super League in 1996.

Cash problems at the Shay are nothing new. Fellow tennants Halifax Town FC are struggling with to keep the bailiffs at bay whilst the RL club, in their former guise as the Blue Sox, had to fend off the administrators at the turn of the millenium. That escapade was one of several examples that eventually led to the introduction of the Super League salary cap and it seems that the club still hasn't quite got the hang of controlling player salaries.

Since then, the clubs demise could be likened to that of Leeds's United's. In their pursuit of Super League glory, they spent money that they ultimatly didn't have and in an effort to stay afloat and players had to be shipped out.
A 16-6 defeat to Leeds Rhinos in the 1998 play-off series was their only forray into the Super League 'elite' and relegation followed five years later, as the club ended the year with just one victory - two points which were eventually wiped out due to salary cap breaches the year prior.
The year later, the club narrowly avoided a second sucessive relegation by virtue of a four point victory in the NL1 Qualifying play-off against York.

On the basis of results, the club's business plan over the last ten years is questionable to say the least. Even now, after the clubs past experiences, a £90,000 overspend suggests that they still seem insistant on chasing the dream of the holy grail that is Super League.
This makes an even more compelling argument for ending automatic promotion and relegation in 2009. In the present climate, clubs are facing a never ending struggle to compete with the elite in the division. The likes of Hull KR, Widnes and Leigh are lightyears ahead of the competition, yet the opposition still seem insistant on spending money that they simply don't have in an effort to keep up. Franchising will end that, encouraging clubs to formulate a sound business plan with will keep the club viable as a business and competitive on the field.

Relegation from Super League has effectively killed off Rugby League in Halifax. The fans and the investors left, many now likely to be found at Odsal or Headingley. The powers that were during the late 90's that chased an impossible dream have triggered a chain of events that have led to the current situation.
An emergency members meeting has been called for 11th September where the club's future will be decided. Fans of all clubs have been called upon to visit the Shay on 3rd September for the clash with Whitehaven although it may meerly be a case of delaying the inevitable. A bumper pay-day may provide temporary restbite, but as a long term solution for maintaining what little sporting profile their currently is in the West Yorkshire Town, it may be too little too late.

Cunningham Quits International Rugby League - No, Really This Time.

2006-08-20T19:53:00.000+01:00

St Helens hooker Keiron Cunningham has this weekend announced his retirement from international Rugby League.

The news may come as a suprise to some of you in that most of you probably thought that he retired a few years ago.

Despite signing a lucrative "Club GB" contract with the Rugby Football League due to his percieved value to the Great Britain set-up, the 29-year-old has mustered just 16 caps for Great Britain after withdrawing from numerous tours and International series.
For the 2004 Tri-Nations, Cunningham opted for surgery rather than representing GB so that he could be fit in time for St Helens' start to the new Super League campaign and the Welsh international withdrew in from David Waite's GB squad in 2003.

Of the 16 caps that Cunningham did achieve, only twice was he on the winning side, the latest being a victory over a makeshift New Zealand side in what will turn out to be his last ever appearance for the Lions.

This announcement is pretty much expected even if it wasn't really needed. Cunningham for one reason or another never really tested himself against the best in the world, but seemed happy to take the plaudits at club level.

As for the future? Injuries and suspension permitting, Terry Newton is assured of the number nine jersy for the Tri-Nations whilst Salford's Malcom Alker, Wigan's Mickey Higham and Matt Diskin of Leeds will be looking to snatch the remaining seat (or seats) on the plane to Australia.

Goodbye Keiron although I doubt you'll be missed that much.

Carney Coming Back to Super League?

2006-08-17T20:09:00.000+01:00

If Fox News are to be trusted (and usually they arn't), then Brian Carney could be heading back to Blighty before he's even set foot in Gold Coast.

Rumour has it that the Irish winger isn't enjoying his time in Australia quite as much as he anticipated he would and could be booked on the next flight home once the Tri-Nations come to a conclusion in November.

The former Wigan favourite is currently on the books at Newcastle Knights, one year before he is due to join up with new club Gold Coast Titans next year and if today's reports are true, then he could become the forth player to turn his back on deals they signed with the Queensland new-boys, with Tony Puletua, Luke O'Dwyer and Steve Turner looking to negate on deals signed with the Titans prior to next year.

As for Carney, the usual suspects are being touted as possible destinations with Wigan and Warrington being the main names on everyones lips. Carney might favour a move to his old club but even Maurice Lindsay wopuld struggle to get him under the salary cap. Warrington looks a better shout though. With Toa Kohe Love out of contract and Brent Grose reportedly heading to Melbourne Storm, they have both the need and cap space for a star three-quarter.
Leeds will be another name no doubt mentioned and with Scott Donald, Lee Smith, Danny Williams and Ashley Gibson all struggling to replace the void left by Mark Calderwood and Marcus Bai last season, Tony Smith could be leaving a few hints for Mr Hetherington.

Carney is certainly one of the games likeable characters. He's a great player on the field and a good bloke off it as well. If it does materialise, then he's most welcome back in my view.

Daniel Anderson's Plea for Attention

2006-08-15T20:46:00.000+01:00

This week's 20 man squads are in and to be perfectly honest, it's not usually an announcement that excites me. Apart from looking for the odd injury here and there, it's pretty much par for the course.

But it's nice to see that St Helens coach Daniel Anderson has picked up a few habits from his predecessor Ian Millward.
For this weekend's match with Les Catalans in Canet, Anderson could hand senior debuts to no less than nine junior players.
Craig Ashall, 19, Steven Bannister, 18, Gareth Langley, 21, Paul Leyland, 20, Craig Littler, 20, Dean McGilivray, 18, Neil Rigby, 20, Sam Thompson, 19, and Ian Webster, 19 are all named in Anderson's 20 man squad as well as 36-year-old hooker Tommy Hodgkinson.

In Anderson's defence, this isn't as 'Millward-esque' as first appears. After all, this is a nothing game between a side all but assured of top spot and a side exempt from relegation. Granted, it might be interperated as a lack of respect towards the Dragons but with a Powergen Challenge Cup around the corner, Anderson has got to prioritise.

On another note, last week Daniel Anderson claimed that his sides achievements weren't getting the recognition they felt they deserved.
Instead, the whole of Rugby League Land seems more bothered about what's going on in the lower regions of the table with Wakefield, Castleford, Harlequins, Huddersfield and of course, the no longer so mighty Wigan. Even Sky TV admitted as much during their coverage of Wakefield vs Catalans.

You can see where he's coming from, but the fact is that the top of Super League has been boring. In fact, it's been about as interesting as a 24hr Big Brother feed on E4.
Saints will finish top. Hull will most likely finish second, Leeds have just been handed third place on a plate by virtue of Bradford's points deduction and the Bulls will enter the play-offs from 4th.

It looks like Anderson needs to learn that success is over-rated. Mediocrity is where it's it. (That, and breaching salary cap regulations).

Leeds in Crisis?

2006-08-12T21:24:00.000+01:00

It was all going so well. Second in the Super League, closing the gap on top placed St Helens and a Challenge Cup semi-final just around the corner. Fast-forward a month and the Leeds Rhinos look to be in free-fall.

Friday night's 20-18 win at the hands of relegation threatened Wigan was the fifth defeat in succession for Tony Smith's side in all competitions, three of which have come against sides in the bottom half of the table, a run which has seen them lose their grip on a top two position and a place in the Powergen Challenge Cup Final.

Take the individual defeats at face value and they generally don't look too disastrous. A one-point defeat at Castleford, a traditional Leeds bogey ground was followed by an 18-14 defeat at home to first-place St Helens and a 23-16 defeat at Hull.
However, the results only tell a fraction of the story.

These aren't the narrow loses that they might at first appear. The scorelines have been more than flattering to abject Leeds performances, as epitomised by the Challenge Cup semi-final to Huddersfield. No longer are the Headingley faithful seeing the slick passing, clever offloading and the mean defence that they had come accustomed too in recent years. Instead, they are seeing a Leeds side that seems to be lacking any cohesion, is devoid of ideas in attack, clearly missing the creativity of Danny McGuire and error prone in defence.

What the problem is depends on who you talk to. Rumours will continue to circulate, particularly at a club the size of Leeds and these rumours have intensified in the current slump.
Rumblings of a training ground bust up have emerged and in addition, Coach Tony Smith's people management skills have been called into question.
Smith's expressions as the Sky cameras were fixated on him throughout Friday's game didn't give the impression of a coach confident of stopping the rot and whilst some would question the strength of so called 'player power', few could argue that the performances on the pitch are that of a team playing in complete unison.

Some supporters point to the departure of assistant coach Brian McDermott as a 'turning point' in the season. McDermott's departure coincided with the first defeat to Castleford. Francis Cummins has since been promoted in the official capacity of "Assistant Coach", yet appears to be working more alongside Graham Hallas rather than occupying the role vacated by McDermott.
Despite that, the poor form is hardly restricted to the five defeats that are under the spotlight. The Rhinos were lucky to snatch a last gasp defeat against Bradford prior to the Castleford game and it was only a late drop goal that saw them escape Salford with two points. In fact, barring a 60-0 win against Harlequins in March, it's difficult to highlight a clearly good Rhinos performance this season.
The nature of 30-0 victory at Odsal in May somewhat overshadowed the poor performance of Bradford and the comfortable victory in Perpignan came against a Catalans side with 12 men. The story of the season seems to be one of half performances and 'coasting' victories.

The depth and balance of the squad had become a key concern for supporters before a ball was even kicked. Player recruitment, particularly regarding the improvement of the forwards, had been questioned. Aside from Jamie Peacock, the activity on the transfer front did little to inspire the fans at LS6. The signing of Mark O'Neill indicated that Smith would toy with the idea of rotating second row forwards in the prop position. The apparent lack of size up front was compounded when Danny Ward was handed his P45 just two weeks before the start of the season.
In the backs, Leeds haven't recovered from the departure of Mark Calderwood and Marcus Bai as well as the loss of Richard Mathers to a season ending injury. Scott Donald hasn't been the replacement for Calderwood that Leeds fans thought he would be and Lee Smith, Danny Williams, Ashley Gibson and Jordon Tansey have all tried their hand at replacing Bai and Mathers with little success.
There is little doubt that this side is reminiscent of the 2002 and 2003 sides with were decimated by injury. That period saw the emergence of Rob Burrow, Kevin Sinfield, Danny McGuire and Richie Mathers who were all thrown in at the deep end and the loiners would hope that the academy players this term will lead them on to similar success. Their performances so far have not been consistent enough to suggest they are ready for regular Super League rugby at present, but these players are in that awkward position where they have outgrown U21 football.

The Rhinos now have four games to cement their place in the play-offs. The Rhinos desperately need to find form at the business end of the season and secure a third place finish as a minimum. They will draw confidence from the fact that Bradford came from that very position to beat them in last year's Grand Final but the Bulls of 2005 were a much fitter, larger and more confident side going into the same stage last season.

The current side seems a far cry from the Championship winning team of 2004 and even though many of the personnel remain, not one individual appears to have improved from then.
Most would expect the people in charge at Headingley to stop the rot, but it may take a major change along the way.

The Karl Harrison Moan-o-meter

2006-08-09T12:01:00.000+01:00

Salford coach Karl Harrison is not one who likes to sit on the fence. He's not usually regarded as thr world's most gracious loser and is often a reliable source of an interesting comment in post-match interviews. All coaches moan, of that there is no argument, but Karl Harrison seems to do slightly more than most.

After Salford's narrow 19-18 defeat at home to Leeds in Super League XI Round 17, Harrison was clearly unhappy at some of the referee's decisions, launching this outburst in the post-match press conference.

"I am sick of my players being done because we are Salford. This is the first time I have moaned all year."

To be honest, not many of us actually believed him when he said that. Not the "We've been done" part, but the "This is the first time I have moaned all year" bit. The "Just because we are Salford" whinge just makes him look foolish.

We'll take his word for it but for future reference, theonepointer's moan-o-meter will be keeping tabs on further outbursts:

Game: Salford 18 - 19 Leeds Rhinos. engage Super League XI, Rnd 17
Date: Friday 16th June 2006
Situation: Salford lose to a last minute drop goal from Danny McGuire. Leeds won a penalty prior to the drop goal and Salford earlier had a try disallowed for crossing.

"It feels like we have been mugged. I am sick to death of it.
"I am sick of my players being done because we are Salford. This is the first time I have moaned all year."

------------------------------

Game: Salford 20 - 24 Hull FC. engage Super League XI, Rnd 20
Date: Saturday 8th July 2006
Situation: The video referee awards a questionable try to Hull winger Gareth Rayner in the dying seconds to give Hull victory. Hull also had another contraversial try awarded by the video referee earlier in the game.

"How long does a player have to be held up for over the line? And Raynor's was certainly not a try either.
"It's the fourth time this year we have been screwed by the video referee and I'm sick to death of it."It's the third time by the same video referee and the situation needs sorting out.
"Raynor dropped the ball over the line and (referees chief) Stuart Cummings needs to talk to the video referees.
"They are amateurs playing with people's livelihoods in a professional environment and I'm totally fed up with it."

Keep looking out for more moans from Mr Karl Harrison.

If The Cap Fits....

2006-08-08T15:20:00.000+01:00

After a disasterous start to the season, it was begining to look likely that Wigan Warriors, under the guidance of Brian Noble, had turned their season around.

Six wins from Seven had seen the men from the JJB open a two point gap between them and relegation rivals Wakefield at the foot of the table. For a club that almost created the most remarkable of 'fall from grace' tale of all time, the season was looking somewhat more rosey, albeit still one of disapointment after being touted for great things pre-season.

But despite the endeavours of the players and coaching staff, they forgot one key factor.

The RFL salary cap audit yesterday found Wigan Warriors guilty of a £80,000 overspend on player salarys for the season 2005. As a result, Wigan's future is once again looking precarious, after a two league point deduction has dropped them back into the relegation dogfight. Five other clubs have also been found guilty of breaches. Wakefield, Castleford, Hull and St Helens have all been found guilty of minor breaches, with Wakefield and Castleford being cautioned whilst the Saints and Hull have been fined. Bradford Bulls however have a case to answer regarding a more serious breach, and they may too suffer the same fate as Wigan

For some Rugby League supporters, Wigan's breach might not come as a suprise. Even after Wigan's two-year immunity from the cap ended in 2003, cynics have always been dubious of Maurice Lindsay's alleged 'elasticated' cap and this years antics, which included the £400,000 signing of Stuart Fielden, the "re-signing" of Kris Radlinski and the mid-season captues of Nathan McAvoy and Michael Dobson, have left many already speculating on what punishment Wigan will pick up next season.

Warriors fans in general however may be somewhat more perplexed by this breach, given the poor season Wigan had in 2005 where they missed out on the Super League play-offs for the first time since their inception in 1998 and suffered a record 70-0 defeat at the hands of Leeds, followed the week later by and even more humilating 75-0 cup defeat to St Helens.

The recruitment at the JJB has been often criticised. Lindsay has often brought in the big names from down under, but they have rarely performed. In recent seasons, Aside from the likes of Renouf, Lam and Dallas, the players have not lived up to the high expectations. In 2005, Luke Davico didn't pull on the shirt in a competitive game, SeuSeu's career was ended after it emerged he suffered from Hepatitus B and Moran failed to repeat they try-scoring feats that he showed at London. All of these have been big money signings and it is the injuries that Lindsay cited as the reason for flouting the bye-laws of the game. In the pursuit of just being able to field a team, Liam Botham, Wayne McDonald and Jerome Guisset were all brought in.

Clearly Wigan have been overspending on players that have, purely and simply, failed to perform, be that through injury or poor form. For the more vocal of Warriors fans, Lindsay has to carry the can. His shopping trips to Sydney have arguably landed the club in the current mess, with the likes of Pat Richards and Scott Logan, amongst others, being the target of much criticism.
The fact that Wigan knowingly broke the rules is unforgivable. The powers that be at the JJB Stadium to felt that they could afford to spend more than their share, obviously not believing that they would be in a relegation battle 12 months later. That is just arrogance personified. There's also the irony that Warrior's owner Dave Whelan has been by far the most vocal in championing the use of a salary cap in football.

Many have said that Wigan's absence would be detremental to Super League, but if this is genuinly the kind of attitude that they have, then I won't be shedding a tear should they make the drop to the National League.
The profile of the game may be reduced, but it would to the intergrity of Super League the power of good.

The One Pointer

2006-08-07T20:05:00.000+01:00

Congratulations! You've found The One Pointer, the Rugby League blog.
Here you'll find my take on the latest news from the engage Super League and well as the noises coming out of the LHF National Leagues and the game down under.

Keep checking back for the major news, comment and opinion.

http://theonepointer.blogspot.com