Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:59 pm  

Suppose for a bit if context Saints only put 38 past West Hull with a side containing the likes of Welsby, Sailor, Hurrell, Bennison, Murphy, Bell and Whitley. Well done to West Hull though must have been a good experience for them and it sounds like they gave a good account of themselves.

[Chris71]

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 4:15 pm  

Wasn’t able to get there today but listened to most of it. Sounds like Martin, Barron, Balmforth, Cust played very well today along with involvements of Asiata, Ashworth & Westerman. Sounds like Balmforth is pretty fit now too playing at 9 and in then in halves.

Credit to York though as they certainly gave it a go and made us work for the win.

Through to next round, got some pts on the board and without injury so for me that’s very much job done.

I’m sure there’ll have been things JC will have seen that he liked and disliked and will have them working on the not so good stuff ready for the trip to France.

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 4:29 pm  

Chris71 wrote:

Wasn’t able to get there today but listened to most of it. Sounds like Martin, Barron, Balmforth, Cust played very well today along with involvements of Asiata, Ashworth & Westerman. Sounds like Balmforth is pretty fit now too playing at 9 and in then in halves.

Credit to York though as they certainly gave it a go and made us work for the win.

Through to next round, got some pts on the board and without injury so for me that’s very much job done.

I’m sure there’ll have been things JC will have seen that he liked and disliked and will have them working on the not so good stuff ready for the trip to France.

If Martin and Barron played well again then they have to be our starting wingers. I don't want to see Briscoe getting in on just reputation, though I do think he has something offer as a squad player.

Cust is looking a shrewd signing after all the head scratching when we went in for him.

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 4:51 pm  

Cartwright confirmed no injuries picked up.

The players have tomorrow and Monday off. Training Tuesday and Wednesday then travelling to France on Thursday.

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 5:20 pm  

ComeOnYouUll wrote:

Cartwright confirmed no injuries picked up.

The players have tomorrow and Monday off. Training Tuesday and Wednesday then travelling to France on Thursday.

Could be a good time to play Catalan if their attack is struggling, they didnt have kearey playing I don't think, but doesn't look great for them if they hadn't scored 61 mins in

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 5:25 pm  

Steve0 wrote:

Could be a good time to play Catalan if their attack is struggling, they didnt have kearey playing I don't think, but doesn't look great for them if they hadn't scored 61 mins in

I assume weather near the Pennines wasn't great today and neither Fages or Kleary played. But yet it doesn't seem a bad time to play them.

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 5:32 pm  

ComeOnYouUll wrote:

Last SL win - Wigan 20/07/2024 - 203 days
Last SL away win - Rovers 09/07/2023 - 580 days

Last SL win outside of Hull - Warrington (Magic) 04/06/2023 - 615 days

Last 50 point score in SL - Leigh 19/06/2021 - 1330 days

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?

Fantastic stat attack there, I'm well impressed!

When we beat Wire at Magic 2023 (a Warrington side who were top of SL at that point, I think) I rated our chances of being in the play-offs as better than 50/50. We were beginning to look half decent by then, after a stuttering start to the year, and there seemed to be a few promising signs of progress under Smith.

Jump forward 14 months to Magic 2024 and we are a total shambles in losing badly to London in an abject performance in an abject year. I still have difficult getting my head around how quickly we went backwards at such an incredible rate of knots between Magic '23 and Magic '24.

Still, that's now all in the past. Now that we are back on track and scoring fifty points again, I'm off to purchase my Wembley tickets before it's too late . Let's hope today's small step was the first one in something big, hopefully we can dream again!

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 6:00 pm  

BP1 wrote:

Fantastic stat attack there, I'm well impressed!

When we beat Wire at Magic 2023 (a Warrington side who were top of SL at that point, I think) I rated our chances of being in the play-offs as better than 50/50. We were beginning to look half decent by then, after a stuttering start to the year, and there seemed to be a few promising signs of progress under Smith.

Jump forward 14 months to Magic 2024 and we are a total shambles in losing badly to London in an abject performance in an abject year. I still have difficult getting my head around how quickly we went backwards at such an incredible rate of knots between Magic '23 and Magic '24.

Still, that's now all in the past. Now that we are back on track and scoring fifty points again, I'm off to purchase my Wembley tickets before it's too late . Let's hope today's small step was the first one in something big, hopefully we can dream again!

That Warrington win was the fourth in five SL games which included the last hat trick of wins we had in the league.

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:03 pm  

the 4th round draw live on bbc2 next saturday evening at half time of the Sts v Salford game, surely its an open draw from now?

Re: Challenge Cup - York Acorn : Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:08 pm  

ComeOnYouUll wrote:

That Warrington win was the fourth in five SL games which included the last hat trick of wins we had in the league.

Yes. You can correct me on this if I'm mistaken, but I think that came in the middle of a run (April to August) when we won 9 out of 14 (SL & CC) including victories over Wigan, Wire, Saints and the derby win at CP (which you mention above). I thought after the derby win that we were the team most likely to pinch a play-off spot. We then lost at Wigan (golden-point drop-goal), had our usual end of season collapse to be followed by 2024 (the less of which said the better I think!!!).
In that run of games you mention, there appeared to be genuine hope of at least progress. To say that hope evaporated is an understatement to say the least!