MATCH PREVIEW: BATLEY BULLDOGS (H) - Midlands Hurricanes RLFC

BETFRED CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND FOUR)
Midlands Hurricanes v Batley Bulldogs
Sunday 22 February 2026 – 2:30pm KO
£15 Adults (£17 on the day) | £12 Young Adult/Concession (£14 on the day) | £7 Student (£9 on the day) | £1 U16s (£2 on the day)
Tickets: BUY HERE

After conceding a heart-breaking last minute minute try to Keighley that saw us exit the Challenge Cup at the Third Round stage the week before, Head Coach Mark Dunning’s men redeemed themselves with a solid and professional 80-minute performance against Goole Vikings at the Victoria Pleasure Ground on Valentine’s Day. The Canes go into Sunday’s fixture with two wins from a possible three in the Championship, but with 21 more rounds to go there is all to play for as we welcome Batley Bulldogs to Avery Fields for the first time. The Canes and the Bulldogs have met once before – in a friendly at Mount Pleasant last year that the Canes won 34-38 – but that game will have no bearing on the two sides as they clash in their first ever competitive fixture.

Whilst the Canes and the Bulldogs clashing tomorrow will be a small piece of rugby league history, Batley itself is a rugby league club steeped in history as one of the original 22 clubs that gathered at the George Hotel in Huddersfield to form the Northern Rugby Football Union that gave rise to the greatest game in the world (in our view). The inaugural winners of the Challenge Cup have been around for almost 150 years, but saw their greatest period of success in the late 19th century and during the early parts of the 20th century, with a Trans-Pennine Cup win in 1998 and Championship Cup win in 2010 representing their more recent success. The club is also famous for its historic stadium – Mount Pleasant (known as the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium for sponsorship reasons) – and its infamous slope that can ironically be a real leveller for any visiting sides.

That is not to say the Bulldogs have not been a force in the Betfred Championship during the Super League era. A 3rd place finish in 2016 saw them enter The Qualifiers and earn a chance at promotion to the top flight, and a 4th place finish in 2021 would see them make it to the Championship Semi-Finals. One season later, a 5th place finish during the regular season saw the club reach the Championship Grand Final but fall short of promotion as they would lose to Leigh Centurions (as they then were). The Bulldogs just missed out on a playoff spot during the 2023 season, but subsequent seasons saw the club finish 10th (out of 12th) and 12th (out of 13th) in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

It is no secret that the Canes have been unfortunate with injuries in the opening weeks of the season. Following losing Cian Tyrer to a foot injury during the first-half of the Aberavon Fighting Irish Challenge Cup fixture, the Canes lost Danny Craven, Ross Oakes and Luis Roberts during the loss to Keighley at Cougar Park, which gave Sully Medforth, Zach Jebson and Owen Restall opportunities to shine at the VPG. Whilst Roberts’ recovery has fortunately been quicker than anticipated, the Canes would suffer a further setback as Elliot Morris suffered a knock during the Goole Vikings game and is therefore unavailable for selection on Sunday.

Despite those injuries, Mark Dunning has still been able to name a strong squad to welcome the Bulldogs to Avery Fields. There has only been one change from the Goole Vikings 21-man squad, with Mark swapping out the injured Elliot Morris with Ethan Newboult, who returns to the squad following a month-long loan at fellow Championship outfit Salford RLFC.

There are two players across both squads who have spent time in both camps. The Canes’ Brandon Moore swapped Mount Pleasant for Avery Fields ahead of the 2026 season, and former Cane Liam Kirk ended a brief stint with the Canes at the end of last season and subsequently signed with the Bulldogs for 2026.

Your www.enjoytravel.com 21-man squad: