Just, to lighten things a bit, how about a thread about some of the funnier happenings over the years?

I can start with a couple.

First, on one of the earlier trips to Perpignan, we were in the hotel bar, to watch the Friday night game on Sky. There were a number of Bulls' players also watching along with then Bulls and GB coach Brian Noble. It was a Warrington game and during the build up Eddie was doing his usual ranting about "Briers for GB", and what Noble should do etc. Whilst all this was going on, Nobby sat watching and pulling his woolly hat lower and lower down over his head before finally sticking his fingers in his ears. It may have been funnier to see than write about but we all just fell about.

Second one is a bit more recent, away at Sheffield on the university pitch. There were no proper terraces or stands down the side, so many of us were standing close by the dug-outs and could hear much of what was being said by players and coaches. Near the end of a game in which Sheffield coach Keith Senior had spent much time on the field coaching their attack, he came off when Sheffield lost the ball, and Chev Walker bellowed out, "Oi, Senior....you spend more [expletive deleted] time on the field than flaming Gary Mercer".

My best tale is back in the day at Central Park. they'd just scored and Shaun Edwards had made his way to the touchline in readiness for kick off, and was a yard away from us and a little old man with few teeth, a very wrinkled disposition, a flat-cap and a thick coat and scarf.

As the ground went quiet waiting for the kick at goal, the old timer comes out with:

"Edwards! If my dog wor as ugly as thee, I'd shave its arrse and make it walk backwards"

I once played against Bradford A in the days when Jeff Grayshon & his less useful son were playing. We had a trialist winger from Gainsborough RU. He was a lovely lad, but completely clueless in RL skills & history. Jeff was knocking us about a bit, which we allowed out of respect obviously. Gainsborough shouted "Don't let that fat baztard get away with that". We smiled politely. Eventually Jeff caught him with the ball, let out the most evil giggle I have ever heard, then picked him up & piled him head first into the turf. Gainsborough was the only one not laughing.

The great days of the Jeffasaurus. Isn't he still playing?

...some BullBuilder / sponsors event earlier this year (I forget which) when I told James Mendeika I'd just seen Marc Green out the back spewing his guts over the railing. And then watching the news circulate around the room.

Halifax in 1997 when we came back from behind to win. All the more sweet after Asa Amone goaded our players on his way to his first half try.

Think that game really got their inferiority complex going in the summer era.

Glen Morrison, Big Jo, Lesley V and Craig K came to my school once to do an assembly. I was waiting for them to arrive and was very surprised to see a Ford Fiesta come down the drive. It was quite a sight watching them get out. I thought I was going to need a tin opener at one point.

I was at Odsal for a Bradford game against Sts. In the days when Hanley was playing.
We were neutral just there for a good game.

There was a big crowd and we were behind the post up on the left as you look at the field. It was predominantly Bradford fans but there were a crowd of about 10 Sts lads behind us who were a bit tanked up.
They were giving Ellery a lot of grief through the game with one guy particularly loud and racist too.
The crowd was very much family orientated so you could feel the awkwardness very clearly but no one dare say anything.
As we were 3 big lads I was starting to feel like I should be the one to speak up when Ellery got the ball and headed across field in the bottom corner.
The calls started. He chipped over and chased to the corner. The ball went too deep so the brainless racist shouted so all could hear.
Problem was Ellery knew the speedway track pushed the sides of the pitch up so the ball stuck and bounced back towards him. He caught on the full and dives in the corner.
The whole place erupted and everyone man woman and child turned to jeer the brainless one. All fear had gone and there was a little old lady giving them the finger right in front of me.
I laughed so hard it hurt.

I turned around to see their faces but they were sloping away at the back looking very glum.

Haha I know craig well from playing with him and his dad (rest his soul who was an absolute monster on pitch if Craig had half his dads aggression he'd be best prop in country!) I remember that car he drove like the little chav he was always a laughing point

Were any of you at the old Craven Park when Jeff Grayshon took your players off the pitch in protest at the ref? Nobody knew what the hell was happening at first. Certainly don't get characters like that any more.

I missed that day. Jeff maintained he didn't signal to bring players off but instead signaled to someone else in the team to take over as skipper after he'd been given his marching orders. The team though interpreted it otherwise!

A sorry day that and not a funny one!

Wire v Wigan at the HJ. The Wigan crowd were singing "The referees a winker!!" after another decision had gone the way of the home team A speccie behind me turned to his mate and said "I wish his father had been"

In the early 80's my Dad (who was a fan all his life, and knew a lot of the players), was giving me a lift home, we were going down Huddersfield Rd past Sedbergh, in front of us on the footpath jogging were Brian Noble, and just in front of him Ellery Hanley, my Dad stopped the car and shouted across, ' Hey Nobby aren't you a bit old to be playing cops & robbers', Nobby nearly fell on the floor laughing, Ellery (with sort of a smile) shouted F*** off you cheeky fat barsteward.