fevnut's musings #18: Dane's 800, Feeling sad for players who don't get a game and Wembley

       

Congratulations to Dane 

In last week’s match Dane Chisholm took his career points tally up to the 800 mark. Well done to him and let’s hope that he can get to the 1,000 mark wearing the navy and white hoops.

Sometimes the action in games becomes too predictable and we really need players like Dane who can lift our excitement with a piece of brilliant off-the-cuff play!

 

Hat Tricks (again)

Last week we wrote about the fact that Fev went through the first 12 games of the season without any players scoring a hat-trick and then suddenly we got hat tricks in 3 successive games. That’s now become 4 successive games with Nu Brown’s against Widnes.

With all new signings brought in from overseas, and particularly one who has had serious injury problems we are never sure how good they will turn out to be.

Well, we can say without any hesitation, the signing of Nu was a master stroke. What a player he is turning out to be and his footwork with ball in hand is a joy to behold.

We just wish he would be more assertive with the players around him. That’s not intended to be a criticism but we do like to see halfbacks who really boss the game.

Maybe the lack of hat tricks earlier on was partly down to the fact that we have had games with so many different scorers. It must be a nightmare for opposition teams knowing that when they play Fev tries could come from any of our players.

It is pretty amazing that with 16 games gone there is only one player who has played in more than two games who does not yet have a try. We won’t name him because it’s so obvious that when he is on the pitch he gives his all, he just hasn’t scored … yet.

 

Very sad

We sat down the other day and wondered what it must feel like for Joe Summers and Liam Whitton.

Two young lads who must have felt they had fulfilled their childhood dreams when they were signed as professional players with the mighty Featherstone Rovers.

And what has happened to them? Months and months of training but not a solitary chance to actually play. They might well enjoy training but you can be sure that what they really want to do is to play.

We have said it before, and we will keep saying it until it is dealt with.

It is unacceptable to leave young players in this situation and the RFL need to think beyond first grade competitions and impose a structure that ensures that players like Joe and Liam get regular game time and we don’t mean going out on loan. Playing the odd game with players you don’t know and haven’t properly trained with is no way to nurture young talent.

We do not know if either of them have been injured, but, assuming they are fit, ways and means have to be found to give youngsters regular game time.

 

Wembley

We can’t wait to take our places at Wembley on Saturday. We were there in 1983, little imagining that we would have to wait more than 38 years to watch Fev there again.

To be honest, we had given up hope of it ever happening in our lifetime so, although it’s not the Challenge Cup final, we will be overjoyed to see the navy and white on that famous pitch.