I really believe we can make the MPG. will be tough as we will need to beat one SL team at home maybe Widnes and Hull KR. If we keep our forwards fit - Battye looks to be getting back into his stride and Rocky has finally started playing. Hope spencer is ok as he's been unlucky with injuries. Not sure what's happened to Offerdahl? Still it gives more opportunity for Davis and Bienek which is good. Still think Barthau is our most crucial player to pull the strings in the halves so hoping he's back soon and Ioane has been immense all season. Hoping to make it to at least one away game. COYB

So which of the super league teams are going to blow it then?

They have all been given time off.

Sat 5 Aug Catalans away on Sky
Sun 13 Aug Fev home
Sun 20 HKR away

Last game Leigh Sun 24 Home

Not fallen too bad for us.

Now to plan trip to Perps

HOME
13/08: Rovers
02/09: Wolves
10/09: Halifax
22/09: Centurions
AWAY
05/08: Catalans
20/08: Hull KR
17/09: Vikings

Catalan away, just as I thought. Luckily I booked my Hotel rooms on Monday as availability was not great in the centre of Perpignan.
Flights sorted. Bring it on.

Wonder why Leigh is on Friday and not Sunday... Is it in case Sky put it on TV, as friday night is a real pain, and cant see many away fans coming down on a friday....

Happy with how the fixtures are split..... Got to target Widnes away as well as Leigh Home... would not be surprised if one or both of them are on TV.

Can make all but Catalan, Leigh on a Friday is perfect ( selfishly) as I'll be in Fulham on the Saturday.

A Friday night game gives the club an opportunity to try something different. It could be a crucial game and the marketing team should get themselves into gear and promote the game really hard.
Only determined away fans will attend, but you could more than make up for the lack of away support by bringing in new people. A beer promotion or something might help.

Yea, I guess Friday works for most people, but my group wont be able to attend, but if it gets a load of new folks in then its good for the future...

I'm working in Germany atm so dont get back to UK until 8pm on Friday evenings, so no way I can make it.. but will be tracking it on twitter.. Hopefully it will be the game which see's us promoted back (unless the RFL dont shaft us, but thats a different thread)

The Ealing RU team have a home game live on Sky on Sunday 24th September.

I am assuming the 8pm kick off for the Warrington game is for Sky TVs benefit. Might stop a few Warrington fans coming down. Still being on TV probably would do that anyway.

Was wondering about this...the RFL rules state that any team in the middle 8s whose ground does not meet SL criteria must have applied for special dispensation bvy the end of June and been granted special dispensation by last Friday if they wanted to be in SL in the event they earn promotion - does anyone know if this happened, presumably it did as everyone would have been told if the Broncos had already accepted the fact that they wouldn't go up if promoted? To be fair, if Wakefield can keep getting the go-ahead for Belle Vue, I don't see why Ealing shouldn't.

Toronto on a Friday night was fun
Wire Sat night should be a great day

Saturday for Sky for sure, but 8 o'clock may have something to do with Trailfinders playing at 3 ([urlhttp://ealingtrailfinders1stxv.com/team/fixtures-results/2017-2018[/url!

I was just killing a bit of time and having booked my flights to France this morning. I looked to see what it would have cost to fly out there if we had been given a later date. Were we to play Catalan when Widnes play them in September we could fly there and back with priority boarding for Seventy Pounds. Out on Saturday back on Sunday. I have to say I paid a lot more than that.
Okay so someone has to play them in August and at short notice, but perhaps if it comes up next year. Give us a break. Let it be someone else.

https://www.oddschecker.com/rugby-leagu ... ame-winner Reading the odds it looks like Warrington to win the league Catalans second, Fax last, Fev second last, London third bottom, the rest in the mix

https://www.oddschecker.com/rugby-leagu ... ame-winner Reading the odds it looks like Warrington to win the league Catalans second, Fax last, Fev second last, London third bottom, the rest in the mix

Agree. Third from bottom is about right

You could see it as 3rd bottom or 6th which does sound a bit better

The challenge is for Hendo and the players to prove the bookmakers wrong.
I would expect Hendo not to be happy with 6th place. I feel he wants to improve on last season when points difference denied us place in the MPG.
The MPG is the aim.

We need to beat an SL team. We did it last year, away from home. We should win two of the three games against Championship opposition, we should run KR close.
If the players play to the best of their ability AND cut out the unnecessary mistakes we could make 5th.

Give away the penalties that we normally do then we have very little chance of beating the better teams, rugby league is a pretty simple game, keep hold of the ball for 5 tackles kick on the 6th. Get off the player you have just tackled when the ref tells you, that's about it really.

Cats game for me is very winnable... First game of the qualifers, Cats on a bad run, also being in France will take pressure off the team, where cats will be under immense pressure to win..... Score a couple of early tries and we could win this, and would set us up really well......

Although can see us beating Cats and losing to Fev... so concentration will be key

I would be more concerned about playing Featherstone if it was away. The fact that we are at home gives me confidence. I also understand that all is not well at Featherstone.