Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:57 am  

Having watched the Keighley v Fev game we are going to have to step it up quite a few gears to beat Fev on Sunday. They looked very good across the field. They have some big units and their half back Riley Dean (who is a Halifax lad) is over 6ft.
It may help us that Fev played last night and have a shorter turnaround. Although I don’t like saying I think this is a Feb win. I hope I’m wrong. Fev 26 Fax 6

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Tue Feb 07, 2023 10:08 am  

Featherstone did look good last night but nothing, apart from Dean, much different from last season when we went close three times against them. Keighley were a big disappointment, in i thought they looked awful but maybe that was due to Fev being so dominant. We will need to improve on Sunday's showing but that was a game we needed in the tank and it showed on the pitch. However we got away with it and just about deserved the points against a not bad Sheffield side. We will improve so let's see if we can enough to get the points at POR. Up The Fax!

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Tue Feb 07, 2023 12:23 pm  

Be interesting to see if we can contain them.Personally I doubt it,we never address our main issue which is lack of punch in the forwards.With Doro and Mahar potentially out and King not deemed better than last years pack it's hard to see past a home victory.Thought for long spells in Sundays second half we had no momentum shifters in our side and couldnt get out of our own half.It's been our main issue for years.

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Tue Feb 07, 2023 3:58 pm  

After watching last nights game Featherstone look like a pretty well oiled machine for so early on in the season not to mention them having a new coach. It was hard to see to many weaknesses but like as been said Keighley didn't ask too many questions and that was down to how well fev played but also Keighley looking off the pace to me. I would think that there physical presence across the park will be the biggest test for us and there ball movement is not too shabby either. All in all if we can get a fair share of ball in the right parts of the field we will have a good chance but our goal line defence will have to improve a lot from sunday because there will be times when we will be under the pump. I will go for a fax win 24-26.

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:05 pm  

Difficult to assess where we’re at in terms of competing with fev after the opening games of both teams . We played reasonably well in patches against Sheffield but we’re defensively susceptible in our goal line defence . Fev battered a newly promoted keighley who as of yet are an unknown quantity. We had some close battles with fev last year but ultimately lost all three . Have we improved more than them in that time , at the moment I expect not so my prediction is a loss by 12 to 18 points .

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Wed Feb 08, 2023 9:19 am  

Won't be attending this game but can't see past anything other than a convincing win for Fev in this one with the main problems being poor goal line defence at one end and the lack of fluency in attack at the other, both of which would have to be fixed within a just a weeks training sessions.

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Wed Feb 08, 2023 11:15 am  

I reckon a Fev win by about 14 points, I think we will be closer to them later in the season though. Looking for weaknesses in the Fev team I thought they were quite lateral in attack at times against Keighley which I do not think will work against a bigger mobile pack and if they do that against us the game could go in our favor as they won't grind our pack down like they have done in previous meetings and I honestly believe we have a bit more flair than them but Fev's big thing has always mean the size of their pack and if they play more direct they may be able to dominate us in that area and that's why I see a comfortable Fev win at the moment watching the first performances of each team. I do think Fev looked a little vulnarable down the middle late in the game against Keighley but again that may just be a little complacency setting in with the game done and dusted. Im sure Grix picked a few things up from watching the Fev game though like the tell that Wildie has as to which way he is going and Im sure things like that will have been spoke about. Stopping it is another thing though.

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Wed Feb 08, 2023 1:13 pm  

Has anyone else noticed how the fixtures for the past few years have come up with Fax away to Featherstone early on? It doesn't affect me as a supporter as we don't go to POR nowadays but it seems a big coincidence. It'll be a tough one again but the squad we have got can do it. I just hope it hasn't come too early for us. Up The Fax!

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Thu Feb 09, 2023 1:52 pm  

Yes fev look good but I think they will be very wary of our attack which may just pin them back a bit . Closer than we might anticipate

Re: Round 2. Featherstone v Halifax : Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:17 pm  

Just seen the mid-week interview with Simon Grix; while obviously most important thing is that he's consistently producing a successful team playing a really attractive brand of rugby, he also comes across as a really intelligent coach who always offers a balanced view both on his own team and the opposition. This combination will make him a very attractive proposition for superleague in the future - obviously would be great if this was with Fax.