MATCH PREVIEW: NORTH WALES CRUSADERS V MIDLANDS HURRICANES (BETFRED LEAGUE ONE ROUND TWELVE)

Stadiwm CSM - The home of North Wales Crusaders in Colwyn Bay.

First meets second as Canes seek revenge against the League One leaders

Its hard to believe, but we’re already into the business end of the Betfred League One campaign having reached the half-way point two weeks ago. It therefore seems fitting that the second-half of the Canes campaign begins with arguably their most important game of the season to date, with Head Coach Mark Dunning, Assistant Coach Leigh Beattie and all of the boys making the trip up to Colwyn Bay to do battle with the current league leaders - North Wales Crusaders.

As CanesTV discussed with Mark after our historic 38-26 win over Swinton Lions at The Alexander Stadium, the Canes go into this fixture on the back of their strongest league performance to date with 15 points from a possible 18. Whilst last season saw the Canes record their highest points tally - 18 (9 wins in 20 games) - the Canes currently find themselves just two wins away from surpassing that total with potentially as many as seven games to spare. Notwithstanding that position, Mark and the lads are taking nothing for granted and are fully aware that nothing is won in June. They are similarly aware that the task that they will face on Sunday will be a difficult one, with Carl Forster’s North Wales Crusaders amongst the favourites to make the Super 8s and potentially capture the League Leaders’ Shield come September.

In terms of selection, Head Coach Mark Dunning has made two changes from the 21-man squad that was picked to face Swinton Lions two weeks ago. Mikey Woods - who had suffered a back spasm during our 38-8 win over Whitehaven - returns to the fold in place of Luis Roberts who suffered a head knock during our 38-26 win over Swinton Lions. New signing Liam Kirk could also be set to make his debut following the announcement of him joining the club earlier this week, with him joining the line-up in place of player/coach Chris Cullimore.

Looking to our opponents, Crusaders have had an almost perfect start to their 2025 Betfred League One campaign with 16 points from a possible 18. Despite needing to play a number of their opening games away from home due to Stadiwm CSM being unavailable, the Canes and Crusaders have shared similar fortunes on their travels across the league. Their opening match saw them emerge 10-20 victors over Dewsbury Rams, and this was followed up with 6-28 and 14-16 wins over Goole Vikings and Workington Town respectively. The Canes and Crusaders clashed next, and the cliché of a "game of two halves” certainly applied as North Wales managed to turn a 12-4 deficit at half-time into a 18-31 victory at The Alexander Stadium, which ended the Canes five-game undefeated streak.

Finally presented with the opportunity to play in front of their home faithful, Crusaders made their moment count as they put Whitehaven to the sword with a comprehensive 42-12 win at Stadiwm CSM. However, this form would be briefly interrupted a week later North as a 26-20 away loss to Swinton Lions stunted what had otherwise been a dominant start to proceeding. Carl Forster’s men were not perturbed by this setback, responding with a 74-0 demolition of Newcastle Thunder in Colwyn Bay before travelleling to Cougar Park a week later. The otherwise struggling Cougars presented a tough and professional challenge, however the visitors efforts in the final ten minutes saw them score three unanswered tries and emerge 6-30 winners. Their latest outing at home saw them cruise to a comfortable 32-12 victory over Rochdale Hornets, and it will come as no surprise to Canes fans that Carl and his men will be seeking a fourth successive win against Mark Dunning’s Midlands side.

In terms of head-to-head, North Wales had historically had the upper hand over the Hurricanes, with the Midlands-based outfit previously needing to look back to 2017 for their last win over Crusaders (as Coventry Bears). However, last season saw the tide turn in favour of Midlands as an initial 20-14 loss at Stadiwm CSM was avenged with a 18-10 win at The Alexander Stadium and an 18-32 win at Stadiwm CSM. With the hosts winning 18-31 in Birmingham, the Hurricanes head to North Wales in search of revenge, the all-important two league points and the opportunity to go top of the table.

21-Man Squads:
North Wales Crusaders
1 - Lloyd Roby
2 - Jack Holmes
3 - Kieran Taylor
5 - Patrick Ah Van
6 - Toby Hughes
7 - Jordy Gibson
8 - Jack Houghton
10 - Chris Barratt
11 - Sam Wilde
12 - Cole Oakley
13 - Oliver Davies
14 - Joseph Baldwin
15 - Shaun Costello
17 - Matthew Unsworth
18 - Liam Cooper
19 - Josh Eaves
20 - Jake Spedding
21 - Oliver Brookes
22 - Jamie Dallimore
23 - Patrick Jones
32 - Anthony Walker

Midlands Hurricanes (brought to you by www.enjoytravel.com)
1 - Todd Horner (Sponsored by Yorkshire Ceiling Services)
2 - Matty Chrimes (Sponsored by Lowry Recruitment)
3 - Ryan Johnson (Sponsored by Hull Wyke RL)
4 - Ross Oakes (Sponsored by Geoff and Maureen Hammond)
7 - Callum McLelland (Available to Sponsor)
8 - Jon-Luke Kirby (C) (Sponsored by EJ Interiors Ltd)
9 - Danny Barcoe (Sponsored by St Katherine’s Carpets)
11 - Tom Wilkinson (Sponsored by JW Visual)
12 - Josh Jordan-Roberts (Sponsored by 39 Steps Consulting)
13 - Mikey Wood (Sponsored by MG Electrical Contractors)
14 - Aiden Roden (Sponsored by Enjoy Travel Group)
15 - Aaron Willis (Available to Sponsor)
16 - Ellis Hobson (Sponsored by GLLEE UK Ltd)
18 - Zeus Silk (Sponsored by This is Warrior)
19 - Marcus Green (Available to Sponsor)
20 - Elliott Morris (Sponsored by GLR Energy Ltd)
21 - Sullivan Medforth (Sponsored by Ideal Building Systems)
24 - Matty Hanley (Sponsored by JGE Wholesale)
26 - Ethan Newboult (Sponsored by Leeds Rugby Club)
00 - Joe Hartley (Available to Sponsor)
00 - Liam Kirk (Available to Sponsor)

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