The Championship Grande Finale
By The Man

The Championship leagues have their grand finale this Sunday at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, but for the first time there will be no teams promoted to the elite division. The RFL continue with their policy of copying all things Australian and they have gone down the franchise route. It doesn't sit well with me. I'm all for having a minimum criteria in terms of facilities and finances to get in to a league but after that results on the pitch should be all that matter. I don't feel the British public will ever be able to get used to this one. It seems to me that the lucky teams in Super League when the drawbridge was pulled up were simply that, lucky. Why should the likes of Wakefield and Salford be privileged whilst Halifax and Widnes sit on the outer? If we'd have started this franchise business in the 1980s then Widnes as the then cup kings and Fax with a Wembley victory and Championship title would be nailed on for a slot.

I guess we have what we have. If the funds from the Sky TV deal were distributed a bit more evenly throughout all the clubs there wouldn't be such a gulf between Super League and the rest. Add to that the uneven field with regard to the amount of overseas players and you can see that SL clubs are angling for a closed shop.

Super League have been trying to say that they want the league closing up so that, again like Australia, any team is capable of winning the competition from year to year.

If you want competitive games then you only have to look at the Championship. With the exception of Doncaster then every team really was capable of beating one another. Barrow and Halifax finished top of the pile and it is they who contest the Grand Final. They have already bagged the right to apply for a franchise in two years time by virtue of simply being in the final so its bragging rights and the prize money at stake.

Barrow, promoted last season, have enjoyed a wonderful campaign. To stay up was their first goal but it soon became apparent that a championship challenging team was being recruited as they got off to a flyer. Mid-season it seemed that the wheels were not exactly dropping off but certainly turning more slowly as injuries and suspensions hit their relatively thin squad. However, the chairman, Des Johnstone, again dug deep and pulled off a master stroke by recruiting international Jamie Rooney from Wakefield and the top five stars from cash strapped Oldham. They go in to this final full of confidence as the TV viewers finally got a glimpse of what this Barrow team are capable of as they blew away Halifax in the qualifying semi-final.

Halifax, in contrast, were always expected to go well and they blazed a trail at the start of the campaign. As they trounced team after team there was talk of going through the season unbeaten. And then it all changed. For what reason is hard to tell. Pretty much all the personnel were the same but they started to lose games and the leaky defence that they possessed, leaked. Confidence look shattered at times and they really have scraped in to the top 2 and then this Grand Final appearance. I've said it before that the Halifax of old could come again and this final may be the game where they bring their A game but I’ve seen enough of them in recent weeks to oppose them.

This Barrow team is full of confidence, virtually at full strength with the likes of Holt and Finch unable to force their way in to the starting line up. They are more than capable of posting points with the deadly duo of Harrison and Nixon wreaking havoc down their left side and Luisi, Ellis and Rooney opening up holes around the ruck.

Halifax equally have an attacking threat but I feel the Barrow defence will win the day as Halifax let in too many soft tries for me.

I've already advised a back of Barrow at 1.72 and that price is still there but I'm quite bullish about this one and am happy to invest another 3pts @ 1.91 on Barrow to win by more than 2pts with either Betfred, Skybet or Totesport. I might be accused of bias as I am a former Barrow player, director and staunch supporter but I think that gives me a good insight in to the camp and I would be very disappointed with defeat.

In the other final we have Keighley and Oldham contesting a bigger prize, that of a promotion slot to the Championship. Whoever bags the prize will need a massive recruitment campaign in the style of Barrow because for me they are two poor sides.

Oldham have surprised me and cost me money with the ease of their victory at York last weekend and Keighley themselves made the final by defeat of the same team.

Oldham seem to have timed their form to perfection and look nothing like the team of a few weeks ago. That said, short term results can be deceiving. Keighley have proven to be the better team throughout the campaign and rightly finished two spots above the Roughyeds.

I wouldn't want to put my mortgage on this one as I feel the result could go either way but Stan James had gone out on a limb by offering Keighley at even money when I have them as ever so slight favourites. It would have been worth a small bet, a good job really because that's all I'm allowed with Stan James, the company that allows themselves to be called bookmakers! However a small bet is all that it took to change the odds so the value has gone.

The Bets:

Barrow -2 3pts @ 1.91 v Halifax with Boylesports

Already advised:

Barrow 3pts@1.72 to win the Grand Final