Questions need to be asked!! : Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:39 am  

I want to know what is going to be done about Huddersfield Underbank postponing two of their games at the start of the season as they could not field a strong team.

Can teams just pick and choose went they want to play??

As a Featherstone Lions fan I feel not only my club but other clubs are at a disadvantage due to Huddersfield playing two games later in the season when they were due to play these games at the start of the season. They will be at full strength when they now play these games and will probably win. If they were made to play when they should have they may have six points less than they have now.

Earlier in the season we went to Liverpool with a bare thirteen and got beaten heavily next season shall we just decide to play later in the season when we have a stronger team out.

I don't feel this is fair and now Huddersfield are sitting in second position which is a disgrace. This will probably cost us finishing second!!

: Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:31 am  

Any thoughts!!

: Thu Jul 23, 2009 11:19 am  

leedsrhinosforever wrote:

Any thoughts!!

yeah but they can't be put here

: Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:51 pm  

Well I'm going to put my thoughts I'm appalled at the decision to allow Underbank to postpone the fixtures at the start of the season and to boot blame us for calling it off in their local rag!!
You are probably correct about the results as we are struggling with injuries and other stuff but will field a team when we play them soon. Had we played them at the beginning of the season when things were looking a bit better for us, who knows what the result would have been?? Personally I felt a lot more optimistic then than I do now
If everyone played the Underbank card at the start of next season it would make a total mockery of the starting of the season, but why not everyone do it if it works for them and they get to finish near the top of the league.

: Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:33 am  

Basically the RFL let every team willy nilly cancel and rearrange games on the day if they can't quite get their best team out, without any punishment, and play them when it suits them because they don't want to see walkovers on the fixture list, even if it puts potential players, supporters and sponsors off the game, they couldn't care less. If they don't rearrange matches they just make up scores.

Underbank should have had the game awarded against them, a points deduction, banned from the playoffs and have to pay costs and a fine, plus a bigger fine for fake press releases. Then make them reapply for league membership next year from a vote of clubs

While I'm inclined to believe Carlisle, Liverpool and East Lancs legitimately couldn't raise a team on those days in question (although they still should have conceded the points), I don't for a minute believe Underbank were doing anything but trying to wait til their best team were out.

Sometimes I can even sympathise with Dudley Hill not wanting anything to do with the league when things like this happen

: Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:16 pm  

bowes wrote:

Sometimes I can even sympathise with Dudley Hill not wanting anything to do with the league when things like this happen

Your on drugs aren;t you

: Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:24 pm  

Marto wrote:

Your on drugs aren;t you

No didn't like their attitude but they did have a point about the league, even if they were hypocritical, Underbank would have been chucked from the NCL if they'd tried anything like this

: Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:10 pm  

All the clubs should make their concerns known to the people running this competition. Things like this have been happening for way to long.

One of the worst part of it all is the cheek Huddersfield had to put a presee release out saying that it was Gateshead that couln't raise a team. Are the RFL aware of this??

: Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:00 pm  

leedsrhinosforever wrote:

All the clubs should make their concerns known to the people running this competition. Things like this have been happening for way to long.

One of the worst part of it all is the cheek Huddersfield had to put a presee release out saying that it was Gateshead that couln't raise a team. Are the RFL aware of this??

Whats the point?

the people in charge won't do bugger all. i guarantee it.

: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:50 am  

I think it is disgraceful if a team has deliberately postponed a match to wait until they get a stronger side. If this is proven to be correct then Featherstone and Gateshead should get the 3 points and the scoreline should be given as 30-0 to each team. Underbank should also be hit with a heavy fine, stripped of 10 competion points and they should have to play both games in 2010 against Featherstone and Gateshead away from home as a penalty and a warning if it happens again they will be kicked out. The RFL needs to take a heavy stand and I think the other clubs in the league need to take a stand together to fight this as it is a blight on the game and if the league is to gain credibility and continue to grow action needs to be taken now and the RFL must show an interest in this competition.