More away cup action...

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Should be a win atleast, get some confidence going into the season.the potential to then draw a super league club and generate some publicity and people through the gate would be most welcome too.

I admire your optimism, I cant see it even being close, I would not be fooled by them being two divisions below.

This is a banana skin which we must avoid.

Unfortunately the scorpions joined other league one sides who have been knocked out of the challenge cup at their first entry today. However this is dressed up it is not a good result. Featherstone lions 37 v Scorpions 20.

It's a chance to "concentrate on the league "

This result wasn't what was wanted or expected.

Two cup games played, two defeats.

But as you say jdwe can concentrate on the league.

Bring on the Cougars.

It was actually said a bit "tongue in cheek" trying to find some positives in a seemingly very negative place.

I had to smile as the official club site said something similar plus took some solace in the fact that two other clubs were beaten by amateur teams.

Every cloud has a silver lining...........

It may be worth putting the term "amateur" in context. I'm guessing they had a set of players who had probably played RL all their lives with probably a faster speed of thought than our lot and a more intuitive understanding of the game. They may well chose to play at that (amateur?) level as it gives a better work/play/life balance or maybe it saves them having to relocate but on the evidence of the result they could easily "turn pro" in league 1 if they chose. Take this to its conclusion and the sides outside the "heartlands" are just dicking around!

Depressed of Cardiff..........



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:02:29:14:33:37 by jd1664..

I think some teams outside the "heartlands" are making effort and strides, our neighbours for one, I think they will have a much better season. What makes me cringe the most is when we boast of these great new Rugby Union signings who may have played a game of Rugby League once! League is not Union full stop but when will we learn? Never I feel.

Some of the older heads have made no improvement year on year yet we keep them and even award them at the end of the season, some with trophies and other roles despite their abysmal statistics, I predict a woeful season ahead.

I try to be as honest as I can and I think honesty within the structure would be a great step forward, until we have this it will be same old, same old dominated by the mates rates culture that so obviously exists. Cant see any positives on the horizon and may consider changing my user name to "Doom & Gloom"

Can I remind everyone that we do actually have players in South Wales that are well trained in Rugby League! Some playing League since the age of 15, they are proven players at both (Super league) Junior level and Senior level and Without any doubt they are technically and tactically better than what the majority of Scorpions players are, may I also mention just because they are in a lower league does not mean they are not better, the result on Saturday adds weight to that. Come on SW Scorpions choose League players over Union! choose talent over mates! and grab some Imports while your at it! South Wales is an attractive place to live! Attract them!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:02:29:15:21:34 by Rugby head.

Nothing much to be said about that, "you do the same, you get the same", things might have changed with the set up but the same core personnel are there, as Rugbyhead said we need league boys, I have long since said we need hardened northern lads, maybe coming to the end of their careers, looking to go into coaching, bring a couple down, make them captain/assistant coach and build a team round them?

Good points and well made by all.

RL is a game where experience counts more than in most games.

Sunday will be interesting.

I think we will get battered by the league favourites Sunday with potentially the weather keeping it close.

As has been said we have the same core personnel, have gone with the all Welsh squad that we have done so before and failed to add any rugby league experience.

It is like Groundhog Day both on here and season upon season. Fans can see that and I hoped that things would change under new ownership but it appears to be a season of what we have had the last few seasons. A pasting off most teams.

Realistically yes, there isn't much of a difference between league 1 and NCl Premier but the Lions are the lowest ranked side in the competition and the Division below that. The result shows it wasn't even close. That is very worrying when you have probably the team favourites for the league as your first league game at Parc Virginia.It won't help set the right impression to potential new followers.

Rugbyhead,

Can I just ask who you mean by these players? Best player in our area is Connor Farrer - and rightly he's the focal point of the Scorpions. Only ones you could realistically say would improve the team are ones the club has lost (likes of Jamie Murphy, Steve Parry and Courtney Davies - who judging by his performance v Crusaders is turning into the half we've needed for years).

Scorpions last year used players from Valley Cougars, who were the best 'feeder' side in Wales, but these players didn't make a dent. Reality is our pathway isn't strong enough to produce 'ready' players regular enough. We have a half-arsed domestic league, very little junior teams, credit where its due there is progress being made in schools, but until we take the game in Wales seriously those that aren't interested won't either.

The club should be helping ALL Welsh teams, not just Bridgend, that way if we grow from the bottom up the 'finished product' (ie our first team) will look a lot stronger. Sometimes the lack of resources dictates we can only do bare minimum at certain levels, but to me, there's no surprise why South Wales can't kick on. In development terms we're giving youngsters a butter knife and expecting them to go war.

Jonny TLO, Connor is an exceptional player, no doubt about that at all and there are also other very good players in the squad but im not here to name names. Some players are in the team year on year and dont do well at all and do get rewarded, we all know that.

I feel that using just Valley Cougars players was ever the answer, it begs the question why did SWS exclusively pick from the Cougars? Seems very strange indeed. We do also need imports so coupled with better player that are in the area and the imports I mention I feel an improvement would be made. Choose League players over Union would be the best step forward as a starting point, If Union players could just play league at the drop of a hat we would have a very competitive team.

I agree with a lot of that Rugby head - especially the part about some same old faces. What I was trying to say is unless players are recruited from elsewhere (ie other League One clubs or the north), then there aren't ready-made alternatives. It isn't like 2010 when we had a strong Welsh Conference pushing likes of Steve Parry and Neil Dallimore through.


But I could understand why they chose Cougars players (they were the strongest side, so made sense to try and take the strongest players). Reality is Conference South to League One is quite a leap.

Interesting, and IMHO accurate, quote on The Guardian website

".......It just showed that well coached, amateur teams from heartlands areas, with talented and experienced local players who train as a team twice a week, can turn over lowly-paid “pros”, who are pulled in from all over and may only train together once a week. Meanwhile, Toulouse, who train every day, made the epic trek to the Lake District and came away unscathed, beating the nation’s best amateur team, Wath Brow Hornets, 32-14.