Can't argue much with pinball today, we played badly, Hunslet played well. We looked like we thought we only needed to turn up to win in the first half, injuries didn't help and I thought MC didn't play enough experienced players today, we could have done with a Larder or the like out there just to steady the ship. On the whole I thought Hunslet deserved the victory although we should have had a penalty try when Chapman tried to decapitate Branighan.

On the plus side, the lineswomen was lovely and she didn't get a decision wrong all game.

in some ways that could be good for us.

its not the main concdern even if we would have all loved to have gone to Blackpool.

if we had of some how escaped with the place in the next round.

if we had of got through, the performance might have been swept under the carpet abit, now we have lost it has to be addresed.

i know he's only 1 player but i can't help but think if shad had been there today, we would be in the next round.

Was Royston injured or rested?

flu i heard

Garbage that. We haven't taken this competition seriously since we came down from SL. The only game where i've seen them go all out was last year against Widnes at home - which we lost



Whatever the excuses - you can't dick around in these competitions if you want to progress - no matter who the opposition. Well done Hunslet today and Fax need to cut out the errors. We're like headless chickens sometimes - panic panic panic.

Disappointed to say the least.

but most of those teams will be playing a few games too.

Mate - you play Sunday and fit a midweek game in Wednesday. Or you play Thursday and fit in a game on Sunday. It's still three days - give or take a few hours. What's the difference ?

Yeah, you could've played Monday night but then folk would have moaned about how inconvenient it was for supporters.

When there's bad weather or a cup run, you just have to bite the bullet and fit the games in best you can.

What would [iyour[/i plan have been ?

Sheffield did that last year. We played Gateshead the Thursday after Easter. Gateshead had had Easter Monday off, which I thought was a bit offside.

also why on earth when we scored and need to kick to make it 36 36 which was enough to go through not take the minute allocated to take a kick at goal, to give the players a longer breather and run the clock down as hunslet did evry time, good tactics if you ask me

Agree we should have wasted the time as much as possible on that last kick. Think this was a big mistake and ultimately cost us our place in the cup run...

I would like to see the error stats today, bet they are the worst for a long while!

How many;

Missed tackles
Dropped passes
Knock ons
Field kicks straight out
Field kicks just poor

I think the lack of pre-season showed today.

1 +ve, it cant get any worse.

It's bloody irritating though isn't it? They lift us right up with a great result at Widnes - AT WIDNES!. Then they come HOME and lose against a team in the division below (no disrespect intended). It's this cup - i hate it. We've never shown any priority for it. I'm annoyed at the moment. Really annoyed. So will the players be too - i'm sure they don't enjoy the losing pay and the hairdryer treatment from Matt.

"Ooooooh to, oooooh to be, oooooh to be a Fax fan" !!!!

Leigh will feel the full force of the rebound

Don't forget that the nature of the competition means that all games that affect qualification issues will have had to be played before the draw is made - it isn't possible to have a "Halifax or Hunslet will play..." because of being a league table etc.

Blows the competition wide open and certainly gives us extra belief for next week, but I'd still suggest that 'Fax are favourites. Pitch will be knackered if there is any more rain over the course of the week though.

toulouse play 2nd and us
keighley play 2nd 5th and us. in sky tv game.
so same for the other teams in terms of short turn around with not much rest.

My main concern is our inept defending and inability of the coach to lift a side versus 12 men. Also Hunslet "rested" 4 first teamers as i understand it today. Today raised big concerns for me but I will put today down to a one off. One of the worst performances I have seen in recent years.

Interestingly though after the game in the SSB a few old timers came in and quite a few were talking of rumours of unrest in the camp / dressing room??? Then I asked a "senior" player in the bar "what went on today??" and he told our group that he was a little disillushioned currently and not entirely happy. He went on to say that he thought Halifax didn't train anywhere near enough and when they did it started at 6pm and finished by 8pm and there was too much mucking around. As he was questioning certain things I asked the question "So you don't think the coach is up to it"? and instead of defending MC he preferred not to be drawn anymore. He said the squad is SL quality and expected us to be spanking sides by 50 points. It wasn't just what he said that concerned me it was his manner and expressions that spoke many words to us this afternoon. I have to admit his words concerned me a tad just as much as this afternoons performance.

I'll hold judgement until next weekend.

blessing in disguise is what am hoping for.

after an evening of thinking about what this means and what it could do to us positively or negatively, would have loved a day in blackpool.

i beleive though that with other teams in that competition they will be playing games every week, whereas we may get weekends off and could help recoveries for players,

having weeks off in the season could be a good thing and could help us to stay as fresh as possible throughout the season

Beswick I must ask why is he playing, he has done nothing this season so far, drop him.
Blacky needs to get his head sorted out, come on Blacky we all want it for you but its down to you to get out of this hole you have got in, we will back you mate.
Not many came out of that game with any credit, even big Frank that dropped ball cost us the game,but we coughed up the ball far too many times and our defending was none existent, Hunslet just ran through us to score, terrible defending.
Oh well the joys of being a Fax fan a high quickly followed by a low.
Lets take it out on Leigh next week.

Didn't stop one of the players and a member of the coaching staff jumping straight in their cars after the hooter for a quick exit.

A senior player (or any player!) should be talking to the coaching staff about this, not a fan in a bar! Neither do i think it helpful in any way to put it on a public forum.

Disappointing

Why disappointing?

He chose to air it in a public bar and I re-aired it on a PUBLIC forum. I have purposely not mentioned any names also. I think fans have a right to know what the players have and are saying don't you? - I could have said much more of what he shared but chose not to. Things clearly are not all rosy in the camp for one reason or another if the players comments are true. I tend to beleive him as you would if you knew who it was. Yes maybe it was aired in disatisfaction (by said player) due to the defeat but he clearly alluded to a NON TEAM environment, poor training environment and inner wranglings and that is what worries me most.

All the "Holier than thou" preachers on here really need to take the rose tinted glasses off after what is tantamount to one of the most disgusting and gutless, non effort rugby diaplays of the last decade never mind anything else. With the squad we have currently, irrespective of match practice etc we should be easily qualifying for the NRC cup. If you can't see that your as blind as the next idiot.

i too heard at yesterdays game that they is issues in the dressing room , an i was also told that a plyer who recently signed a two year contract has asked to be released



it seems something isnt just right

You talking about a certain Aussie halfback by any chance?

sent you a PM

Sounds like something I'd heard that...