The good, the bad & the ugly: Widnes fundraising efforts, Hull KR collapse, blood splattered

Drew Darbyshire

Photo courtesy of Richard Long

We go through the highs and lows over the last seven days in rugby league.

The good

It’s a sad state of affairs in Widnes at the moment as the club fight to stay alive. A lot of questions have been asked of where the money has gone over the last couple of years, but it’s clearly not the fans who are at fault for this.

VIQI, which is effectively a squad builder, has been brought to the fore which can contribute towards saving the club.

At the time of writing, Widnes have raised over £70,000 so far through VIQI and have over 900 members who pay a suggested amount of £15 to enable signings.

The RFL have paid the first-team players their wages for the month of February, but let’s bare a thought for the staff at the club, who are currently doing everything they can to keep the club float, despite not being paid.

Sam Whyte and Sean Hayes, the club’s communications and media team, have worked tirelessly over the last couple of days to gain spread as much awareness about VIQI and their fundraising efforts as possible.

Even though we wouldn’t like to see a club in this state, we can’t deny how the rugby league community is class at times like this. Everyone comes together and supports each other. Let’s hope Widnes can still on their feet.

The bad

What on earth happened to Hull Kingston Rovers on Saturday?

They were in a comfortable 22-8 lead at half-time against Salford Red Devils at the KCOM Craven Park but completely threw away all their hard work.

Ian Watson’s Salford side performed a fine comeback in the second half as unanswered tries from Derrell Olpherts, Joey Lussick and Ken Sio saw them run-out 24-22 winners.

We must give credit to Salford, who did very well to come back into the game, but Hull KR shouldn’t be throwing away that lead, especially at home.

Things could get worse for KR, too, with captain Joel Tomkins’ Grade D charge being referred to a tribunal for questioning the integrity of a match official.

If found guilty, he could be banned for between three and five games.

The ugly

Doncaster star Jordan Howden suffered a nasty looking cut in their 20-18 defeat to Hunslet at the Keepmoat Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The picture that was shared on social media looked horrific – yet he didn’t really look bothered about it! It just shows how tough and committed rugby players are.

Rugby league players are a different breed. They would literally run through brick walls if it means stopping a try and they push their bodies to the absolute limits.

Let’s hope Howden has a speedy recovery and is back out on the field soon. What a trooper, and what a photo. He’ll be proud of that one when he looks back on his career.