......nobody expects.....

Sod the match, I’m going to go and stuff my face in Tooting!!!!

Dissapointing end to the season. Ref made a couple of dodgy calls but we couldn't step it up when we needed to. We finish 11th with 8 wins. Cake says his focus is on retention with perhaps a couple of players coming in. We better hope those are high quality players otherwise I suspect mid table is the best we can expect next season.

Yes disappointing to lose and slip one place down the league but I thought this was a proper performance and a proper match. Barrow have a good side and have a number of good players. I thought we matched them for large parts of the game. We had momentum but it swung away. Agreed ref can only do their best but I felt their penalty which led to 2 point kick and a further penalty at a crucial time which facilitated a try did look dodgy and the ref got dog’s abuse for it. On the whole really good atmosphere. I suspect the One club event might have a decent turn out which is good for the clubs coffers and morale. I have to say I’m not entirely sure why the away fans are embedded in the home fans section. Can I humbly suggest that they are allocated one of the slightly off from middle sections like 108 or 103 as they were at start of the season. RL fans are pretty good natured but to me it looks a recipe for disaster.
On the whole this is a game that would bring new fans back. What a shame we were such an entirely predictable shambles at the start of the year.
Picking up on Buzzer’s point I too noted what Eccles had to say about retention. I like his clarity of thought and the arguments in favour are sound but I too worry slightly that to do better we need a few better. We could do with a top drawer kicker for instance. However we are where we are.

Buzz & BT are you trying to wind up Northernbloke? You know Refs are always right & he will now doubt tell us why!!!

If refs were always right they wouldn't be human. Oh hold on...

Yep, I agree a competitive game that would not put anyone off. However, it just highlights where we are. I think this is the first time we have lost to Barrow as London Broncos. The last season we were in the same division (201icon_cool.gif we beat them 56-12 (H) and 72-6 (A).

Agreed where we are is behind Sheffield, Batley and Barrow. I suspect it’s been a long time since that was the case. This team are now playing like a team but its some ask to see them move into top 4. We’ll see it’s definitely a team now and it sounds like we are recruiting some back room staff which is welcome.

If we are approaching 2023 with the same squad and coach then a bottom half finish is all we can expect.
IMG are our only hope of ever seeing SL football at the Cherry Red.......

Thought this was the poorest ref I’ve seen this season. To be fair I don’t think the refs have had that much bearing on the games I’ve been to this season til today.
At times we played some good stuff but why couldn’t we move the ball to the left in the first half with Macani crying out for it?
Didn’t think Barrow were that much better but they were more savvy and played the ref well

Basically out enthused today. 2 tries came from loose balls that Barrow challenged for where we just watched it.
Sammut still pretty classy, hakim ran us ragged as well.
Barrow defence down the middle was very strong.
Some decent play from London in patches, Ball in hand walker is far too predictable though.
As for the two penalties mentioned, ref has to apply rules of the game, contact with the head is a penalty even if player is falling, both were pretty clear contact. Second one down by touch line reckon the call came from TJ
Barrow looked to be a pretty solid outfit, considering they came up last year, wonder if keighley will be able to do the same.

Yes there definitely was contact to the head both times. Was unsure if rule still applied where player stumbles forward and down in an unexpected manner. Bit disappointing that poor stud choice should lead to 8 points but overall the no striking head rule is a sound idea. Agree that Barrow scored tries because we had a bit too long a think about what to do- first or 2nd try (forget which) was a perfect example of that. Miloudi is a very odd player very effective some times, other times just going around in circles. His little hitch kick/ goose step is really annoying.

Didn’t see Cliff but suspect he thought the ref was Khazi. A lot of people did. Agree that refs generally have had no bearing on games it’s our incompetence which has lost them. Crowd was just more lively this game almost as if there was some import to the game which of course there wasn’t. NB has clarified on the two penalties so although objectively poor decisions, they were in fact correct.

It was a pity that the club did not take the opportunity to get the ladies team out to the pitch to do a lap of honour or something similar.

Yes possibly, although with only one side of the ground in use might have been tricky. Also not sure they won anything so nothing to parade as such. In any event at the end of the game what we got was a Barrow lap of honour which kind of stymied Broncos going to the fans. I think they did get them out of the way eventually but by then it was time for me to go so that was slightly odd that we got Gazumped by the away team and another good reason to get the away fans in their own section.

I have to note that the club photographer is deserving of an award for avoiding ANY shots of the crowd(sic) at games. Shocking attendances all year and I can only assume a very "elite' one club event afterwards given the lack of photographic evidence of anyone there other than those on the payroll.

"Can I humbly suggest that they are allocated one of the slightly off from middle sections like 108 or 103 as they were at start of the season. RL fans are pretty good natured but to me it looks a recipe for disaster. "


Agreed re the away fans, most are ok but I always seem to find a foghorn sitting near me !.

It wasn't just those TWO decisions though, was it?

Was it the last try that had a massive forward pass in the buildup ?

Barrow's #5 certainly made the most of the brush his hair got when he slipped over. Amazed he could carry on.

At the Dewsbury game, me and my Dad was sat in one of the community stands, and I think we had 10 people max in that stand. Batley game it was not much better (the only games I attended this year).

Keighley will be above us in the table next year, Bradford / Widnes look to be getting stronger for next year, so looks like 10th at best next year. The only positive I can see for next year is that Newcastle and the other L1 club coming up should occupy the 2 relegation spots, so we should be safe in the lower half of the table.

I think next year we will be trying to get to the Ladies games, right now I don't see anything making me want to re-engage with buying tickets to watch the Men, but lets see what happens in the off-season