Wakefield Ram

Because it comes with a huge risk to base the sustainability of a club on the wealth, whim and age of one person. Ken Davy is 84 for example.

I could also look up the post that said the £1.5m sent on the Championship/L1 could be better spent on Development Officers but have better things to do. Not sure that the many £miliions distributed to SL clubs over the last 30 years has produced that great ROI. Most would still be insolvent without wealthy benefactors propping them up. Leigh, Huddersfield and Hull KR wouldn't be anywhere without their owners bailing them out over many years. Salford's woes are down to not having a wealthy benefactor. Maybe there should be 10 IMG points for having a sugar daddy committed to pump money in long term?

I could also look up the post that said the £1.5m sent on the Championship/L1 could be better spent on Development Officers but have better things to do. Not sure that the many £miliions distributed to SL clubs over the last 30 years has produced that great ROI. Most would still be insolvent without wealthy benefactors propping them up. Leigh, Huddersfield and Hull KR wouldn't be anywhere without their owners bailing them out over many years. Salford's woes are down to not having a wealthy benefactor. Maybe there should be 10 IMG points for having a sugar daddy committed to pump money in long term?

If you look back Dave T put that the £1.5m money distributed to Championship and L1 would be better spent on development officers etc...

Promotion will now be done by Nigel Wood.

Correct. Player pathways, match official pathways, cup competitions, support for international matches, hey even having clubs ready to replace failing clubs like Salford.....unless SL wants to reduce further in size to 11 clubs. The sport is a pyramid.

Nigel Wood is tearing it up to get Bradford Bulls into SL. This will further lower playing standards in SL and there's no plan for the non-SL clubs. It's a joke. So much for the game being re-imagined by IMG. It's now just being made up on the spot by Wood.

Really? You seemed to think that paying players in lower leagues was a waste of money. Any debate about SL numbers has a direct impact on Championship and L1 and all the other points. With no "lower leagues" SL would be stuck with Salford or do you think they could be replaced by an NCL side?

See Salford squad numbers up to 56

Otherwise known as overpaying retiring Aussies some of whom can barely be arsed to play. So SL couldn't survive without ageing Australians? Without the "lower leagues" you'd be stuck with Salford next season or shrinking the M62 League to 11 clubs...

And wonder how many £millions have been wasted over last 30 years on boosting the retirement funds of ageing past their best players from Down Under.....?

Only if you've got enough IMG points or are on Nigel Woods list

So 3 players out of 500 is a pretty feeble excuse. Without the "lower leagues" where would match officials come from? Where would all those DR players from SL get their game time and development? I remember players like Liam Hood, Brad Singleton having long loan periods at Dewsbury in the Championship at the start of their career. Where would they have played and developed without the "lower leagues"? Maybe SL clubs would have had to pay for their own Reserve Grade teams? DR has saved SL a fortune. As for ROI, exactly what have Salford, Huddersfield, Castleford delivered this season? And without "lower leagues" you'd be stuck with Salford next year as there'd be no team to promote. You could ask what have SL clubs delivered when the majority of them after 30 years of SL and Sky money are still dependent on wealthy benefactors to keep them out of insolvency? And a standard of play substantially below that of the NRL?

Any suggestions what happens to the teams below SL? I know that would take some forethought and actual planning.....

Any TV deal will be based on the number of subscribers/advertising revenue value to Sky plus a basic need to fill their timeslots. There is no alternative broadcaster willing to put substantial money in. Sky will enter any negotiations with a starting bid and a maximum figure.