Major Rival....

[Pop Cider]

.... for SL.

Halifax have now got their ground in order and must be a threat to our SL bid. If Wakey and Cas get bombed out, then 'Fax stand a good chance of keeping the Yorkshire quota at 6.

I know the youth set up is poor, but they have ticked the box by appearing in the Grand Final last year, and their on field performance is a lot better than ours.

And don't forget their link with a certain Mr Wood.

I certainly see them as a threat.

[Cartman]

Was amazed at their prices last night. £15 to stand up behind the sticks and £18 in the new stand. The other stand behind the sticks is unsafe now.

[Rickp]

.... for SL.

Halifax have now got their ground in order and must be a threat to our SL bid. If Wakey and Cas get bombed out, then 'Fax stand a good chance of keeping the Yorkshire quota at 6.

I know the youth set up is poor, but they have ticked the box by appearing in the Grand Final last year, and their on field performance is a lot better than ours.

And don't forget their link with a certain Mr Wood.

I certainly see them as a threat.

Paranioa methinks no other teams in our division are anywhere near us. Faxs' is still nowhere near the standard of The Stobart. They don't have the financial clout that we do. You said it yourself there's no youth structure as such in place. So stop worrying about teams in our division.
Plus Widnes letting Saints using our place next year will be a huge feather in our cap. We will get in I'm certain of it. The only thing that will stop us if The RFL change their mind & not let a team go up. End of.

[King Viking]

Not a chance Halifax will get in ahead of Widnes.

Plus, this first team that is doing good. Most of their key men are Aussies!

Branighan, Black, Royston, Nash, Watene and then of course Gene and Aizue have not long left. Then four more (Beswick, Barlow, Ostick and Bannister) are players that Widnes didn't deem good enough for our team!

[GRIFFIN]

I think that to say Fax have their stadium in order is stretching the point slightly. They have 1 very nice stand with good facilities, but people begrudge paying £18.00 to sit in it and the rest of the ground is as bad as any of the worst grounds. A steward last night told me the north stand has been condemned, so therefore takes them below the required minimum capacity required and at the moment, there is no money in the kitty to repair or rebuild it. Apart from the playing criteria, i can not see any other boxes they tick, but as someone said, they do have the Wood factor, but a serious threat i dont think so.

[bigbadbootydaddy]

Not a chance Halifax will get in ahead of Widnes.

Plus, this first team that is doing good. Most of their key men are Aussies!

Branighan, Black, Royston, Nash, Watene and then of course Gene and Aizue have not long left. Then four more (Beswick, Barlow, Ostick and Bannister) are players that Widnes didn't deem good enough for our team!

Four lucky lads then aren't they - leaving a club that can't make the play-offs & who didn't want them, to sign for a team challenging for the Championship title.
Ian Hardman must think he's won the lottery!

[acetheviking]

More over reaction from the original poster....and nobody has included the Championship minimum crowd figure which they dont meet either.

Lets chill out. We know we are the only English championship side going anywhere and the fact that it has gone extremely quiet on the SL front for every other supposed franchise rival says it all really.

[Steve]

Four lucky lads then aren't they - leaving a club that can't make the play-offs & who didn't want them, to sign for a team challenging for the Championship title.
Ian Hardman must think he's won the lottery!

Agreed!
"Lets look at what we could've won!"

[Neil]

It's gone quiet because Fax Leigh and Toulouse are working hard behing the scenes to get there bids in order......

They will be threats - Fax could potensially have 2 boxes ticked come seasons end. I have always thought on field performance would be a more "weightier" "BOX" ....

They have proven previously they can produce young players - stadium is decent and improvable etc etc i would dismiss them as easily as some have ....

DON'T COUNT YOUR FRANCHISE CHICKENS BEFORE ITS WRITTEN IN DL'S BLOOD......  FACT

Fly

[Ratboy]

It's gone quiet because Fax Leigh and Toulouse are working hard behing the scenes to get there bids in order......

They will be threats - Fax could potensially have 2 boxes ticked come seasons end. I have always thought on field performance would be a more "weightier" "BOX" ....

They have proven previously they can produce young players - stadium is decent and improvable etc etc i would dismiss them as easily as some have ....

DON'T COUNT YOUR FRANCHISE CHICKENS BEFORE ITS WRITTEN IN DL'S BLOOD......  FACT

Fly

I think have money problems and no youth.end of.

[King Viking]

It's gone quiet because Fax Leigh and Toulouse are working hard behing the scenes to get there bids in order......

They will be threats - Fax could potensially have 2 boxes ticked come seasons end. I have always thought on field performance would be a more "weightier" "BOX" ....

They have proven previously they can produce young players - stadium is decent and improvable etc etc i would dismiss them as easily as some have ....

DON'T COUNT YOUR FRANCHISE CHICKENS BEFORE ITS WRITTEN IN DL'S BLOOD......  FACT

Fly

Lol, which heartland club hasn't? If that was the case, there'd be no point in anyone bothering with academies. Even if the "on field" is more weightier, everything else Widnes has is "more weightier" than anything Halifax has. Youth, stadium, facilities, fanbase, finance; plus the Ostick saga wont have endeared Fax with the RFL either.

Toulouse, naturally, are a threat, but it will be very controversial if they were allowed in without reaching a Grand Final.

As for Leigh, well if you're "on field" performance is more weightier - well they got relegated last season.

[reg warner]

I think have money problems and no youth.end of.

And as was pointed out to me they don't even run an under21's reserve side.   Basically it looks as though they have the same as Batley (and no disrespect to Batley) just a first team.
As regards Fax's ground I found this  report in the Halifax Courier on the totalrl messageboard.  "The North Stand is currently closed to fans on health and safety grounds because of concerns about its concrete structure."  which confirms what Griffin posted earlier.  The stadium manager says in respect of money "there is nothing in the pipeline."

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/52m--spent-on-Shaybut.6446205.jp

[waterboy]

as for having no youth maybe they will promise the RFL that by 2015 they wil have a full youth set up ( worked for alot of clubs on stadiums so why not youth)

[Sunny]

Four lucky lads then aren't they - leaving a club that can't make the play-offs ......

Do you know that for a certain fact? Do you know the results of the games for the rest of the season?

If you do, please let me know them so I can make some money from my local bookies.   

Don't forget that they play for a club so good that this season they couldn't get into the Northern Rail final.

[King Viking]

Or even past the group stage, Sunny