Northern Rail 9's Draw : Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:28 am  

This took place on BBC Radio Manchester.

5 pools were drawn by Northern Rail's Heidi Mottram. Four teams contesting pools A, B and C with three in both D and E.

Pool A: Swinton, Rochdale, Blackpool, Dewsbury.

Pool B: Batley, Keighley, Hunslet, Doncaster.

Pool C: London Skolars, Leigh, Gateshead, York.

Pool D: Whitehaven, Workington, Featherstone.

Pool E: Oldham, Sheffield, Halifax.

The top two teams in Pools A, B and C, in addition to the top teams from pools D and E will progress from the group stages on Saturday to the Northern Rail 9's Trophy on Sunday.

All other teams will compete for the Northern Rail 9's Plate on Sunday with the games being played as curtain raiser to the Northern Rail Cup Final between Widnes and Barrow.

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:18 am  

Oh no. Sheffield arnt going to use MC`s speech against us again are they. Should be a good chance to give some fringe players a run.

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:54 am  

Everyone is saying that?

Which fringe players? Bowmans by two?

We've a wafer thin squad and we're flying to Toulouse the following Friday.

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 9:45 am  

To me the whole thing is a total waste of time and a distraction from the important things like, err, the League Championship.

I really can't see me going and if we are obliged to send a team we should "unfortunately" get knocked out in the first round and turn our thoughts to Toulouse.

I know that that is an unsporting attitude but what if it resulted in one or more of our key players getting injured in the run-up to the business end of the season? To see our entire season and all the hard work turned to mush for the sake of an ill-timed 9's competition would be heartbreaking and ridiculous. Could you see the RFL planning something like this in SDL at this point in the season? Not a chance.

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 9:52 am  

dont know why they just dint take a full league round of games on the road, just play it over 2 days, like they do dupper league,, i agree this nines could be costly with injuries, but saying that, if we had won on sunday we would have been playing anyway,, lets hope they all come through it ok,

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 9:57 am  

Fax Machine wrote:

To me the whole thing is a total waste of time and a distraction from the important things like, err, the League Championship.

I really can't see me going and if we are obliged to send a team we should "unfortunately" get knocked out in the first round and turn our thoughts to Toulouse.

I know that that is an unsporting attitude but what if it resulted in one or more of our key players getting injured in the run-up to the business end of the season? To see our entire season and all the hard work turned to mush for the sake of an ill-timed 9's competition would be heartbreaking and ridiculous. Could you see the RFL planning something like this in SDL at this point in the season? Not a chance.

I fully agree with this statement as I really cant be bothered with this stupid 9s competition its just a shame we dont have the under 20s team yet as we could have just sent them.

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:06 am  

seanfax wrote:

dont know why they just dint take a full league round of games on the road, just play it over 2 days, like they do dupper league,, i agree this nines could be costly with injuries, but saying that, if we had won on sunday we would have been playing anyway,, lets hope they all come through it ok,

Agreed but that would have been a game with some purpose and therefore worth the risk. The 9's tournament isn't.

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:18 am  

Greg Florimos Boots wrote: Oh no. Sheffield arnt going to use MC`s speech against us again are they. Should be a good chance to give some fringe players a run. Although Sheffield and Oldham are in our group we actually play Whitehaven, Workington and Featherstone in the 9's as do Oldham and Sheffield. Then the top team then goes through. http://www.therfl.co.uk/home/news_item_top.php?id=14476 Meanwhile teams in Pool D will play each team in Pool E with the top side from each group qualifying for the Trophy competition and the remaining teams contesting the Plate.

Greg Florimos Boots wrote: Oh no. Sheffield arnt going to use MC`s speech against us again are they. Should be a good chance to give some fringe players a run. Although Sheffield and Oldham are in our group we actually play Whitehaven, Workington and Featherstone in the 9's as do Oldham and Sheffield. Then the top team then goes through. http://www.therfl.co.uk/home/news_item_top.php?id=14476 Meanwhile teams in Pool D will play each team in Pool E with the top side from each group qualifying for the Trophy competition and the remaining teams contesting the Plate.

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:25 am  

Does anyone know how many minutes they will be per game in the 9s Competion?

: Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:37 am  

Don't forget the winners get to play in the "International" SOOOPEERR DOOOPPERR 9s at Headingley .