I remember PLENTY of these sort of games. We would catch Wigan, or Saints, or whoever on an off day - but somehow, you knew - you just KNEW - that they would always win it. This time we have been on the right side of that feeling - more than once.

Oh and yes, the ref was frankly hopeless, but it wasn't just him that blatantly ignored forwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard passes. The touchies did too. I don't want to go on as I'm sure the poor lad did his best but if I was him and watched the video I'd be tempted to pack it in.

That was hard to watch today. I had a really bad feeling going into it… so kind of relieved we managed to come away with the points. Adam Henry seems to be back to his ball-dropping ways and I was surprised to see him back on the pitch for the second half. Dewsbury were offside almost as much as Doncaster last week. Ref as bad as last week, too. If this is how we play without Gaskell, let's hope it's not a broken jaw and we won't be without him for too long. The good thing is, I kind of had faith that we would pull a win out of the bag as it went down to the wire. We have some tenacity when the chips are down.

I don't remember seeing Henry drop ball, maybe from the long break Williams made but he was being tackled as ball was passed to him!

Wasn't so much a case of Henry dropping ball as him throwing passes that just weren't on.

Suspect club will make an announcement about Gaskell in next few days that ties in with sammut returning. Seems awfully convenient wakey finally releasing him just after our half gets injured.

We are all relieved to win this game but I am starting to feel a bit concerned that we are still "scraping" past teams. We are consistently poor in one of the halves.
We only have 6 weeks (7 games) to get it right and get up to SL standard. We have a big squad but only seem to be using about 20 of them regularly which makes me think Jimmy won't be throwing many of them in for that first play off game. Yes there are a few that will come back in but not that many so what we are seeing now other than the two halves today is what we may be going with against the SL teams. You can add Seijka and Gaskil to today's team, move Blythe and Shaw to one wing and that looks like a possible play off team. Other players in the squad are fit but not getting a game so why would they all of a sudden get picked. It is starting to get close to the point when we should be starting to peak but we look to be miles off that. My hope is that Jimmy is planning pick a play off team that all have SL experience and they will all lift their game from memory and start to play to SL standard. Fingers crossed as a team that thinks Dewsbury at home is a banana skin has not much chance of beating SL teams. We should be dominating championship teams by now and definitely in the next 7 games or we are in trouble.

Of the 7 matches left 4 are against clubs with top 4 aspirations......just like Dewsbury have. Rams have just had a sticky patch but I still expected them to be up for this match and sure enough they were. I expect several more similar tests as clubs jockey for position. Better a test like today than the blowout of last week.

We consistently find that Championship refs. do not seem to protect players like they should>
The fact that a perpertrator of a serious offence is allowed to carry on playing and wont have a match review decision judged for a couple of weeks seem unfair when Gaskell who was deliberatedly elbowed by the Donny prop. is out for this week and he is still playing?
Today Sidlow was the subject of a high tackle, that left him struggling for a while on his knees. No penalty and even when the ref stopped the game, no touch judge intervention however the same touch judge had managed to spot a Forward pass, probably the only one!
Makes you wonder doesn't it!

I think you're being a bit naive if you think we should be dominating teams every week. I think this is first game in a while we have "scraped" passed a team. The conditions were a leveler and Dewsbury are a good team. We didn't play great and were lucky to win. But lets not press the panic button. We've only lost against Leigh and KR this season. It wasn't a good performance, it happens.

We were missing Gaskell who is essential to us going up. But the teams that will be in the middle 8's all have key men who are essential to their teams success. Kevin Brown for Widnes, Terry Campese for KR, Tim Smith for Wakefield. Take them out and all of them don't look as good a side.

I do agree about rotation and i think some changes should be made for next week. But if we get get Mullaney and Gaskell playing together over next few games, we will look a lot more dangerous. Those two are out most creative players.

As I've said before, I'm not sure rotation for the sake of it is a good idea. Yes, we have players in the squad who've not made a first team appearance yet. But those same players play in positions where we either have a strong depth of players or where the players in those positions are currently in good form. Any player who wants to break into the Bradford team will need to show that he deserves to be there and not just stand around expecting to get a place in the 17. That's either by performing well if sent out on loan/dual-reg or by putting in a harder shift in training that the other players in his position.

Jimmy knows how to win. Some may think it's a bit rich for fans of a perennially-drubbed club that has suddenly gone to winning 15 or whatever on the bounce to be casting aspersions and doom-mongering. We wouldn't get any extra benefit from murdering Dewsbury today, we just had to win- again - and we won - again. All this "we would get flogged by a SL team if we play like that" is just nonsense. You play the team on the day, and I have seen worse performances from SL teams on Sky this season than Dewsbury.

I'm not so sure. We look well drilled, good defensive structure, strength in depth all across the park except in the most crucial area. Our playmaking/game management looks hugely over dependent on Gaskell and O'brien. Part of this is because Gaskell is the best player in the comp, part of it is injuries which happens to all teams, but a part of it is decision making. If OB gets injured, Halafifi will have barely played all season???? When considering our prospects for promotion all we have to go on is what's in front of us. I grant you, there's lots of positives, BUT this is a major concern.

Just win the next 5 games however scrappy, step up a level for the last two regular season games, peak for the Middle 8s.

No regular halves, players returning after lengthy injury absences and the wet weather being a 'leveller' may be amongst the reasons but it still didn't disguise the fact that we were very poor and Dews really deserved the spoils more than we did.

Plus points are we won whilst not playing well....soz, can't think of any more.

Take two play makers out of any of the middle 8 teams and they have zero creativity.

Although i did notice that Adam Brook scored another couple for Keighley today. I would love to see him get a shot as Addy at HB just doesn't work.

I suspect we'll see a halfback pairing of Mullaney and Siejka this weekend. Addy back at loose where he belongs.

Given Workington's result vs Fev I'd say it would be a good game to try a different combination.

I'm still not sure about Lauaki's contribution either but both he and Crossley were below par yesterday.

It may be to you, but it isn't to me. How many games would you "rest" OB and LG for, then? 10%? 25%? Which games? What if as a result you lost games?

I don't see Barcelona resting Messi much and giving his understudy say a quarter of the games. If OB is fit and ready then he plays. Same goes for Gaskell. They want to play, and I have never been a believer in resting players, or teams, for that matter, just for the sake of it - when did the extra week off for winning the league ever do anyone any proven good, for example? The best players want to play, and so they should.

Did I say "rest"? Or suggest it 'for the sake of it'? What is being suggested is to prevent more of yesterday in games which determine what league we're in next year.

I'd have;
(i) in the absence of our injured scrum half, played Halafifi in 100% of the games for precisely 38% of the minutes in each game, in order to add a playmaking dimension and protect OB's form (which is dipping) or,
(ii) sign a scrum half or,
(iii) give Brook a go

Doesn't Messi play a different sport?

Just watched 'Tarka The Otter'....great movie !

It's all very well saying "sign a scrum half" - but we already did that. How many scrum halves can we have? Who is good that would be available? Why would they sign if they are just cover? If you can say who realistically we might have signed that we culd afford and that would nevertheless be good, then you can make a case. Just saying "sign a scrum half" doesn't cut it.

I have always trusted the Bulls staff to look after the young players and I will back their judgment as to if and when to give Brook "a go". It's not an unreasonable suggestion but Lowes knows far better than you or I how ready Brook is to d a job. I wouldn't rule out his involvement this season.

I disagree OB's form is dipping. I think he just gets better.

Messi is of course scrum half for Barcelona. Unless I've been misinformed.

Agree on Brook but we have 8 props 3 hookers and how many full backs which I'm not knocking for minute - I love the big squad which as we all know can change in a minute, but ...... Danny Addy as back up scrum half alongside a full back who hasn't played in 3 months? Sorry, but this is a legitimate concern.

I’m sure Lowes and co share your concern. When we lost Gareth O’Brien on the eve of the season we had to recruit at the last minute after everyone was signed up already. Halfbacks are a scarce resource as it is. I suspect what we have is as good as we can get without paying vastly more than what someone is worth.

I think Mullaney is our best option at scrum half when paired with Gaskell. When those two were together we looked very dangerous. I think Mullaney and Addy is far from ideal but it’s a bit harsh to judge a pairing on one showing. I think they will improve. We just need to get more people running off Mullaney as he creates gaps with his style of running.

I agree it is a [ilegitimate[/i concern, I disagree that it's "[imajor[/i". It is what it is, but there's nothing we can do except use existing players to cover the positions, and even if there was another top halfback available, and we were flush, it makes no sense to replace Gaskell at huge expense for a month - then what? Sell? Drop Gaskell once he's fit? I don't see it.

From what little I've seen of Mendeika, maybe he could be given a run-out at halfback, he seems more than a bit useful.

If we continue to play as badly as against the Rams in Gaskell's absence then I will admit I am wrong and it is "major". But IMHO the standard of play wasn't as much to do with Gaskell being missing as just one of those lacksadaisical days when seemingly hardly anybody in the team, for some mysterious reason, can get going. Like they all have a virus and a migraine or something. They weren't as bad as they were solely - or even mainly - because of the absence of one player.

It was a blow to get backword on GOB but what a player we have in AOB. So if we have to recruit temporary cover then I propose DOB (Dara O'Briain)

Your the last poster I would have thought to have an O'Briain fart, he's a Union lad to be sure to be sure!