2009 RFL Championship
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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.
| 2009 RFL Championship | |
|---|---|
| League | Championship |
| Duration | 20 Rounds |
| Teams | 11 |
| Total attendance | 217,362 (average 1,874) |
| 2009 Season | |
| Champions | Barrow Raiders |
| League Leaders | Barrow Raiders |
| Runners-up | Halifax |
| Top try-scorer |  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 Championship.
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barrow Raiders |
20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 632 | 361 | +271 | 5 | 44 | Qualified for the play-offs |
| 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 | Relegated |
| 10 |  Toulouse Olympique XIII |
20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 556 | 582 | −26 | 3 | 30[a] | |
| 11 |  Doncaster |
20 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 257 | 955 | −698 | −4 | −1[b] | Relegated |
Play-offs
Eliminators
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
The following are the top points scorers in the 2009 Championship season. Statistics include points scored in both league and play-off appearances.[3]
|
Most tries
|
Most goals (excluding drop goals)
|
Attendances
| 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 |