This could be an excellent opportunity to cover any potential disappointment with a bet on Bradford. No odds yet but possibly 5/1?

I dont want to tempt fete but, Id take your bet at 5/1, they shouldn't get anywhere near us.
The top 5 in the Championship, drawn at home, would all probably give us a good game but, Bradford look to be in some trouble at the wrong end of the table, mind you, Sheffield and York are down there too) and they will be more bothered about retaining their place in the league, than trying to go on a cup run.

Tie to be played on Friday 13th of March with a 7:45 kick off.
Friday the 13th


So that's another league game to rearrange, as we were down to play Hudds

Rearrangement was going to happen anyway

That’s right. The bottom three SL clubs plus Toronto knew they would be involved in the fifth round, and a rearrangement of a league fixture would be required.
Just disappointed it’s been arranged for Friday night, call me old fashioned, but why not a Sunday afternoon.

Saturday afternoon would be old fashioned

TV maybe

Absolute joke by the RFL and /or SL both us and the Giants were clearly in the cup at this round due to our finishing positions last season how the hell was that weekend not left blank, let me gues no strategic vision or awareness or complete lack of planning another game for re-arranging which was 100% on the cards in any event. Make s the game look stupid! rant over.

Woah, steady on there RWB, you'll have a heart attack at your age...have a beer or 6 and

TBH the RFL/SL have put thought in to this as the only teams effected by the challenge cup fixtures are Wakey/hudds/HKR and Toronto as all were due to play each other on that weekend so only 4 SL club should get postponement, whereas if they had been playing other clubs that would have meant 8 clubs effected.

Last year the four clubs entering the challenge cup early played each other on the world club challenge weekend.

This year was a full round, so Catalans/Saints have to rearrange their game.

This is because there is only one round at Easter.
The season started and finished at the same time so we had to gain a round of fixtures from somewhere.

The sooner we get rid of the extra loop rounds the better.

14 teams next year?

If we move to 14 clubs and retain "Magic", the number of fixtures wont change ?

It would be 27 games as opposed to 29 now.

To be honest i’d do away with magic as a regular fixture as well and make it a 9’s tournament.

My maths must be getting worse, I thought that we only played 27 games as things are


Magic should be used to generate interest in new areas, which I suppose Newcastle is.
When it was played in Manchester, although it's easy for fans to get to, it's doing nothing apart from generating some income for the RFL.
Mind you, they're not exactly awash with cash.

With already having to re arrange the Catalan game and now the Huddersfield fixture, we could end up with some fixture congestion.
I'd love us to progress in the cup but, it will make our regular SL fixtures ever more difficult to fit in.

Magic at Newcastle works well as a development tool for the game as it helps the Storm club who seem to growing very well organically and also helps support a growing community scene up there

Storm Club? Is that Melbourne?

I meant Thunder

Another named storm coming in this weekend so could be more games called off.

All storms are named and have been for quite sometime

and if they don't have a name it's just weather in general

Could the R L do away with the World Cup Challange (waist of time any way) one team have not started training . And start the season later

Notice Shudds have had to re-arrange 2 other fixtures to fit in their Rhino's fixture due to ground availability and they've still to fit you in.

It's always difficult when you don't own a ground.

Glad you said that and not me.