As we move on from our exit of the Challenge Cup we have a short turnaround and a long trip up to Cumbria to face Barrow in the 1895 Cup. John Kear has stated that nobody that featured today will play on Wednesday. The game is also being streamed on the OurLeague app.

Good opportunity for a reserve player/U19 to catch the eye. I honestly think a defeat will be good for us though. We're starting to look tired and this mid-week tournament won't help. The thought of playing in an empty stadium after the CC really doesn't appeal to me anyway.

Yeh wise choice to give fringe players some game time. If we were to progress are all the games mid week? If so, I'd say it would be no bad thing to be out of this cup competition.

Let's have a crack this....

1. Stephenson
2. Rickett
3. Gibson
4. ?
5. ?
6. Pickersgill
7. ?
8. Bustin
9. Doyle
10. Roche
11. Garside
12. Hodgson
13. Milton

14. Foster
15. Scurr
16. ?
17. ?

Not familiar enough with U-19s to fill in the blanks

Culling will play at centre/bench. Brown will make his debut. And Keyes will be in the halves/bench. Magrin is due back off loan. And Roche won’t be propping it.

I’d also chuck in Flanagan and Peltier as they haven’t had much gametime recently.

1. Stephenson
2. Brown
3. Culling
4. Gibson
5. Rickett
6. Pickersgill
7. Keyes
8. Bustin
9. Flanagan
10. Magrin
11. Garside
12. Roche
13. Milton

14. Doyle
15. Peltier
16. Foster
17. Hodgson

18. Scurr
19. Butterworth
20. C. Green
21. O’Sullivan

I'd be surprised if Keyes plays. I think Cobi Green will start. Flanagan and Peltier won't play either since they played yesterday. Magrin is down at Skolars so you can forget about him.

I really hope we don't throw Keyes in before he is ready

It's just not worth it - and for him then to have a reoccurrence (which he's had before, remember) would put in a massive dent to our season, given that Milnes is out for a while.

He should be coming off the bench, if he's even playing at all...

Just play a mix of reserve/academy players and be done with this joke of a competition.
Created for no other reason than to try and milk yet more money out of the championship fanbase because the RFL are too inept to properly market the challenge cup final and fill the stadium on that concept alone.

Completely shameless from the governing body.

I suspect that’s Kear’s attitude too given that he said he wouldn’t be picking anyone from yesterday and if the RFL have a problem with it he’s happy to discuss it.

Let’s face it the 1895 Cup might have been a good idea if it had offered some prize money and had been a curtain raiser rather than an afterthought.

Send the reserves IMO.

Agree with this. I would treat it as no more than a run out for the reserves and top academy lads.

Also, it that correct that the 1895 final will be played after the CC final? Surely it should be the curtain raiser? That seems very strange if I’m reading it right. Yes the championship fans will turn up early to watch the CC final but the likely mass exodus after the CC final whistle will leave the 1895 final a bit of a laughing stock in a stadium like Wembley.

I assume the tv cameras will also turn off after the CC final too.

Yes the 1895 cup will be played afterwards. The reason not being very clear but something about not messing the pitch up for the main event and fitting in the U11s game too.

It didn't even have a sponsor until Derek Beaumont stepped up last week IIRC.

OK, pick the bones out of this lot



A few I've barely heard of there. Magrin back in, but strangely there's no sign of Brown

Maybe Kear has Brown ear-marked for the Batley game.

Be good to see some of the fringe players have a crack. We're probably onto a hammering but hopefully a few individuals will stand out.

I'd have been livid if we had have risked anyone from the cup game and made them back-up in Barrow for a game where losing is a positive.

I’ve been up to the shop today and even at this late stage tickets are still available for this match.

Amazing. And we all predicted this one to be a sell out

Complete waste of time and money.

Should just call Barrow tell them that we are really sorry, it's not you, it's us, we just can't be 4rsed, we have enough on our plate without pi55ing good money up the wall heading all that way on a week night to play in front of no-one who cares about the stupid tin-pot cup the RFL have decided we all need even if we don't want it....

I bet they have 1001 better things to do too.

This is the most ill-thought out concept I've ever heard of. Even for the RFL it takes the biscuit - the warm up game played at the end, just unbelievable.

If anyone is daft enough to contemplate driving up to Barrow to watch this one, be aware that you don't need to - the game is being screened on the Our League App

Im driving up, and yes i fully appreciate i must be mad !!

I think the position was made clear on a successful appeal for "not fielding the strongst side", I forget by who, the club (rightly) told the RFL that they pay ALL the squad to play rugby, and unless the RFL could point to anywhere in the Laws where they can overrule the team selection and say various players shouldn't be playing even though they get paid to play, they could go and do one. Before then, any club could easily enough produce a bunch of sick notes eliminating players from being picked; after that, I don't believe they bothered any longer.

You and anyone else from Bradford going up to Barrow tomorrow have my utmost respect. Taking a look at the squad and doing that big trip is a level of commitment I sadly lack. Hats off to you.

I was going to go but then Andy Ruiz invited me for tea

I was enthused about this cup until I realised there wasnt any prize money on offer.

Only really serves and purpose for match fitness and blooding youngsters.

Bulls to lose.