Re: NW Merit League : Tue Aug 02, 2011 12:27 pm  

{Hogan} wrote:

All fixtures confirmed from the league admin, to be played this weekend 6th/7th August:

RLC Premier Play off fixture:-

Liverpool Buccaneers vs Wigan Riversiders

RLC Regional playoff fixture:-

Cadishead Rhinos vs Blackpool Sea Eagles
Rochdale Cobras vs Chorley Panthers

RLC Merit playoff fixture:-

Wigan Riversiders Eels vs Salford Central

Blackpool Stanley vs Bamber Bridge

I thought Salford Central had folded?

Re: NW Merit League : Tue Aug 02, 2011 12:50 pm  

Morning Glory wrote:

I thought Salford Central had folded?

We heard that last week as well.

Re: NW Merit League : Tue Aug 02, 2011 1:47 pm  

Cronus wrote:

We heard that last week as well.

Maybe they'll apply the same rules as last year that put Little Hulton and Mancunians(?) through?

That would mean Bridge Bar or even the only team with a 100% win record?

Re: NW Merit League : Tue Aug 02, 2011 1:59 pm  

Morning Glory wrote:

Maybe they'll apply the same rules as last year that put Little Hulton and Mancunians(?) through?

That would mean Bridge Bar or even the only team with a 100% win record?

That's actually a fair point.

In the Premier, West Bank have withdrawn allowing Riversiders a route to the semi. With Salford Central folding, why shouldn't the next best placed finisher in the Merit also be moved up and given a shot?

Must be worth running past the league?

Re: NW Merit League : Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:22 pm  

Cronus wrote:

That's actually a fair point.

In the Premier, West Bank have withdrawn allowing Riversiders a route to the semi. With Salford Central folding, why shouldn't the next best placed finisher in the Merit also be moved up and given a shot?

Must be worth running past the league?

Already discussed it with the league and they have chosen not to apply that option. As running with league rules I'm told.

Not going to complain as it means we don't have to work around the CC semi now!

Re: NW Merit League : Wed Aug 03, 2011 8:13 am  

Cronus wrote:

That's actually a fair point.

In the Premier, West Bank have withdrawn allowing Riversiders a route to the semi. With Salford Central folding, why shouldn't the next best placed finisher in the Merit also be moved up and given a shot?

Must be worth running past the league?

given where things are i don't think it worth considering. some sides are breaking up with players going back to winter sides, some are switching to the interim season and want time to prepare for that (as i think we would prefer) and the league has already lost a lot of sides at the back end of summer because they were based around RU sides and they've started their pre-seasons now. I think next years merit comp may have to be even shorter than this year as it seems that by August, sides are moving on to other priorities...

[JTB]

Re: NW Merit League : Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:53 am  

It will be Riversiders Eels -v- Bamber Bridge in the final, both opponents have conceded. Particularly surprised about Blackpool given the number of fixtures they completed.

Re: NW Merit League : Thu Aug 04, 2011 3:21 pm  

Dont know how they signed 8 players before game against Bury

[JTB]

Re: NW Merit League : Thu Aug 04, 2011 3:37 pm  

Cronus wrote:

That's actually a fair point.

In the Premier, West Bank have withdrawn allowing Riversiders a route to the semi. With Salford Central folding, why shouldn't the next best placed finisher in the Merit also be moved up and given a shot?

Must be worth running past the league?

The Riversiders are actually no better off. We'd have had an away semi anyway in 4th. It has simply given Accrington a walkover to the final. I'll be extremely glad to see the back of the summer conference league to be honest, the apathy from some teams about completing fixtures and the ease with which new, unsustainable teams get lumped in at the top of the structure has just lead to year after year of it being a shambles. In my opinion the most impressive league this year has been the Merit League with a huge increase in fixtures played and a relatively low ratio of games conceded. The RFL should shout it from the rooftops really, yet there's not so much as a website or a paragraph in the trade press to check tables and results.

Re: NW Merit League : Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:58 am  

monkeytowner wrote:

Dont know how they signed 8 players before game against Bury

Blackpool had to sign a lot of lads on on the day when they played us but they were good players, many from the old Blackpool Stanley set up that was in the upper divisions of NWC. I imagine it was a a case of being able to get lads to turn out at home, on what was a nice day, but that they were not that committed beyond that.