Fantastic!
Who would have seriously thought in those dark January days that we would now be contemplating one single match in which a victory would take us into Super League? Indeed, it was even hard to believe that we could get this far when the play-offs were about to start.
The journey to the ‘Million Pound Game’ has been an amazing experience for all of us. Winning at Leigh - great. Winning at York - even greater. Winning at Toulouse - simply heroic. And it would have been wonderful if we had scraped through those matches but we didn’t. Each time we have ended up taking the opposition apart with a combination of tremendous defence and fabulous tries.
Even in 1998 we got to the Grand Final from 4th place rather than 5th. But there was a great result that year too. Many Fev fans were apprehensive as we travelled to Hull Kingston Rovers for the Preliminary Final. The pundits all had Hull KR as the likely winners. Do you remember what the score was that day? 54-6 to Fev!
If we win in Toronto
The odds are against us in Toronto but that doesn’t seem to matter a jot to this current Fev team of super-heroes. But if we do pull it off Fev will be back in their rightful place amongst the rugby league élite.
But preparing for that will be hard, very hard. London Broncos made a great but eventually unsuccessful go of it. They showed how a team who were predominantly made of up of players who were with them in the Championship can take on the Super League mighty and pull off some great wins.
But London did have an advantage over us because they were already a full-time team.
We don’t envy the job that the Fev board and staff would have in assembling a team for next year. There will undoubtedly be some of our present squad who would find it too much of a risk for their families to give up their day-job and would probably be compelled to leave to stay part-time and keep their jobs. After all we wouldn’t be able to pay silly money, Fev have never had the sort of backers needed for that.
Then there’s the whole issue of starting recruitment at this time of the year. Of course we would have to strengthen but there must be very few players available that would strengthen this team that we have now. No doubt some potential backers would appear but we would have to be very careful to determine whether they are genuine. Too many clubs have got into trouble with promises made and not fulfilled.
We are NOT saying that we don’t want to win and bring Super League crowds back to our wonderful improved stadium. It is a stadium and we are a club that deserve to be regularly hosting Leeds, Castleford, Wigan, Saint Helens, Warrington etc.. And some of their fans will get a real shock when they come back to Fev for the first time in many years and see what has been accomplished here. They will be so envious to see such a wonderful ground still owned by the club.
No, all we are saying is that the job that Mark Campbell, Davide Longo and Steve Gill will have is going to be incredibly difficult and we all have to understand that.
Ryan Carr
We feel absolutely desolate about all the rumours circulating that Ryan will either be at Leeds or back in Australia next year. There can’t be a single Fev fan who doesn’t desperately want him to stay next year.
Surely he has started something that he should wish to build upon for another year at least. He is obviously a great coach and what he has achieved has been without a proper pre-season and with an ever changing team through most of the year.
Come on Ryan, just show what you can do with a pre-season and a settled squad.
Choo-choo and Chizzy
Congratulations to Luke who achieved the milestone of his 100th career game (all with Fev) in Toulouse last week. It is just wonderful what he achieves in a position usually occupied by much bigger men. We can think of players we have watched who have played well under their weight but never one who plays so far above his weight and size.
And congratulations, too, to Dane Chisholm who kicked his 100th goal for Fev in Toulouse. That includes his one drop-goal.
Fev v Toronto: 19 Man Squads 
