Gareth is a top rugby league journalist who has one very exceptional distinction. He chooses to write about matters pertaining to the Championship and League One.
Although this blog is devoted to Featherstone Rovers it is always good to read opinions about matters relevant to us, but not specifically about us. We hope you enjoy reading Gareth's column each week.
Time to step up
FOUR Championship teams begin two months of intense
action that could shape their futures in the Qualifiers this week.
Hull KR,
London Broncos, Halifax and Featherstone Rovers will represent the second tier
against four Super League sides, with 2018 top flight places on the line.
It’s fair
to say that the four clubs have differing expectations going into week one.
Hull KR are
aiming for an immediate Super League return, and anything else will be seen as
a disappointment.
After a dominant
league campaign, they stumbled in the final two weeks of the regular season,
losing to Toulouse and Halifax, both of whom it must be said had significantly
more at stake.
But the
Robins will kick their campaign off with the express intention of securing
promotion at the first attempt.
Their fixture
list - which sees them face their three Championship rivals plus Leigh in their
first four games - has been seen by some as an advantage.
That notion
was dismissed by captain Shaun Lunt in Monday’s League Express,
but anything less than an opening win against Halifax on Sunday will be seen as
a false start.
There isn’t the
same pressure on opponents Fax, who secured their place with a comprehensive
final day league win over Tim Sheens’ side.
But coach Richard
Marshall feels he has a stronger squad than their 2015 Qualifiers campaign -
when they won two of their seven matches.
That last-day
league win over the Robins - which came on the back of away victories at
Featherstone and Toulouse - will have boosted their confidence, and Fax shouldn’t be
underestimated.
London
Broncos are in a similar position in that their coach Andrew Henderson also
feels they are better placed to make the Million Pound Game than last year,
when they were only points difference away.
The Broncos
have been steadily building under Henderson all season, and their strong home
form and wildcard halfback Jarrod Sammut help make them a dangerous opponent.
London kick
off their campaign with a tricky Saturday trip to Catalans.
Finally,
Featherstone Rovers are perhaps the biggest unknown of the four given that they
have only played one game to date under new coach John Duffy.
The former
Swinton boss has already made changes to their much-discussed style of play,
and if he can get the best out of a talented squad, they could also cause
shocks.
They start
with a home game against Leigh Centurions, which could offer a telling insight
into their prospects over the next two months.
It promises
to be a fascinating eight weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment