That was a real battle, but we dug deep and ground out a huge win against a side that has always given us trouble. Batley came with a clear plan—to disrupt, niggle, and drag us into a scrap, with Manning and Brown leading the charge—but we kept our composure and didn’t let them dictate the game. A stronger referee might have stepped in earlier to prevent things from boiling over, especially with the ugly scenes at the end, but credit to the lads for staying focused. 

I felt we made metres with ease, showing our dominance in the middle, and handled the tough conditions well—especially going up the slope in the second half. Batley came out firing after the break, throwing everything at us, but our defensive effort was immense, even when we went a man down. It wasn’t pretty at times, but we showed resilience, stuck to our game, and got the job done.

A massive win against a really tough opponent, and most importantly, we’re in the hat for the next round!

That was a real battle, but we dug deep and ground out a huge win against a side that has always given us trouble. Batley came with a clear plan—to disrupt, niggle, and drag us into a scrap, with Manning and Brown leading the charge—but we kept our composure and didn’t let them dictate the game. A stronger referee might have stepped in earlier to prevent things from boiling over, especially with the ugly scenes at the end, but credit to the lads for staying focused. 

I felt we made metres with ease, showing our dominance in the middle, and handled the tough conditions well—especially going up the slope in the second half. Batley came out firing after the break, throwing everything at us, but our defensive effort was immense, even when we went a man down. It wasn’t pretty at times, but we showed resilience, stuck to our game, and got the job done.

A massive win against a really tough opponent, and most importantly, we’re in the hat for the next round!

We've drawn Sheffield at home in the quarter final draw.

We've drawn Sheffield at home in the quarter final draw.

Where to start with that game?  Proper blood and thunder espcially in the second half.

Thought Michael Lawrence had a great game.  Thought Souter was excellent,  despite the yellow card which I thought was a bit harsh.  

We dominated the first half but didn't really get the points we wanted.  Not sure why but we never tried the cross kick to either winger.  With Okunbor and Armitage surely that's a tactic we need to use more?

The ref seemed to get a bee in his bonnet and penalised us repeatedly for offside yet didn't seem to notice Batley being repeatedly inside the 10.  Blake's high tackle seemed to be a bone of contention with him being a marked man right up until the brawl at the end.  Manning totally lost his marbles.   

Both clubs likely to be without players for a few matches due to suspensions.

Where to start with that game?  Proper blood and thunder espcially in the second half.

Thought Michael Lawrence had a great game.  Thought Souter was excellent,  despite the yellow card which I thought was a bit harsh.  

We dominated the first half but didn't really get the points we wanted.  Not sure why but we never tried the cross kick to either winger.  With Okunbor and Armitage surely that's a tactic we need to use more?

The ref seemed to get a bee in his bonnet and penalised us repeatedly for offside yet didn't seem to notice Batley being repeatedly inside the 10.  Blake's high tackle seemed to be a bone of contention with him being a marked man right up until the brawl at the end.  Manning totally lost his marbles.   

Both clubs likely to be without players for a few matches due to suspensions.

To say Dane Manning lost the plot would be an understatement! 

Think we would have lost that game last year. Not great but another tough win ticked off. 

To say Dane Manning lost the plot would be an understatement! 

Think we would have lost that game last year. Not great but another tough win ticked off. 

Hope the win doesn't come at too great a cost suspension-wise.   There were a few incidents that might find people in trouble aside from the big fracas at the end.  

Still can't work out why Manning went bananas like he did.   Him repeatedly punching Blake in the back of the head and putting in Tyson-esque uppercuts to Holmes was bizarre.  

Hope the win doesn't come at too great a cost suspension-wise.   There were a few incidents that might find people in trouble aside from the big fracas at the end.  

Still can't work out why Manning went bananas like he did.   Him repeatedly punching Blake in the back of the head and putting in Tyson-esque uppercuts to Holmes was bizarre.  

I never normally criticise refs but the performance yesterday was way below standard.    You could see both sides becoming more and more frustrated as the game went on.  The temperature on the field was rising all the time and there was a lot of ill feeling at times - Brown and Donaldson nearly came to blows as they walked off at halftime.    The ref was wandering around with a big smile and seemed a bit oblivious to it all.  

I couldn't fathom why penalties for offside were so one sided when both sides were exactly the same when it came to keeping the 10m.   The ruck was diabolical at times yet I think there may only have been one six again - certainly I though Souter was unfortunate to get binned as it seems that there hadn't been any sign that it was on the cards.   Both Lawrence and Brown weren't happy with the ref and the Batley announcer (chairman?) gave the ref heaps at the end.

From an entertainment point of view it was very enjoyable.  Brown was a great pantomime villain.  

I never normally criticise refs but the performance yesterday was way below standard.    You could see both sides becoming more and more frustrated as the game went on.  The temperature on the field was rising all the time and there was a lot of ill feeling at times - Brown and Donaldson nearly came to blows as they walked off at halftime.    The ref was wandering around with a big smile and seemed a bit oblivious to it all.  

I couldn't fathom why penalties for offside were so one sided when both sides were exactly the same when it came to keeping the 10m.   The ruck was diabolical at times yet I think there may only have been one six again - certainly I though Souter was unfortunate to get binned as it seems that there hadn't been any sign that it was on the cards.   Both Lawrence and Brown weren't happy with the ref and the Batley announcer (chairman?) gave the ref heaps at the end.

From an entertainment point of view it was very enjoyable.  Brown was a great pantomime villain.  

Seen the replays from two different angles of the melee, will be interesting to see how many points Manning gets and how many Holmes gets. 

Holmes may have thrown one punch but I lost count how many Manning threw. 

The ref won’t be at fault in RFL eyes even though the penalty was 10 to 1 at one point. 

Seen the replays from two different angles of the melee, will be interesting to see how many points Manning gets and how many Holmes gets. 

Holmes may have thrown one punch but I lost count how many Manning threw. 

The ref won’t be at fault in RFL eyes even though the penalty was 10 to 1 at one point.