The 2009 RFL Championship (known as the Co-operative Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 1st season of the RFL Championship under its current name and the 42nd season under its current league status.
| Co-operative Championship 2009 | |
|---|---|
| League | Championship |
| Duration | 20 Rounds |
| Teams | 11 |
| Attendance | 217,362 (average 1,874) |
| 2009 Season | |
| Champions | Barrow Raiders |
| League Leaders | Barrow Raiders |
| Runners-up | Halifax |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  James Nixon (26) |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Relegated to Championship 1 | Doncaster Gateshead Thunder |
There was no automatic promotion to Super League due to licensing being used. Qualifying for the Grand Final is a prerequisite for Championship clubs to be able to apply for license in the next round of applications for the 2012–14 period.
The Grand Final was won by Barrow Raiders, who also won the League leaders Shield, beating Halifax 26-18.
Toulouse Olympique were exempt from relegation meaning Leigh Centurions were relegated along with bottom placed Doncaster. Following the completion of the season, Gateshead Thunder were eliminated following salary cap breaches and subsequently relegated, meaning Leigh Centurions retained their place in the Champipnship.
Table edit
| # | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barrow Raiders
|
20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 632 | 261 | 271 | 5 | 44 |
| 2 |  Halifax
|
20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 714 | 476 | 238 | 4 | 43 |
| 3 |  Sheffield Eagles
|
20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 635 | 447 | 188 | 9 | 42 |
| 4 |  Widnes Vikings
|
20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 649 | 438 | 211 | 6 | 39 |
| 5 |  Whitehaven
|
20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 565 | 567 | −2 | 3 | 39 |
| 6 |  Featherstone Rovers
|
20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 619 | 524 | 95 | 1 | 37 |
| 7 |  Gateshead Thunder
|
20 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 610 | 657 | −47 | 3 | 32 |
| 8 |  Batley Bulldogs
|
20 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 536 | 620 | −84 | 6 | 32 |
| 9 |  Leigh Centurions
|
20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 426 | 572 | −146 | 5 | 32 |
| 10 |  Toulouse Olympique XIII
|
20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 556 | 582 | −26 | 3 | 30(a) |
| 11 |  Doncaster
|
20 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 257 | 955 | −698 | 5 | -1(b) |
| Teams qualifying for the Play-offs | |
| Teams in relegation position |
Source: Co-Operative Championship Table
Note (a): Toulouse were exempt from relegation. [1]
Note: (b): Doncaster lost 9 competition points for entering administration. [2]
Classification: 1st on league points; 2nd on match points difference.
League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.
Pld = Games played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; PF = Match points scored; PA = Match points conceded; PD = Points difference; BP = Bonus Points; Pts = League points.
Play-offs edit
Eliminators edit
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | ||||||
| Widnes Vikings
|
26 – 21 | Whitehaven
|
10 September, 19:30 GMT | Stobart Stadium | 2,375 | ||||
| Sheffield Eagles
|
8 – 32 | Featherstone Rovers
|
11 September, 20:00 GMT | Don Valley Stadium | 808 | ||||
Semi finals edit
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | ||||||
| Barrow Raiders
|
35 – 12 | Halifax
|
17 September, 19:30 GMT | Craven Park | Thierry Alibert | 2823 | |||
| Widnes Vikings
|
24 – 32 | Featherstone Rovers
|
18 September, 20:00 GMT | Stobart Stadium | Ben Thaler | 3,296 | |||
Elimination final edit
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | ||||||
| Halifax
|
36 – 30 | Featherstone Rovers
|
24 September, 19:30 GMT | Shay Stadium | Ian Smith | 2,556 | |||
Grand Final edit
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | ||||||
| Barrow Raiders
|
26 – 18 | Halifax
|
4 October, 17:30 | Halliwell Jones Stadium | P Bentham | 11,398 | |||
Team bracket edit
| Eliminators | Semi-finals | Eliminator Final | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Barrow Raiders | 35 | 1 | Barrow Raiders | 26 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Halifax | 12 | 2 | Halifax | 18 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Halifax | 36 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Widnes Vikings | 26 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Featherstone Rovers | 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Whitehaven | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Widnes Vikings | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Featherstone Rovers | 32 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Sheffield Eagles | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Featherstone Rovers | 32 | ||||||||||||||||
- Source:Rugby League Project
Statistics edit
The following are the top points scorers in the 2009 Championship season. Statistics include points scored in both league and play-off appearances.[1]
|
Most tries |
Most goals (excluding drop goals)
|
Attendances edit
| Team | Played | Highest | Lowest | Total | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Widnes Vikings
|
12 | 5,236 | 2,375 | 43,752 | 3,646 |
| 2 | Halifax
|
11 | 3,274 | 2,002 | 25,812 | 2,347 |
| 3 | Barrow Raiders
|
11 | 3,050 | 1,693 | 25,326 | 2,302 |
| 4 | Toulouse Olympique
|
10 | 3,206 | 1,200 | 21,788 | 2,179 |
| 5 | Leigh Centurions
|
10 | 2,721 | 1,394 | 19,843 | 1,984 |
| 6 | Featherstone Rovers
|
10 | 2,673 | 1,346 | 18,084 | 1,808 |
| 7 | Whitehaven
|
10 | 2,708 | 1,175 | 16,698 | 1,670 |
| 8 | Sheffield Eagles
|
11 | 1,457 | 809 | 12,546 | 1,141 |
| 9 | Batley Bulldogs
|
10 | 1,430 | 580 | 8,952 | 895 |
| 10 | Doncaster
|
10 | 1,096 | 275 | 6,693 | 669 |
| 11 | Gateshead Thunder
|
10 | 1,033 | 405 | 6,470 | 647 |
| Total | 115 | 11,398 | 275 | 217,362 | 1,874 |
See also edit
- Co-operative Championship
- 2009 Championship 1
- British rugby league system
- Super League
- Rugby League Conference
- Northern Ford Premiership
- National League Cup
- Rugby League Reserve Team Championship
Team season articles edit
References edit
- ^ Butcher, Tim; Spencer, Daniel, eds. (2009). Gillette Rugby League Yearbook 2009-2010. League Publications. p. 318. ISBN 978-1-901347-21-0.