This week’s results will be interesting and may give some indication on the chances of teams aiming for a top six finish.
The league is more competitive than in recent years and certainly the top six positions, if not promotion, is certainly more open.
After the disappointment of relegation and the loss of several players, will Toulouse be as competitive as their last stint in the Championship? Similarly with Featherstone, missing out on promotion again last year, can they justify their promotion odds? After their disappointing season last year, are London in any better position to mount a bid for the play-offs in 2023? Will Keighley be able to justify their spending, with a successful season? Are York in any better position this year, after their disappointing 2022 season? Will Bradford be in a position to improve on last season in their quest to recover their glory years? Will Barrow, Batley and Whitehaven be able to build on their top six finishes in 2022?
Finally, after recent disappointing seasons, will the improved squad and John Kear’s leadership, result in a top six finish for Widnes at least in 2023? A win against York this weekend may just set the scene for the season.
There's gonna be five meetings between your mob and mine next term!
Our ladies' team have (like the men) been promoted to the Championship, so will be clashing with Widnes.
The season starts mid-March.
COME ON YOU LIONESSES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spelly.
Lions 6-18 Thunder, at Heywood Road thus aft, and on the strength of eighty minutes football, it's gonna be a struggle to stay up.
Newcastle are nowt special, but they were still too good for us.
They had the vast majority of the possession in the first half, but good defence kept 'em out, and almost on the hooter, we scored in the corner, and went in at oranges 4-0 to the good.
They went 6-4 up, and we levelled it with a penalty, but two late converted tries sealed the deal for the visitors.
Batley away is our next game.
Congrats on your win today.
Spelly.
'Dogs 16-30 Prediction League Busters at the Mount this aft! YESSSSSSSSSSS!
Playing uphill in the first half, we went in just 10-6 astray at the interval.
They scored first after the re-start to lead 16-6, but from then on it was all the Lions!
Some of the home fans were drifting away before the hooter to be greeted with "We can see you sneaking out!" from those in blue and white.
Will we team of the week in League Express tomorrow?
Barrow come a-calling next week on P2, L2 record. Can we send 'em home on P3, L3?
COME ON YOU LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!
Spelly.
@spelly In your unbiased view Spelly 😁 did Swinton play very well, in the second half or were Batley a lot poorer than last season?
@spelly In your unbiased view Spelly 😁 did Swinton play very well, in the second half or were Batley a lot poorer than last season?
Unbiased? Spelly? Same sentence? 🤣
8-4 to them in the penalty count. Their second try looked marginally offside, but............
For about the last 25-30 minutes, we were awesome!
Superb defence, and a couple of spectacular breaks to produce tries.
I've never seen Allan Coleman as animated as he was when he came over to the fans at the end!
I'm not gonna get carried away, and we need to kick on from this, against Barrow next week at ours, but......
Based on our performance today, we're not in this division just to make up the numbers!
Is that (un?) biased enough for you mate? 🤣
Spelly.
👍😁
When was the last time you took the spoils at mount pleasant spelly?
When was the last time you took the spoils at mount pleasant spelly?
2016 mate - We scored a try that day from the now defunct "free play" law.
It's never easy there coz of the hill, and I've come away disappointed on many occasions.
We just need to kick on from that, by sending Raiders home with nowt on Sunday.
Spelly.
Lions 20-18 Raiders this aft, with our winning try coming less than two minutes from the final hooter!
Twice we were down to twelve coz of yellow cards, and were eight points astray with not long left, but............
Spirit we are not short of, and two late tries saw us through.
Fifth in the still embryonic Championship table, as we head to 'Haven next week, who suffered a real stuffing at POR today.
COME ON YOU LIONS!!!!!!!!!!
Spelly.
Lions 20-18 Raiders this aft, with our winning try coming less than two minutes from the final hooter!
Twice we were down to twelve coz of yellow cards, and were eight points astray with not long left, but............
Spirit we are not short of, and two late tries saw us through.
Fifth in the still embryonic Championship table, as we head to 'Haven next week, who suffered a real stuffing at POR today.
COME ON YOU LIONS!!!!!!!!!!
Spelly.
And a full house for yours truly in the Prediction League!
'Haven away on Sunday won't be easy!
Trips to West Cumbria never are, but they'll be up for it big style, as they're on P3, L3, and will see it as a "must win" game.
We still have a few guys in the treatment room, but as I've mentioned previously, there's no lack of spirit in the team, for which Allan Coleman must take huge credit.
Baling out in Keswick on the way up for some delightful fish and chips at the sit-in chippy called the Keswickian.
COME ON YOU LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spelly.
Haven 20-4 Lions at the Rec today, and beaten by a better side!
We had a shed-load of possession in the first half, but poor game management, and top defence from them, score just the solitary try.
After the re-start, they bossed the game completely, and we didn't trouble the scorers again.
York at home is next up for us, and we'll have to improve on today if we're gonna get anything out of that fixture!
Spelly.
@spelly Your lot are messing up my prediction league forecasts big time. I don't think I have predicted any of your results correctly yet!
Seriously though yesterday excepted you must be delighted with your start to the season. Hope you can maintain it to stay up.
@spelly Your lot are messing up my prediction league forecasts big time. I don't think I have predicted any of your results correctly yet!
Seriously though yesterday excepted you must be delighted with your start to the season. Hope you can maintain it to stay up.
Hiya mate!
1) It's frustrating with our inconsistency, coz with better game management, we could've been on P4, W4, but....
2) Conversely, we only won twice in the entire campaign the last time we were in the middle tier, so...........
I'm a glass half full man at present!
A difficult March awaits us, with home games against York and Fev, bisected by the trip to Barrow in the Cup.
I said before a ball was kicked, that anything better than third bottom would be a bonus, and (touch wood) we're there at present.
Spelly.