BXV: Bradford Badgers

[Pkbaldy]

Fasolo robbed

[GoLions]

Best New Player 2015

Allen Christensen

Was very close between Christensen and LeCras, but Christensen's performance in finals was probably what got him over the line. Also his ability to play both in the forward line and through the midfield meant that, particularly when injuries hit us earlier in the season, he was able to provide good cover to keep us strong throughout all lines. Congratulations Bundy!

[GoLions]

Best Individual Performance

While we all prefer team success on the field, sometimes it's nice to recognize those performances from an individual that keep your team in the game, or even get them over the line. The best performance for the Badgers in 2015 was...

Chris Mayne

With a massive 152 against the Leeches in Round 5, Mayne takes the cake!

[GoLions]

2015 Fixture and Results

Round 1: Swansea Breakers
LOST 22.12.144 to 22.14.146

In what was a disappointing opening round for the Badgers, the Breakers were just too good, with Jordan Lewis getting them over the line with just minutes to spare. Chris Mayne was troubled by an ankle injury and as such was subbed, which proved costly. Dion Prestia, Matthew Boyd, Chris Judd, Kade Simpson, and Michael Rischitelli were among the best for the Badgers. Allen Christensen was very good in his debut, as was Shannon Hurn. Trent Cotchin, Nick Dal Santo, and Greg Broughton will be under pressure to perform next week.

Round 2: Huddersfield Hawks
WON 22.17.149 to 16.11.107

After lasts weeks disappointing performance, we managed to get our first win on the board in a dominant display against the Hawks. The midfield all stood up this week, however a hamstring injury to Nick Dal Santo could see him miss round 3, and possibly longer. This will test the Badgers midfield depth after the departure of Ryan Griffen in the trade period, and the injuries to Hanley and Dal Santo. Cameron Shenton and Chris Mayne are pushing for selection in the Best XV, and Robbie Nahas was good in the reserves as well.

Round 3: Blackpool Bunnies
WON 22.16.148 to 18.13.121
A fairly comfortable win for the Badgers to get their 2nd win on the trot, but quite a few disappointments mixed in with it. Shannon Hurn has struggled since his debut match, only scoring 59 this week after a 50 (and being subbed off) in round 2. Cameron Shenton struggled in his debut, equalling Hurn's 59 in defence. Mr Consistent Michael Barlow was poor to end the round, with what was his lowest score in a very long time, but we're sure he'll improve next week.
Looking at the positives, Trent Cotchin was outstanding as skipper. Dion Prestia and Michael Rischitelli continue to dominate, and Harry Cunningham did a good job of replacing Matthew Boyd who was a late out. Tom Lynch, Sam Butler, and Robin Nahas all made cases to be selected in the Best XV for round 4.

Round 4: Oxford Owls
LOST 20.10.130 to 22.16.148
Worst game of the year so far. Many stars failed to show up on the day. Simpson and Hurn scoring well enough to keep their spots in the team, but nowhere near what they're capable of. Michael Barlow had what was probably his worst game in his career. Will Minson was dropped which left the ruck duties to Cameron Shenton, who struggled. Forward line didn't get much supply and failed to really trouble the scorers, and Paul Puopolo was subbed with an injury. Only shinging lights were Michael Rischitelli as always, Matthew Boyd back after a weeks rest, and Sam Butler in his first game back for the season was outstanding.
A couple of reserves players such as Tom Cutler, Brandon Matera, and Robin Nahas all performed well and one or two may be able to steal a spot in the Best XV.

Round 5: Leeds Leeches
LOST 22.12.144 to 22.17.149
Started slowly this week and just couldn't get back in front. Leeches were very good this week. Backline again showing weaknesses, this time with Shaun Higgins. Hurn improved, Simpson still not doing as good as he can, but good enough to retain his spot. Butler best defender for the Badgers once again. Michael Barlow came back with a point to prove this week, being the 2nd best player for us, behind fellow teammate Chris Mayne. Rest of midfield was solid. Tom Nicholls played his first game for Bradford on the weekend to replace Will Minson and performed well. Christensen and LeCras struggled, with Lecca being subbed in the 3rd quarter as well, but Tom Lynch and Chris Mayne played their best games for the season, particularly Mayne.
Will be looking to get back on the winners list next week.

Round 6: Manchester Magic
WON 20.16.136 to 19.18.132
Not our best performance, but good to get back on the winners list. Kade Simpson was a late out, and Tom Cutler was given the vest as his replacement which hurt. Most of the team was decent without being amazing, with only three hundreds being registered, but Cutler being the only score under 60. Forward line performed well, but midfield will have to improve if we want to push for a spot in the top 4.

Round 7: Crosby Cruisers
WON 22.15.147 to 19.14.128
Rivalry Round match, and boy did some of our boys perform. Shannon Hurn had a nice return to form, most of the defence was solid, except Cutler with the vest replacing Simpson again, who should hopefully be back next week. Barlow was disappointing as captain, rest of midfield held their own though. Nicholls continues to do a great job of replacing Will Minson in the ruck. Trent Cotchin was outstanding.
Depth is being tested though, with still 4-5 players from our Best XV out still.

Round 8: Nottingham Hoods
LOST 20.10.130 to 24.15.159
A round to forget. Less than half the team can hold their head high after that performance. Six players scored under 60. Rischitelli couldn't handle the captaincy, only being able to muster up 76. Prestia played through a minor injury to crawl towards a 70. Cotchin and Judd couldn't manage 100 between them. Forwards were nowhere to be seen.
Boyd, Barlow, Simpson, Higgins, and Nicholls all did well. Lynch did his duty as sub. Fasolo made a case for a defensive position next week. Harwood may return as well after being emergency this week.

Round 9: Birmingham Dragons
WON 22.14.146 to 18.17.125
A good improvement after last week. Most players performed quite well. Chris Mayne had a quiet week after being outstanding in his last few. Unfortunately Harwood was concussed in the first quarter, so Tom Nicholls came on to replace him and performed excellently. Harwood should be fine for next week, but Butler and Fasolo were both amazing this weekend so will be pushing for a spot. Barlow disappointing as captain, however Boyd just keeps on performing and is making a case to take over the captaincy next week. Cunningham performed well, but with the other fringe players doing even better, he may lose his spot against the Steins. Chris Judd should be fit to play next week as well, however Pearce Hanley is still about 2 weeks away.

Round 10: Staines Steins
WON 22.11.143 to 14.8.92
A good win against the Steins, but still a lot of room for improvement. Pearce Hanley was outstanding in his first game for the season, after recovering from his hip injury. Unfortunately, that was saddened by Chris Judd ruptoring his ACL, and forcing him not only out for the rest of the season, but into retirement as well.
Simpson and Higgins continue to hold up the backline, and Cotchin has been in some good form in the middle of the ground. Boyd was disappointing, unable to cement himself as a reliable captain. Christensen had one of his better games of the year.
Mayne, LeCras, Rischitelli, and Butler were all extremely disappointing, and could face the chopping block when teams are named later in the week.

Round 11: Liverpool Rams
LOST 19.12.126 to 23.14.152
Completely and utterly disgraceful. Hurn failed to show up. Harwood was a late out. Hanley very disappointing as captain. Barlow terrible. Minson even worse. Cutler very average. Only a few players could hold their head high after this match. Lecca, Christensen, Cunningham were all good up forward. Riska did well in the midfield. Higgins was solid running off half back. Nothing else to be said really, hopefully the boys give a much better performance next week.

Round 12: Grope Lane Giants
WON 22.19.141 to 17.14.116
Much better this week, although still a bit of improvement left. Defence was a bit down. Barlow returned to some form, as did Dal Santo in his return. Riska good again. Rest of the midfield was below par though. Nicholls struggled in the ruck, but forward line was very good and made up for it. A win is a win, so we'll take it.

Round 13: Hebden Bridge Hedgehogs
WON 22.19.151 to 19.11.125
This was more like it, highest score of the year! Wasn't much to complain about. Hurn and Butler struggled  abit in defence, and Nicholls was poor in the ruck again, and Hanley was subbed with an injury. But apart from that, everyone else really came to play. Hopefully we can replicate this type of performance over the next few weeks and bringing that sort of form into finals!

Round 14: Winchester Werewolves
WON 22.18.150 to 22.14.146
WHAT A WIN! Knocked off the top of the table Werewolves! Cotchin, Boyd, and Rischitelli; take a bow. Outstanding. Simpson and Higgins solid in defence as always. Nicholls back to his good scoring of a few weeks back. Mayne very good up forward. Lynch and Puopolo struggled up forward, but not much else to complain about. Reserves were very good, particularly Fasolo and Minson who will be pushing for selection next week.

Round 15: Hastings Hurricanes
WON 25.13.163 to 20.10.130
Highest score of the season! Couldn't have asked for much more. No-one put in a bad performance. Even the bench players were fantastic. Puopolo definitely made a statement that he is best xv, with what would have been our 3rd highest score. This win brings us into 5th, and a chance at making the top 4 over the next 3 weeks before finals!
GO BADGERS!

Round 16: Oxford Owls
LOST 20.12.132 to 22.13.145
Disappointing result. Unfortunately Nicholls going down early and Hanley below par as C was the deciding factor here. Couple of other average scores, but those two were the ones that hurt. Mayne, Dal Santo, Lecca, and Hurn the standouts. Need a win next week to stay in with a shot at finishing top 4.

Round 17: Swansea Breakers
LOST 21.14.140 to 22.12.144
Another loss. With Nicholls out after injuring himself last week, Jesse Lonergan had to play in the ruck, and while he tried extremely hard, it wasn't enough. Hanley as a late out didn't help, and Fasolo struggled in defence. Lynch, Boyd, and Barlow were all very good.

Round 18: Hastings Hurricanes
WON 22.14.146 to 20.16.136
Finally a win, which gets us to 5th position on the ladder to end the season. An improvement on the last 2 weeks, but still more work to be done as it won't be enough in finals. Defence was outstanding, with Shaun Higgins leading the way, and possibly making a last dash for the BnF...
Rest of team was fairly solid without being great, Boyd not too good as C though. Bring on finals!

Elimination Final 1: Nottingham Hoods
WON 23.18.156 to 20.12.132
Big win in an elimination final! Need to keep this form going throughout the remainder of the finals series. Defence was amazing again this week, excluding Hurn. Hanley and Boyd were both electric in the midfield. Lynch, Christensen, and Matera were outstanding up forward. Looking forward to next week!

Semi Final 1: Hastings Hurricanes
LOST 19.11.125 to 25.15.165
Worst performance of the year. Everything that could go wrong, did. Nicholls injured yet again. Barlow subbed out with a possible injury. Hanley poor as captain. Fasolo struggled. Higgins got a knock to the head and wasn't the same as his last few weeks. Simpson was average. Not a single player hit 100. Says it all I guess. Good luck to the Hurricanes in finals!

[GoLions]

2015 National Draft

Pick 13 - Wayne Milera





Pick 40 - Oleg Markov





Pick 41 - Brayden Sier

[GoLions]

2015 Rookie Draft

Pick 12 - Tom Papley





Pick 28 - Reuben William





Pick 44 - Jason Castagna

[GoLions]

Congratulations to the Bradford Badgers for taking out the Fawlty Towers Cup for 2016

The Badgers have taken out the 2016 BXVs Fawlty Towers Cup, beating the Dragons by 45 points in the final. It was very good to see all our young players stepping up throughout the pre-season, and really making a case for selection in Round 1. Players such as Daniel Howe, Jesse Lonergan, and Tom Cutler all did really well over the last month in defence, with Boyd and Mackenzie missing games. Libba returning after missing last year with injury was great to see. Currie and Grimley have shown that they can be decent backup in the ruck in case Nicholls misses games again. And Fasolo looked hungrier than ever to push for a spot in the forward line, although it is a very difficult position to break in to, barring any injuries. Caleb Daniel was also fantastic, and Wayne Milera showed why he was taken in the first round of the National Draft.

Here are the Grand Final results:

Birmingham Dragons - 1202/15

Def: Nick Malceski (62), Matthew Suckling (90), Adam Oxley (DNP), Christian Salem (99)
Mid: Jack Crisp (79), Tom Mitchell (C) (95x2=190), Josh Caddy (68), Mitch Duncan (VC) (44)
Ruck: Ben McEvoy (74)
Fwd: Steven Motlop (79), Luke Bruest (99), Aaron Hall (EVC) (131), Zach Merrett (72)
UTIL: Matt Jones (23), Jordan Roughead (DNP)

Emerg: Lachlan Hansen (D) (43), Daniel Rioli (F) (49), Shaun McKernan (R)



Bradford Badgers - 1247/15

DEF: Matthew Boyd (117), Shannon Hurn (101), Jarrod Harbrow (65), Ryan Harwood (53)
MID: Pearce Hanley (VC) (60), Tom Liberatore (41), Trent Cotchin (68), Luke Shuey (C)(91x2=182)
RUCK: Tom Nicholls (42)
FWD: Adam Cooney (53), Tom J Lynch (43), Michael Barlow (EVC) (117), Mark LeCras (94)
UTIL: Nick Dal Santo (98), Michael Rischitelli (113)

EMG:  Alex Fasolo (F) (76), Daniel Currie (R) (DNP), Tom Cutler (D) (98), Eric Mackenzie (M) (OOP)

[GoLions]

The Badgers were very happy to hear that our own Caleb Daniel has been announced the winner of the British XVs 2016 Rising Star Award! Congratulations Sir Daniel of Caleb!!!

Good Morning all.

I am happy to advise that Caleb Daniel is the rising star for 2016.

Voting was extremely close and her is the final figures:
1. Caleb Daniel  - Bradford Badgers    - 46 votes
2. Christian Petracca - Staines Steins - 43 votes
3.  Darcy Parish - Grope Lane Giants - 39 votes
4.  Connor Blakely - Hebden Bridge Hedgehogs - 31 vptes
5.  Rhys  Mathieson - Wrexham Knights  - 9 votes
6.  Callum Mills - Staines Steins - 8 votes
7.  Toby McLean - Winchester Werewolves - 7 votes
8.  Orazio Fantasia - Birmingham Dragons - 5 votes
9. Clayton Oliver - Leeds Leeches - 4 votes
10.  Daniel Howe - Bradford Badgers  - 3 votes

Congratulations Caleb Daniel

[GoLions]

The Badgers Best and Fairest Award Count will begin shortly 8)

[GoLions]

2016 Best and Fairest

It was a mixed year for the Badgers. Started poorly, and looked like top 4 was almost out of the question after the first few rounds, but hit some good form after that. Unfortunately, injuries began to take their toll, which just made things too difficult in the Preliminary Final. However, it did mean we were able to blood some youth, and a few players in particular were very impressive.

Now, on to the count!

Round 1:
5 - Michael Rischitelli
4 - Dion Prestia
3 - Luke Shuey
2 - Mark LeCras
1 - Tom Liberatore

Round 2:
5 - Luke Shuey
4 - Tom Lynch
3 - Tom Liberatore
2 - Jarrod Harbrow
1 - Pearce Hanley

Round 3:
5 - Trent Cotchin
4 - Luke Shuey
3 - Caleb Daniel
2 - Tom Lynch
1 - Michael Barlow



Leaderboard

12 - Luke Shuey
6 - Tom Lynch
5 - Michael Rischitelli, Trent Cotchin
4 - Dion Prestia, Tom Liberatore
3 - Caleb Daniel
2 - Mark LeCras, Jarrod Harbrow
1 - Pearce Hanley, Michael Barlow

Luke Shuey got off to a terrific start, although Trent Cotchin was fuming at being left out of the side in Round 2, costing him 5 votes in the BnF, 3 votes in Her Majesty's MVP award, and a win for the Badgers.

[Rusty00]

The Badgers Best and Fairest Award Count will begin shortly 8)

Odd time for it ???

Is that so people will actually be sober when they first arrive this year :P

[GoLions]

Round 4:
5 - Pearce Hanley
4 - Trent Cotchin
3 - Luke Shuey
2 - Tom Nicholls
1 - Tom Lynch

Round 5:
5 - Trent Cotchin
4 - Michael Barlow
3 - Matthew Boyd
2 - Nick Dal Santo
1 - Luke Shuey

Round 6:
5 - Michael Barlow
4 - Pearce Hanley
3 - Matthew Boyd
2 - Mark LeCras
1 - Luke Shuey



Leaderboard

17 - Luke Shuey
14 - Trent Cotchin
10 - Pearce Hanley, Michael Barlow
7 - Tom Lynch
6 - Matthew Boyd
5 - Michael Rischitelli
4 - Dion Prestia, Tom Liberatore, Mark LeCras
3 - Caleb Daniel
2 - Jarrod Harbrow, Tom Nicholls, Nick Dal Santo

Shuey continued to poll in every game so far this season, showing just how consistent he was for the year. Barlow, Hanley, Cotchin, and Boyd all started hitting some form, shooting the Badgers back up the ladder after a poor start.

[GoLions]

The Badgers Best and Fairest Award Count will begin shortly 8)

Odd time for it ???

Is that so people will actually be sober when they first arrive this year :P

Milk and cookies for all ;D

[GoLions]

Round 7:
5 - Tom Liberatore
4 - Matthew Boyd
3 - Daniel Currie
2 - Tom Lynch
1 - Dion Prestia

Round 8:
5 - Tom Liberatore
4 - Luke Shuey
3 - Adam Cooney
2 - Dion Prestia
1 - Matthew Boyd

Round 9:
5 - Trent Cotchin
4 - Jesse Lonergan
3 - Nick Dal Santo
2 - Billy Stretch
1 - Dion Prestia



Leaderboard

21 - Luke Shuey
19 - Trent Cotchin
14 - Tom Liberatore
11 - Matthew Boyd
10 - Pearce Hanley, Michael Barlow
9 - Tom Lynch
8 - Dion Prestia
5 - Michael Rischitelli, Nick Dal Santo
4 - Mark LeCras, Jesse Lonergan
3 - Caleb Daniel, Daniel Currie, Adam Cooney
2 - Jarrod Harbrow, Tom Nicholls, Billy Stretch

Tom Liberatore started to hit some nice form after slowly getting back from an injury last year, with 2 BOG performances in that 3 week period. Shuey dropped off a little bit, with Cotchin staying right behind him on the leaderboard. A few young players such as Jesse Lonergan and Billy Stretch really started to step up in defence to support Boyd.

[GoLions]

Round 10:
5 - Trent Cotchin
4 - Tom Liberatore
3 - Dion Prestia
2 - Luke Shuey
1 - Michael Barlow

Round 11:
5 - Dion Prestia
4 - Trent Cotchin
3 - Nick Dal Santo
2 - Matthew Boyd
1 - Michael Barlow

Round 12:
5 - Tom Liberatore
4 - Trent Cotchin
3 - Michael Barlow
2 - Daniel Howe
1 - Matthew Boyd



Leaderboard

32 - Trent Cotchin
23 - Luke Shuey, Tom Liberatore
16 - Dion Prestia
15 - Michael Barlow
14 - Matthew Boyd
10 - Pearce Hanley
9 - Tom Lynch
8 - Nick Dal Santo
5 - Michael Rischitelli
4 - Mark LeCras, Jesse Lonergan
3 - Caleb Daniel, Daniel Currie, Adam Cooney
2 - Jarrod Harbrow, Tom Nicholls, Billy Stretch, Daniel Howe

Cotchin absolutely exploded, picking up 13/15 of the votes from rounds 10-12. Liberatore also continued on with his form from earlier, getting himself to equal 2nd place with Shuey. Will he be able to keep up though with his injury troubles at the end of the year?