League
Tables
Over
the last few weeks fevnut has received countless questions about the system
being used for determining table positions this year.
Do
we like it? No! It is much fairer when the season involves each team playing every
other team home and away and there are no other matches to pollute the
integrity of the competition. Summer bash (when it takes place) is a great
occasion but it does fall into this category.
Most
people seem to think that the percentage system is a new invention but it is
actually well and truly embedded in the history of rugby league. It was first
introduced in the 1905/06 season when all the 31 clubs were combined into a
single league and it became impossible for all clubs to have home and away matches
against all the other 30 teams. In fact, for many years from then played
different numbers of matches.
The
first season in which there was one division and the clubs played the same
number of matches was 1930/3, although even then there were 28 clubs but they
played 38 matches. That year and for most seasons thereafter the table was
based on match points.
The
exceptions, when percentages were re-introduced were during the War Emergency
Leagues of World War 2 and 1955/56 when Belle Vue Rangers withdrew from just
before the season started leaving some clubs with 36 matches and others with 34.
In
1977/78 Bradford Northern were awarded second place on a percentage basis when
their last fixture of the season did not take place because of a strike by the
opposition team’s players, the club in question being Featherstone Rovers! And
then percentages were, of course, used last year in Super League because of the
pandemic.
Most
of the confusion this year seems to be around the way places are determined
when clubs are level on ‘Win Percentage’. If clubs play different numbers of matches
it would be clearly unfair to base it on the usual points difference because
for stronger clubs the points difference is likely to be higher if you play
more games.
So,
the secondary factor for this year is based on the ratio of points scored to
points conceded. A lot of the confusion arises from the stupid decision of the
Rugby League to call this ‘Difference%’. It is not a difference which implies
subtraction and the percentage makes it difficult to see how it is arrived at.
If
a club has scored 75 points and conceded 25 this gives a ratio of 3 (75 divided
by 25) which is quite clear but the RL then call it 300%, which just confuses
the issue.
The
awarding of Toulouse a 24-0 win when London refused to travel has been used several
times over the last few years. It won’t happen again because London were the
only other full-time club who were deemed to have been able to fulfil their fixture.
Should any of the part-time clubs be unable to play in Toulouse the fixtures
are either to be re-arranged or the fixture will become null and void.
Offload
Some
weeks ago we wrote about this brilliant programme being run by the Featherstone
Rovers Foundation in partnership with Rugby League Cares.
Research
shows that at least one in 4 people have mental health problems at some time in
their lives and that is probably a considerable under estimate because so many
people, particularly men, are reluctant talk about the issues.
It
is frightening to discover that suicide is the single biggest cause of death
amongst younger men.
In
three weeks’ time, a third ‘Offload’ programme will begin at the Fev clubhouse.
All those who have attended so far (including fevnut) have found it extremely
valuable. It is largely run by former and current professional players who share
the mental health problems they have encountered and the programme is primarily
aimed at helping men to develop strategies for coping through difficult times
whether that be now or at some future date.
If
you are in the slightest bit interested get in touch will Paul March at the
Featherstone Rovers Foundation (paul.march@featherstonerovers.co.uk)
and, if you want people, who have been through the first two programmes are
happy to help you get involved with the sessions.
Inconsistency
What on earth is wrong with the
consistency of our Fev team. We don’t mean consistency from match to match but
consistency within a single match.
We can’t recall ever seeing a match
in which Fev were so clearly the stronger team but made so many needless errors
as in our 48-14 win last week against Whitehaven.
There were, again, patches of the
game when we were brilliant. From the 56th minute we scored 5 tries
in just 14 minutes with some beautiful attacking rugby and then scored a
further two right near the end including that great try from Gareth Gale.
The Whitehaven fullback would
probably feign being unfit if we had a return match up at Whitehaven this year after
Gareth had flattened him with a terrific tackle and then later sent him flying
to score his try!
But, yet again, it was a match that
was littered with knock-ons and forward passes. We have simply got to sort that
out because May will be a tough month including matches against York, Sheffield
and Halifax who have all had some excellent results in the last couple of
weeks.
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