Final round of the Championship season today and although four clubs have already been relegated (Barrow, Swinton, Rochdale and North Wales) the fifth and final relegation spot is still wide open! Any one of 'Haven, Batley, Keighley and Workington could go down depending on the different results today. Current League table - www.sportinglife.com/rugby-leagu ... ship/table Todays Fixtures - www.sportinglife.com/rugby-league/fixtures So who do you reckon is going to survive and who is going to take the final relegation spot? I think, sadly, Batley will go down. Can't see them taking anything from a strong Doncaster side and I think 'Haven will beat Swinton quite comfortably.

Final round of the Championship season today and although four clubs have already been relegated (Barrow, Swinton, Rochdale and North Wales) the fifth and final relegation spot is still wide open! Any one of 'Haven, Batley, Keighley and Workington could go down depending on the different results today. Current League table - www.sportinglife.com/rugby-leagu ... ship/table Todays Fixtures - www.sportinglife.com/rugby-league/fixtures So who do you reckon is going to survive and who is going to take the final relegation spot? I think, sadly, Batley will go down. Can't see them taking anything from a strong Doncaster side and I think 'Haven will beat Swinton quite comfortably.

Am I right in hearing Keighley were relegated by an 80th minute Featherstone try this afternoon?

Finished 26-24 - wouldn't want to be a Keighley fan tonight. Fair play to Batley for a good win at Doncaster.

Yes they did

Correct.

How much more pain can Cougar fans take?

The bottom end shed was bouncing when Cougars went 24 14 up with 20 to go. But Fev sneaked a last minute try in the corner. Cougars were the better team on the day.

Leaves a bitter taste when Batley survive by a point after cheating, failing to accept fair punishment and then getting away with it. Even more so when they'll probably now try to come and cherry pick two or three of our best players for next season!

Any aspiring lawyers out there fancy taking a case for compensation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on a no win no fee basis along the lines of Sheffield United v West Ham when West Ham played ineligible Tevez and then stayed up at the expense of Sheffield? Understand Sheffield won £30m compensation from West Ham.

But it wasn't 'fair' punishment. Our chairman was well within his rights to appeal on the grounds of precedent. The RFL have admitted that five or six clubs broke the same rule last season and went unpunished despite them being aware. Why should we have accepted a points deduction when other clubs were allowed to get away with the same offence in 2013?

No. it was in the 75th minute...

and the club that were relegated were not guilty of any DR offence in either 2013 or 2014 !!! Tell me seriously how you think that is fair ??"

You misunderstand my post. I stated that it wasn't 'fair' to punish Batley when other clubs were allowed to get away with the very same offence.
As it happens, both York AND Hunslet were named as having breached the rule in 2013. That's not to condone this season's RFL-led farce - just to correct your factual inaccuracy.

Last year's breaches of DR regs were in different circumstances. The regs were new and there was no impact on promotion, relegation or future funding. Eg York were already relegated and Whitehaven were safe from Relegation before the breach. RFL entitled to judge a quiet caution sufficient. Very different this season. The regs were clearly included in the published RFL rules and the impact of clubs failing to adhere to the rules clearly much greater. In all the circumstances, the RFL CLEARLY ENTITLED TO APPLY A DIFFERENT SANCTION THIS YEAR.

An additional course (after getting an interim suspension award from the Court of arbitration for Sport) to pursue justice, would be for all championship clubs (except Batley and Doncaster) to get together and put a motion forward to be voted on by ALL clubs at the next full rugby league Council meeting such that the central funding each club outside super league gets in 2015 is based on what the final championship table would have been in 2014 IF BATLEY AND DONCASTER HAD BEEN DEDUCTED THE 3 points each.

Keighley have asked for an explanation from the RFL and basically been fobbed off.

They are gathering evidence with view to appeal with some legal backing.

It ain't over yet!

But

I have no faith in the rfl to willingly backtrack and show themselves to be a bunch of clowns. They'll continue into the playoffs and hope it all goes away or claim it's gone to far to do anything. Keighley will be offered a paltry compensation, a break up of their side and an unknown period in the wastelands.

Batley directors will be guffawing from behind their palms and Nidge will content himself with "higher" matters (where his next pie is coming from).

Only a strong legal case will help Keighley to force the RFLs hand.

Good luck if you get your appeal. I do remember Batleys Chairmans first published words on the breach were that 'they weren't aware of the rule', then suddenly they use breaches last year as defence knowing that 'we didn't know' is no defence. Not sure where they suddenly got that information seeing as nothing was published last year, and if the clubs were party to this information why didn't he just say.

Batley should be down IMO, their breach directly affected their final league position. For once Mark Aston was right in demanding the removal of the points they had won

Batley's best defense intended to be "they didn't know". Doncaster turned up with a boat load of evidence, and Batley stood behind them and said "yeah, what they said"

Keighley definately the fall guys in all this.
Another embarressing episode in rl history and its goverinng body.