Batley Bulldogs chairman full of optimism ahead of new season

The Bulldogs were 80 minutes away from a place in Super League last season after a memorable campaign, which ended with superb victories over Barrow and Featherstone in the eliminator and semi-final respectively, before Leigh, deservedly, won the Grand Final.

Asked if he thought, four months on, the whole club was still on a high after last season’s magnificent accomplishments, Nicholas said:

“Yes, I think we are! But we are still optimistic for 2023 as a result of what we did in 2022, so I don’t think we have lost our optimism yet. We are hopeful of reaching our initial target of getting in the play-offs. We are optimistic to achieve that.

“But there are certain clubs who have certainly improved, recruitment wise. I think it will be very, very competitive. The two teams who have come up, especially Keighley, look strong and have spent some money on their squad.

“So rather than any weak teams coming up from League 1, we have got a particularly strong team in Keighley. Swinton are a little bit unknown.

“And then you’ve got the teams already in the Championship. Toulouse probably won’t be as strong as Leigh but the strong teams at the top of the table, the likes of Featherstone and Halifax, they’re still going to be strong.

“And then you’ve got the likes of York, Widnes, Bradford - quite a few teams who look like they are going to be stronger this year perhaps than last year.

“It is going to be very, very competitive.”

And Nicholas is also wary of the challenge Batley face in their opening game of the season - a long trip down to the capital for a curtain-raiser showdown with London Broncos.

“That is the key - the long trip,” Nicholas said. “If you look back at last year, we went to London and got beat there. And London deserved to win, easily.

“We don’t often win in London so we know it’s not going to be an easy start. It is going to be a difficult start going all the way down there but we need to rectify the loss from last year.

“But we know that if we can get off to a good start there and then we can go into the Swinton game and build confidence from there. That is what we are trying to do anyway.”

On how the on-field preparations have gone for Craig Lingard’s men ahead of the new campaign, Nicholas said:

“I don’t think we have particularly shone in the friendlies but I’d rather peak at the first game rather than in the friendlies. We have done it before where we have looked comfortable in the friendlies and won, and then you get to the first game and you don’t perform.

“We are hoping that we are timing it correctly and we’re peaking at the first game. He has tried a few things out in the friendlies so hopefully he has got his ideas ready for the first game to get us a win.

“I am hoping the preparations have gone well. We have got a little bit of doubts over a couple of players with injuries.

“We have also lost a couple of key players but the recruits we have got to replace them, potentially, could be very good.”

Batley Bulldogs kick off their 2023 Championship season at London Broncos on Sunday, February 5 (3pm ko).