Martyn Sadler

In our latest Podcast Jake Kearnan and I discuss what Andrew Abdo might or might not have achieved on his recent visit to the UK, we discuss the current broadcasting negotiations, the appointment of Brian McDermott, the games from last week and we preview the next round of matches.

If we want more variety in the pattern of play, the solution is to modify the rules of the game to encourage it. Rugby League is fortunate in the sense that it's rules are easily capable of modification to achieve this end, as we saw with the six-again rule, which I'm not entirely comfortable with but which does seem to have created more exciting play in the NRL in particular.

You remember players like Dave Chisnall and the others you mention precisely because they were exceptional, not the norm. I remember players like Neil Fox, Bill Ramsey and Lee Crooks for much the same reason. And on the subject of robotic players, the great Welsh forward Joe Thompson, who played for Leeds and Great Britain in the 20s and 30s, was quoted in the late 1940s as saying that all the skill had gone out of Rugby League and that the forwards were content to simply be tackled and play the ball. No doubt when he was playing there were people lamenting the fact that no one in the 1920s was as good as Albert Goldthorpe, and I'm sure you could have found someone in Goldthorpe's era claiming that no one could compare with William Webb Ellis. I have no doubt that in 30 years' time there will be someone on this forum lamenting that we no longer have players of the calibre of the leading players of today. And, for what it's worth, I think that Premier League football is much more skilful than it was in the 60s and 70s but it is far less exciting.

Huddersfield Town FC have recently reported their 2025 accounts. They generated pre-tax losses of £22 million for the year. So one club in the third tier lost more than the entire Super League. I think that puts it into some sort of perspective.

Suggesting that the ARL Commission is entirely independent of the clubs was always a load of bull. Another example is the clubs' influence on the Perth Bears. It's clearly in the interests of the wider game that Perth is successful from the start and yet the NRL has given Perth no privileges whatsoever, because it is frightened of the reaction of the existing clubs, which would apparently be happy to see Perth fail rather than succeed with such things as salary cap and recruitment privileges. The AFL Commission, on the other hand, is genuinely independent of its clubs and has expanded its footprint by giving advantages to clubs in NSW and Queensland.

It's always very easy to find reasons for not doing things. We've been very good at that in Rugby League over the years. The expansion of the NRL into Melbourne was something that might have appeared too hard before it was done but it now looks like an inspired move. I can certainly take your point about the South Island having a relatively small population but I think it will be sufficient to get behind a new team based in Christchurch, while also playing some games in Dunedin.

I can't understand the Warriors' stance. A second NZ team would consolidate the position of both clubs and the game itself, as happened in Brisbane with the creation of the Dolphins, which the Broncos had originally opposed. And there are enough junior players in New Zealand to cater for more than two teams.

If I were Steve McNamara I would be reluctant to take over at Hull in the short term. He would be at an immediate disadvantage with both the players and the supporters.

Andrew Abdo arrives in the UK today and meets Nigel Wood and Rhodri Jones tomorrow. The RFL and RL Commercial still haven't received the details of any NRL proposal on paper. Perhaps after Thursday's meeting there will actually be something on the table and we can all stop guessing what the deal might be. I'm somewhat sceptical that an agreement will be reached but the urgency of the negotiations with broadcasters for a new Super League deal mean that the NRL needs to lay down its own proposal as soon as possible. Perhaps they believe they can make an offer the RFL can't refuse.

No, I imagine the impetus for getting Deloitte on board came from Eamonn McManus. I'm sure they will play a significant role in assessing any offer the NRL makes.

Check out the lates words of wisdom from me and my Aussie colleague Jake Kearnan. Among other things we discuss the logic of a possible bid for Nathan Cleary by Hull FC.

It was a successful meeting that could have very interesting consequences. Unfortunately I can't reveal anything at this stage.

Two years ago I wrote an article on how the NRL might handle expansion, suggesting they plan to add one club every four years, which would give each new club enough time to bed in before the next one was added. I suggested appointing a senior official specifically to oversee the expansion policy, which would involve liaising with local government and other major figures in the target cities. That was before the decisions made on Perth and PNG. I still think they should have followed my model. https://www.totalrl.com/nrls-multiple-choices-on-expansion/

Is there any reason why the NRL should stick at 20 clubs? There's a strong rationale for a new club to the west of Brisbane but also for Christchurch. 20 is by no means a magic number compared to 21 or 22.

I'm not a fan of this particular article.