Play off footy. Nowt to pick from 1-5. Owt can happen. Any key injuries between now and the final could have a major impact on the final outcome. Thursdays and Fridays results indicate there is bug ger all between the top 5 this term.
I would have thought Leigh are perhaps the form team at the mo. They have the momentum at the mo and are a dogged set of bug gers. Paul Rowley should be coach of the season taking Leigh to where they are with the hand he was dealt last autumn.

Sadly we've paid the price for inconsistency on the pitch. We haven't put a full 80 min performance in the league at all this season. We need to reach the level of concentration and performance like the NRC final each week. This is where Fev have the edge on us in the League. We like to do things the hard way and hopefully the intensity of knockout football will bring the best out of the boys again. It ain't over by a long chalk but I'd like to eradicate our inconsistency over the next couple of years.

Just a personel thought and the biggest doubt for me concerns our defense again.
Every time the opposition gets anywhere near our line you half expect them to score.
Again taking nothing away from Leigh some of the tries conceeded last night were down to poor defence.
We can get it right for the odd game but can we get it right for 3 or 4 on the bounce because we will have to.
Not the end of the world by any means but there will be a lot of disapointment across the board at the moment, but were still in it and will yet ask a few questions.

"Paul Rowley should be coach of the season taking Leigh to where they are with the hand he was dealt last autumn."

As you say Robin fantastic effort by paul and the Leigh club and it does show that you can come through serious adversity.

Nothing but respect for them all.

That's it - in a nutshell.

Also, we make the breaks OK but have trouble finishing them - certainly was the case last night. We're still panicking in the oppo's 20 and every now and again Thacks should just bloody run trough the gaps - he's quick enough over the short distance.

We do it the hard way and if we finish third and get to the GF it will mean at least we will have had one extra home game than if we'd have finished 2nd. Small consolation but nice to have the extra cash.

As a Keighley supporter i feel WE have the easiest way to the GF



Come on people,dont forget the Cougars




Fax Fev final without a doubt

Agree Chris, we need to look and learn from Fev topping the league for 3 years only losing 2/3 games per season is a great achievement, we are far too inconsistent something I never expected with Karl's teams and yet again have to look at the half backs who blow hot and cold.

yer it seems like we cannot score near the line yet the opposition seem to find it easy, where has our plan to have a strong defence gone it aint working! Plus we gave them good field position from some stupid penalties like challenging the man in the air from those bombs, stupid. The ref didn't help though letting that second knock on for their second or was it third try.

2nd spot has gone now as Leigh have two easy games and a superior scoring difference, I knew not putting York to the sword would come back to haunt us.
3rd spot is not a certainty as Batley will thrash York meaning if they beat us at the Shay even if we get a bonus pint they would go above us on scoring difference so we could finish 4th! We have to beat Batley end of story, we have messed it up by losing at Leigh a game we could have won with better application. Don't we make it hard for oursleves?
I am already looking to next year and with a couple of good signings like a decent half back then we could be up at the top with Fev, this year was all about transition winning the NRC was a bonus.

Looking at your squad you had this season I thought you were the team to take the league leaders shield from us I don't know who you will or won't be signing next season but I would of thought you would want to keep all this years playing squad would you

Just awaiting Penky's sig and we're almost there. Although there are some good 9s around so if he doesn't want a fax shirt I am sure we could attract some quality more than capable of filling his boots (albeit different playing style)

Tonks would be a massive boost but just have to wait and see.

Fax must be better next season, it will be KHs 2nd season with a settled squad so the consistency should improve.

TBH the league leaders shield is neither here of there (for me), the GF is the prize and I think we should be much better positioned next season to be strong favourites for this and much better positioned to stake a claim for a SL place.

Will Fev have the same consistency in 2013?

Dunno. Difficult to tell at this stage. Depends on how well we recruit. Barlow would have been a nice addition but it wasn't to be. So it's going to be a trawl to see what is available and who might want to come to fev. We'll see. I've never been one for making daft predictions.

Now that's a really worthwhile incentive!

Could be another cracking season in 2013.

Leigh have already re-signed: McNally; Maden; Littler; Gardner; Pownall; Ridyard; Ostick; Beswick; Parker; Goulden; Hopkins; Nicholson; Thornley and Briscoe; WE do need a good scrum half to replace Duffy, and a couple of big props though.

Absolutely amazed to be in with a chance of 2nd place, given our situation at the start of the season and have really enjoyed some of the games, including last night. Lately, (not just this season) there have been some belting games between Leigh and 'Fax.

Last night we allowed Ridyard a couple of very soft tries just allowing him to run at us, we on the other hand made two belting breaks in the right channel during the 2nd half, Casey running onto beautiful passes and hitting the hole but we bombed both. Although I feel we were third best on the night behind Leigh & the match officials we did create enough scoring chances to turn over a one-score game.
Kicking dead from the first play of the game, what's that all about ? I just got a feeling it was gonna be "one of those nights" even at that point in the proceedings !
We played poor & scored 28 points, I suggest the defence wasn't good enough.

Totally agree with this post. Where has the intensity gone from our first game at Dewsbury?

Batley 50 - York 0.

Only a win against the Dogs will do now to get the third spot as they have a better points difference.

Looking forward to the match, we have a table for the pre match dinner and the post match "chat"
Should be interesting!

Top teams in our league can all beat each other on the day and that's what has made this league such a good one to be part of this season. Credit to Leigh for achieving what they have done after their financial implosion at the end of last season.Team with momentum will go far in play off's. Come on Fax get back on the horse against Batley and then get on with the real serious stuff. If we dont do it, at least we have done very well with a new coach and loads of new players this season. Always chance to get better in 2013 as the boys settle down and get used to playing together.
Keep the faith!

Yes me too, 2 weeks to think about it.

Don't fancy having a table for my pre match dinner though as it would a bit tough to chew unless your a terminite of course.

We have achieved more than I thought we would by winning the rail cup and was a nice pay day as well. I dont realistically expect us to get to the Grand Final as we are not consistant enough. Our defence is simply not good enough and I can see having one or two good games but not 3 or 4. We need to play very well against Batley and then plat consistantly well atleast twice in the playoffs. Sorry but cant see us in the GF. Its been a great season and the players and team have done very well.

I think we need atleast one new halfback but that wont happen as Thacks and Handforth are still here next year. On their day they are quality-sadly they are not consistant and do go missing too much for me despite playing behind a very good pack. We really need to sort the defence out and finishing properly if we are to match Featherstone. The league is very open and I think it could easily be anybody there. But I feel Fev will make it for their consistantcy and then I will tip Leigh who have had a great season and am glad they have after the problems they have faced through no real fault of their own. Give me the Championship over Sleazy League anyday!

Our defence around the posts is really poor yet it was all looking good at Dewsbury at the start of the season. Thinnk too many of our forwards like the try scoring glory but are shirking some tackling (Gannon excepted of course).

Exactly.

I think it will be very tight against Batley to get 3rd. The NRC win was a bonus and its up to the team if they can raise the bar to that intensity again. But put Robinson,Gannon, and Divorty back in the mix and that might achieve it.

You hear coaches talk about the triangle of 6,7, and 13. To me thats where we lost the Leigh game because we werent functioning as a unit. To beat John Kear we are going to have to create plays from that area. Sometimes this season we looked very good, sometimes you just know we need a change during the game(because like Leigh the oposition have got your number and they are themselves dominating ....ie Beswick and Ridyard). Perhaps having Bowman in the mix helps with options;surprised against Leigh he wasnt on the bench because we were left with nothing to break up the pattern.( Plus whatever you say the lad keeps coming on and scoring probably because he is unpredictable in his style of play.)

You hear coaches talk about the triangle of 6,7, and 13.

Vital that these get it right.

Also in the modern game and has we have had at Fax is the variation at 9.

Many teams have played contrasting style players here.

For example at Saints you had Cunningham with his power then they would switch him with Roby who had that pace and running game with devastating results.

We had it with Beswick and Penky and also Gleeson.

I know KH thinks we should have our best players on from the start, meaning Penky should be on the field from minute one but it loses the effectiveness of bringing him on from the bench.

Against Fev in the NRC final doing this got the best out of the 9 spot especially when Sam is brought on at the same time and I am sure we will do this again with Ashall rotating with penky at hooker to accomodate Robbo and Divo in the second row starting and bench spots when they are fit again.

Ah the armchair coach, it's so easy.