Ten days after the Featherstone debacle I still feel totally let down by the teams performance and am struggling to find much enthusiasm about this match but we will be there more in hope than expectation. We surely can't play as poorly as that again....can we? Anyway I'm going to say Fax to edge a high scoring game....Donny 28v30 Fax.

donny 22 fax 18

and karl signs that new 3 year deal to top it off

Difficult to shake off my total apathy but if we are serious about playoffs we have to get the defence sorted.Let's hope we can.
Doncaster 6 Halifax 19.

I really do try and focus on the good but it's x 2 for all you have said HS from the Fev game, not the loss but the manner of it and how far the distance was between the two sides.
Our chance lies in our pack getting on top but our defence is none existent at times and because of this Donny by 2 scores in this one sadly.

Is Manning available yet?

forgive my ignorance but as sad as it is does the playoffs matter this year with everything being about 1st and 2nd places money prize?

£40k prize money and prestige for winning the GF -I would say so.

No. This is the last match of his ban. Available for the Barrow game and playoffs.

Cheers mate, I had lost count.

To the players the most important thing this season is the grand final. Most now know whether they are staying or going and although they obviously try their best every game it has very little impact on them whether they finish 2nd or 3rd and the main thing for them as players is to appear in finals.

Looking forward to it as I have done for every match for many many years.
Fax by 20.

O'h exulted one, whether some want Karl as coach next year and some don't we would be mad (in my humble opinion) to lose him from the club.
Those who know far more than I about the running off the club tell me that the amount of work he does behind the scenes is invaluable.
I might be wrong, often am but if Karl is not to be next years coach, then if financially viable we would be silly to let him go (a second time)

I know you are closer to the players than me, but, having spoken to two of them since Fev they were as upset as us. They do want to finish as high as they can.
I would think like anyone in life they think second is better than third.
Only my opinion.

Fax by 16 but it'll be Briggus for me and Siddal U17's.

Donny /Hull FC dual reg win for me I'm afraid. They have beaten Leigh at theirs this season and we are nowhere near that standard and coming of the back of a massive downer after the Fev loss. Hope I'm wrong of course.

depends how many dual reg lads they have.

fax win by 16

Is a dual reg player better than a player who cuts his ties with a full time SL contract and many years experience at that level to drop down to the Championship and go part time ?
I'm thinking we've got a couple or more of these type players in our squad, our coach and b.o.d. chose not to go down the dual reg route and i fully support that stance still.
In my humble opinion, i'd much rather go with a settled squad with several experienced former SL players than dual reg, I have no complaints if or when we lose to these clubs who chose to run with the alternate option. Just saying....

I agree with almost all of that but I wouldn't be happy if we lost out on £250,000 due to SL player scoring a winner against us or for a rival club. Having said that thank heavens we haven't gone down that road. Doncaster 18v27 Fax, says Mrs Hudd-Shay. P.S. Have we even attempted a one pointer this season?

Pretty much what i said then. They try their best hence wanting to win every game, finishing higher in the league comes with that but like most sportsmen losing hurts like it did for them against Fev. They still know that for them the grand final is the main prize though.

This.

We had the choice if we wanted and decided not to wrongly or rightly so I dont get people having a go at the teams that chose to go down that route. It almost goes back to the debate about how people want a team full of local lads but as a long time supporter I wouldnt want that at the expense of having better quality players and competing for trophies. I think all teams should do what they can to get the best team on the field that they can if that is through dual reg then so be it.

Thanks I wasn't sure about the prize money for winning the play offs

Well again I don't agree , how can getting to or winning the GF ,be more important to a player than finishing second ?If the said player had any Ambition or Faith in his own ability , he would strive to finish second thereby be offered a Fulltime or at least a much improved offer from Fax next season .But by finishing third he would get a much smaller contract next year because of the Leagues Funding money being much less for 3rd than second .

Then if the players have any nous , they would then be able to try to get the GF later in this game you get nowt for a pair , but plenty for finishing second .Charlie knows .

As for predictions , I WILL be at Donny on Sunday cheering you Faxers on

and am going for a narrow Fax win with a score of Donny 18 v Fax 24 , though im also predicting a Fev win by Fev 36 v Seagulls 16 , so it will be down to the last game .

2nd place will be settled one way or the other on Sunday.

Having been re-enthused recently I have no interest in this game and will adopt the same lame, poor attitude the team did versus Fev. I can't see past a Donny victory and won't bother going to this game, choosing instead to spend time with my kids.....

Well now that they have their points back they are only one point behind us, which makes it an important game. www.totalrl.com/batley-bulldogs- ... einstated/ Perhaps we'll bottle this as well?

Well now that they have their points back they are only one point behind us, which makes it an important game. www.totalrl.com/batley-bulldogs- ... einstated/ Perhaps we'll bottle this as well?

If a player has the ability it really wont matter where they finish in the league as they will get snapped up by a better team anyway but playing in finals is a once in a lifetime opportunity, one that a lot of very good players never get the chance to do.

The other stuff I can see your point but I doubt Fax will be offering reduced contracts to most players they keep if like they say they did budget for 3rd place. I also highly doubt the club ever had any plans to go full time if they finished second instead I would imagine the extra funding would be used to pay off debts.