Season 2000

Trademark performance by livewire Richard Chapman in play-off victory over Widnes

With mounting debts the club’s playing budget was reduced and a raft of senior players left the club – Hall, Okesene, Simmonds, Tuuta, Amone and Slater all departed.  Coach Peter Roe was now largely reliant on the young players already at the club plus some astute signings notably Matt Lambert, Craig Booth and Michael Rhodes.  The pathway to promotion was through winning the play-off Grand Final and then being assessed as meeting the somewhat opaque criteria for Super League entry.   Fans expectations were low but the team under Roe’s guidance exceeded these and finished fifth in a very competitive division, and were slightly unfortunate to not make the top 4.  In the first round of the play-offs Rovers met Widnes (the only club who had been given the green light as meeting the super league criteria) and in a pulsating performance spearheaded by Richard Chapman won 43-26.  In the semi-final, Rovers met a powerful Dewsbury side who had easily beaten Rovers twice in the league, in a much closer encounter Rovers couldn’t quite pull it off and lost 25 – 18. 

Richard Chapman and Jamie Rooney got most of the headlines and had good years.  These two together with Jamie Stokes, Neil Lowe, Steve Dooler and Stuart Dickens were now the core of the side.  Stand-off Andy Bastow also established an effective half back partnership with Rooney.