Simon Hall

Can't get my head around how this clown has an RFL accreditation, especially after that outburst at Osdal a few years ago. Does real harm to the sport when you've got an outspoken proven liar spouting tripe behind a "journalist" title, makes the whole sport look tin pot. Yet again he's come out with lies and half truths and you've got loads of people spreading it in good faith. He has a podcast with a leading player agent and just makes stuff up, surely there should be some sort of controls here? He's been spreading rumours about York for ages, saying he's been speaking to the new owners and makes out he's got an insider in the club. Last year he said he was spat at by York fans at the York v Toulouse final. I was sat right behind him all match and absolutely nothing happened, even though he was sat wearing a Toulouse hat and gloating to the York fans at the end. These sorts of things are damaging to the game when they get amplified by people who just repost the lies without any sort of fact checks, some Bradford fans just lap it all up because he's always positive about their club and negative of rivals. It's embarrassing that he's allowed any sort of platform.

Hull FC, Hull KR, Cas, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Catalan and St Helens would have lost less games though. I suppose then they might feel a bit better about things.

I'm not saying we don't need quality, obviously we do. It's not like SL has descended into amateur standard.

Surely the important thing is entertainment, especially when you're trying to sell the product. Some of the best games ever seen have been decided on a mistake, an error of judgement or a poor tackle. That's how sport works. Not one new fan is going to give a monkey's about this imaginary quality you speak of, the only time that actually matters is when we play Australia or New Zealand and we've basically failed at that for the past 50 years. York, Toulouse & Bradford been added to SL isn't going to make it any worse that's for sure.

How are you measuring quality?

We've seen loads of young English lads play big minutes or make their debut this season, Warrington, Wigan, Hull FC, Leeds, St Helens etc have all played lots of academy products this year, seems like a lot more than in previous seasons anyway. Bradford have played a few of theirs, York have the link with Newcastle and have given game time to young English lads who wouldn't have played SL otherwise, Toulouse are playing a lot of French players. Has going to 14 teams meant clubs are more likely to chuck a kid in the mix?

Huddersfield and Hull had access to the majority of the York, Bradford & Toulouse players last year if they really wanted and between them only signed one (as far as I can remember anyway), Connor Bailey from York. Clubs being rubbish is entirely their fault and you can't blame clubs on the up for another club's decline. If you removed all 3 of the promoted teams, there's probably about 10-15 players in total who would be of interest to other SL clubs with the rest playing levels above themselves now they're full time. I wouldn't say adding them has lowered the standard of the league as they are not the worst performing teams every week, if anything the games with these 3 sides are the some of the most entertaining regardless of mistakes or standard of rugby.

Do we have to have fireworks pre match? Sick of watching the first five minutes of games through thick smoke.

Ken Davy steps down as Chairman: https://www.giantsrl.com/article/9990/club-statement?fbclid=IwY2xjawTDNTtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBXMDJ4eEVBbm9UVzF0MEp4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlpLDCX7ovJzCo-cDuIjv3Bcthyyn-Cv9tIaZdXWhL46qd2LbXTGV0qB_Fxm_aem_jPQaVrz0qPUnQuftG1lOmw

What, wearing a head guard?

There isn't one.

So should we allow North Wales onto SL next season if the Wrexham film stars decide to pump a load of cash in last minute?

Couldn't exactly promote them to SL off the back of finishing 10th in the Championship and with far lower IMG scores than the 3 that were promoted. I know RL has seen some daft ideas but that would have been the daftest.

Paddy is from York and has sponsored the club for years. His company has also sponsored games at Cas and Bradford this season but I don't think he's going to be buying York though.

He’s off to York.