2017 Matches 11 and 12: Hull Kingston Rovers Away and Bradford Bulls Home (Championship)
fevnut's musings
T'Other Side: Hull Kingston Rovers
It is hard to
imagine any coach in Rugby League who has a more glittering CV than Tim Sheens.
After playing his entire career as a forward with Penrith Panthers he became
their head coach in 1984. After three years he moved on to Canberra Raiders and
led them to becoming NRL Champions three times. He spent four seasons
developing North Queensland Cowboys at the beginning of their NRL involvement
before taking over at Wests Tigers and again leading them to winning the NRL.
He has also coached New South Wales in an Origin series. As Australian National
Coach he was in charge for two Four Nations wins and the 2013 World Cup.
Captain: Shaun Lunt
Having begun his playing career with Castleford Tigers in 2005, he moved on for a three year spell with Workington Town. Then he joined Huddersfield Giants in Super League and was their regular hooker for several years. He moved to Leeds Rhinos on loan during the 2012 season and was a member of their Grand Final winning team. He joined Hull Kingston Rovers in 2015. Art representative level Shaun has played for Cumbria, England and England Knights.
New Signings for 2017
Inevitably,
following relegation last year, there has been quite a large turnover in the
squad, but the quality remains very high indeed.
Joining them this
year have been Jordan Abdull (on
loan from Hull FC), Danny Addy, Mitch Clark and Kieren Moss (from Bradford Bulls), Jamie Ellis (on loan from Huddersfield Giants), Aussies Andrew Heffernan (Penrith Panthers) and
Adam Quinlan (St George Illawarra
Dragons and St Helens in 2015), and Nick
Scruton (Wakefield Trinity). Jake
Butler-Fleming (Wentworthville Magpies) and George Milton (Doncaster) have not yet played in the first team.
Despite winning
every match so far this year, Tim Sheens continues to strengthen the squad and
at the end of March brought in two more quality signings. Young prop, Josh Johnson, played for Huddersfield
Giants last year but has joined Hull KR from Redcliffe Dolphins after a spell
in Australia. New Zealander, Zach
Dockar-Clay (Hooker or Halfback) has joined them from Penrith Panthers and
is a former captain of the Junior Kiwis.
The Fev Connection
Easter
There have been times when I have derided the regular outcry about players having to play two matches over the Easter weekend. When our sport was played in winter postponements were more frequent and quite often there was a mad scramble to complete fixtures at the end of April resulting in part-time players who had jobs outside the game having to play many matches in a short space of time. Such an example occurred in our Championship winning season of 1976/77. Just look at this pile up of games that we played in March and April! David Dyas, Steve Quinn, Ken Kellett and Keith Bridges played in all 12 matches and Nil Tuffs and Jimmy Thompson played in 11.
There have been times when I have derided the regular outcry about players having to play two matches over the Easter weekend. When our sport was played in winter postponements were more frequent and quite often there was a mad scramble to complete fixtures at the end of April resulting in part-time players who had jobs outside the game having to play many matches in a short space of time. Such an example occurred in our Championship winning season of 1976/77. Just look at this pile up of games that we played in March and April! David Dyas, Steve Quinn, Ken Kellett and Keith Bridges played in all 12 matches and Nil Tuffs and Jimmy Thompson played in 11.
Good Friday this year will be a huge test
of how our squad are faring. Hull KR are looking to be by far the strongest
team in the Championship with nine wins out of nine. Still, strange things do
happen. In 1998 we went there in the play-offs or what was expected to be a
very close match and Hull KR were generally regarded as the favourites and yet
we came away with an astonishing 54-6 victory! Let’s hope lightning does strike
twice but I rather doubt it.
Easter Monday is going to be fascinating.
We’ve already played and beaten the Bulls away in the Challenge Cup but the
teams for this match will be very different with both clubs using Leeds Rhinos
players on dual reg or loan, players who were not available for the challenge
cup tie.
I wonder if 18 year-old Polish born Milolaj
Oledzki will be in the Fev team. That would be interesting after he has played
for Bradford Bulls on loan 6 times already this year. I was astonished watching
him in action last weekend. I’ve been really impressed with young wingers and
halfbacks in the past but I have never seen such an amazing prospect at that
age in the forwards let alone at prop forward. It is so difficult to predict
how players will develop but if he develops as one would expect, surely here is
an international star of the future.
I was wondering when we last won both games
over Easter. The answer is not since 2009 when we beat Gateshead Thunder and
Sheffield Eagles. But the record is not as bad as it would appear because in
2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 we only had one game.
Two games in a weekend can be hard for
administrators, journalists and statisticians as well as the players. That’s why
there is only one fevnut’s musings for the two games and I’m afraid it is
impossible to update all the stats between Good Friday and Easter Monday!
T'Other Side: Hull Kingston Rovers
Head Coach:
Tim Sheens
 |
| Tim Sheens |
In 2016 he was named
in the Penrith Panthers Team of Legends.
 |
| Shaun Lunt |
Having begun his playing career with Castleford Tigers in 2005, he moved on for a three year spell with Workington Town. Then he joined Huddersfield Giants in Super League and was their regular hooker for several years. He moved to Leeds Rhinos on loan during the 2012 season and was a member of their Grand Final winning team. He joined Hull Kingston Rovers in 2015. Art representative level Shaun has played for Cumbria, England and England Knights.
New Signings for 2017
The Fev Connection
Three
members of the Hull Kingston Rovers squad have previously appeared for Fev. Ben Cockayne had a very successful loan
spell with us in 2011 scoring 11 tries in 9 matches and played in the Grand
Final winning team. Thomas Minns
spent 2015 at Fev and scored four tries in a match against Sheffield Eagles.
Last year Jordan Abdull played 5
times during a short loan spell from Hull FC. Chris Clarkson has not played for Featherstone, but his dad, Micky
Clarkson, played 63 games for us between 1998 and 2001.
There
are also three members of the current Fev squad who have played for Hull KR.
Ian Hardman spent a year there, on loan from Saint Helens, in 2007. Keal Carlile
was a Hull KR player from 2012-2015 and Frankie Mariano was there at the start
of his career in 2009 and 2010.
Today: Previously - April 14th
Rugby League
T'Other Side: Bradford Bulls
Captain: Leon Pryce
New Signings for 2017
After the turmoil of last winter, Bradford lost many players including several who they had newly signed for 2017 (Jason Walton being one of them). At present they are relying quite heavily on loan players but their parent clubs are likely to not allow them to play on Sunday because they would then be cup-tied and unable to turn out for their own clubs in future rounds.
Ross Peltier is another prop who started at Hunslet and then had three seasons with Keighley. He is a Jamaican international. Colton Roche has been primarily used by Bradford as a second rower. His previous clubs have been Oldham, Sheffield, Fev (2 spells) and York. Roche has also played for Ireland.
Today: Previously - April 17th
In 1492,
Christopher Columbus signs contract with Spain
to find the Indies
Today: Previously - April 14th
Rugby League
There can be no doubt at all about the happiest April 14th for
Rovers fans. It was in 1973 at Headingley in the Challenge Cup semi-final
against Castleford. Fev secured their place at Wembley with a 17-3 victory.
Almost as good, of course, was the 2012 Challenge Cup win against Castleford
in the 4th round by 23-16 which was also on April 14th. A favourite match for many Rovers fans.
It certainly wasn’t smiles at Halifax in 1941 on April 14th when
we lost 70-2 in a Wartime Emergency League fixture.
On that glorious day in 2012 there were loads of points scored
in other Challenge Cup ties. Swinton beat Gateshead 70-10, Halifax walloped
South Wales Scorpions 84-28 and Saint Helens beat Widnes 40-38.
We haven’t found any representative matches played on April
14th.
 |
| Noah Webster |
World Events
In 1471,
Yorkists defeat Lancastrians at the Battle of
Barnet
In 1828,
Noah Webster takes
out copyright for his first dictionary
In 1865,
Abraham Lincoln assassinated
In 1904, Première of
George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Candida’
In 1939, Publication of
John Steinbeck’s ‘Grapes of Wrath’
In 1999, Hailstorm in Sydney
causes A$1.7 billion worth of damage
 |
| Julie Christie |
Birthdays
1578 Philip
III, King of Spain
1889 Arnold J
Toynbee, English historian
1904 John Gielgud, English actor
1905 Fritz
Philips, Dutch engineer
1941 Julie
Christie, English actor
1945 Ritchie
Blackmore, Deep Purple guitarist
1980 Rob Purdham, Whitehaven, Harlequins
RL and England RL player
Stop Press: 26 year old Aussie halfback Dane Chisholm, who was with Bradford Bulls last year and joined Sheffield Eagles when the club went into liquidation, has re-joined the Bulls, reportedly after falling out with Mark Aston!
Head Coach: Leigh Beattie (caretaker)
We
know very little about Leigh Beattie. As far as we can ascertain he has never
played professionally in the UK, and certainly not in the summer era. Nor has
he previously held a position as head coach. All we have been able to discover
is that he has been with the Bradford Bulls for many years and has at various
times been kitman, groundsman and U16 academy coach. In January the new owners
of Bradford Bulls announced that they had appointed Geoff Toovey as head coach
but we believe that they are still waiting for all the paperwork to be accepted
before he can officially take over. Toovey was a half-back or hooker with Manly
and played 13 times for Australia and made 16 appearances for New South Wales
in State of Origin. He was head coach at Manly from 2012 to 2015
 |
| Leon Pryce |
Leon
Pryce has returned to Bradford Bulls where he started his career back in 1998
and was with them until the end of the 2005 season before signing for Saint
Helens. His route back to the Bulls has been via Catalans Dragons and Hull FC.
In his original stint at the Bulls he played 206 times and scored 93 tries. For
his other clubs it has been 279 appearances and 101 tries. 15 appearances this
season for Bradford would bring up 500 club appearances, a very rare
achievement in the modern era. Including representative appearances he has
already passed the 500 with 8 for England, 17 for Great Britain and 4 for
Yorkshire.
He once
caused apoplexy in the Australian press when he told them that he preferred
Blackpool Beach to Bondi!
New Signings for 2017
After the turmoil of last winter, Bradford lost many players including several who they had newly signed for 2017 (Jason Walton being one of them). At present they are relying quite heavily on loan players but their parent clubs are likely to not allow them to play on Sunday because they would then be cup-tied and unable to turn out for their own clubs in future rounds.
The most intriguing
incomer is Phoenix Hunapo-Nofoa.
This speedy 22 year-old is yet to make his debut for Bradford, or indeed his
rugby league debut, having made his reputation playing for the Samoan national
rugby union sevens team.
Jon Magrin and Iliess
Macani have arrived from London Broncos. London-born Macani can play on the
wing or fullback but his been used by Bradford on the wing so far this year.
Jon Magrin is a prop and a Maltese international.
Scott Moore, an experienced hooker, was released by Wakefield
and picked up by Bradford in mid-February.
Ross Peltier is another prop who started at Hunslet and then had three seasons with Keighley. He is a Jamaican international. Colton Roche has been primarily used by Bradford as a second rower. His previous clubs have been Oldham, Sheffield, Fev (2 spells) and York. Roche has also played for Ireland.
Although better
known as a fullback, Lee Smith has been
playing for the Bulls at halfback and in the centres. As well as playing for
Leeds, Wakefield and Leigh he has played union for Wasps and Newcastle Falcons.
He has played league 8 times for England, but not since 2009.
The Fev Connection
Three members of
the current Bradford Bulls squad have played for Featherstone Rovers. James Mendeika was one of the host of
youngsters brought in from Warrington Wolves by John Bastian in 2014. In his
case he was actually signed by Fev (several were loans) and he played 21 games,
scoring 20 tries. After just one game the following year he went to Bradford,
an opportunity to become a full-time player. Jordan Lilley is one of four players at Bradford on loan this
season from Leeds Rhinos. This very promising young halfback played for Fev
three times under dual reg in 2016. Colton
Roche had two spells with Rovers, making just one sub appearance in 2014
but returning for the 2016 season during which he impressed initially but then
seemed to fall out of favour.
Rugby League
April 17th was a good day for Featherstone to play against
Leeds. There have been three matches and Fev won them all. In 1954 Rovers won
23-5 at home, in 1964 21-8 away and in 1973 30-17 at home.
In 1965 a 24-0 win at home to Keighley, in the penultimate
league game of the season, secured Fev their place in the Championship
Play-Offs (Top 16).
The Rovers team was: Howard Darbyshire; Mike Smith, Gary
Cooper, Peter Bell, Gary Jordan; Bill Bennett, Carl Dooler; Les Tonks, Milan
Kosanović, Malcolm Dixon, Stan Nicholson, Arnie Morgan, Don Fox. Gary Jordan scored 4 tries. Don Fox and Mike
Smith also scored. Three goals were kicked by Howard Darbyshire.
More recently, April 17th has
been a lousy date for us, having lost the last four. In 1994 we lost 37-16 at
Hull, the following year it was a loss away to Sheffield by 26-16. In 2005 it
was a home defeat at the hands of Whitehaven by 40-20 in a season that brought
relegation, and in 2006, down in National League 2 we were defeated 26-24 at
Barrow. Let’s hope that 2017 ends that run of losses!
Times change. In 2005
Bradford Bulls hammered Huddersfield Giants 54-10. In 2010, it was the weekend
of the Challenge Cup 4th round. The 17th was the Saturday and there were wins
for Leeds Rhinos against Hull FC, Leigh Centurions against Limoux, Harlequins
RL against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Saint Helens against Toulouse Olympique
and Wigan Warriors against Sheffield Eagles.
The only representative match
was in 1937 when the ‘Northern RL’ were beaten 15-12 in a match played against Wales in
Newcastle upon Tyne.
World Events
In 1492,
Christopher Columbus signs contract with Spain
to find the Indies
In 1534,
Thomas More confined
in Tower of London
In 1932,
Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia abolishes
slavery
In 1969,
Sirhan Sirhan convicted of assassinating Robert Kennedy
In 1969, Bernadette
Devlin (Irish Republican) becomes youngest woman ever elected as an MP
In 2015, Jimmy Anderson
becomes highest ever wicket taker for England
Birthdays
1622 Henry
Vaughan, English poet
1930 Chris Barber,
English jazz musician
1957 Nick Hornby, English author
1974 Victoria
Beckham, English singer (Posh Spice)
1981 Paul
Cooke, rugby league halfback
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