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Sincere apologies for the recent lengthy period of downtime on the TotalRL.com Fans Forums. Suffice to say, it's been a bit of a nightmare trying to rebuild the thing almost from scratch, but everything should be back online now. It's inevitable after a major database rebuild that there will be a few glitches. If you spot anything a bit strange going on, please either post the details here or send me a PM. I've been working round the clock on this for the past five days, and it is now midnight on Wednesday, so I'm off to bed, hoping when I wake up tomorrow it will all still be up and running!! Fingers crossed...

Tbf that game was against Bradford so even though their may have not been a 4k+ crowd in attendance had it not been played on the Friday before MW it would have still attracted a healthy crowd. As a born and bred Geordie who had no previous interest in Rugby League until I was hooked by Magic Weekend being hosted here I started following Widnes Vikings 3 years ago after the first MW (thanks to them supporting the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation) and have travelled down to Widnes several times to watch them play. However just last month with us being at a bit of a loose end and with the weather being nice and hot we decided to go and watch Newcastle Thunder v Whitehaven to fill in a Sunday afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very good, entertaining game, friendly atmosphere and my 5 year old son got a high five off all the Thunder players at full time which he was absolutely buzzing about! He begged us to take him to the next game, which we did, and I'm pleased to say he seems hooked on it. He even managed to persuade us to buy him a replica top which he never has off his back and we've also bought half season tickets for the rest of this season. There's a huge catchment area up here and it's great to see the club growing from what it was just a few years ago. Hopefully it continues.

The negative crew might want to look away now.... Some great stats to come out of the North East from 2018 More to come in 2019!! The game is alive and kicking

What's more embarrassing is the standard of spelling and punctuation.

You know...... looking through Twitter and reading this site I wonder why some so called RL fans even watch the sport. I'm actually disgusted by some of the things I read. We complain that the UK media and broadsheets misrepresent the sport and have an agenda to kill off RL but the most dismissive statements I see are from people that claim to be supporters. Back in the days it used to be London that were solely on the receiving end of the paranoia. Now I'm pleased to see that the negativity has shifted onto other clubs. As a London supporter I always used to hear: 1. London don't deserve to be in the top flight, Keighley were robbed 2. People in London only watch football 3. Yr moving the game away from the communities that care about it 4. We're just a bunch of Aussies and we have no kids Attention was then shifted onto the French clubs TO and Catalan 1. French RL is dead 2. Make them start from the bottom 3. The crowds won't come RU has taken over 4. Don't bring away fans Then the Wolfpack became the target 1. It's pie in the sky 2. I'll believe it when I see it 3. No one cares about RL in NA 4. Eric Perez has a hidden agenda 5. They don't bring away fans 6. We should concentrate on Cumbria Toronto fans will be pleased to know that before a ball has even been kicked, Liverpool RLFC are the new whipping boys. Some of the negativity I've read on them has already reached astronomical proportions. It's unbelievable, what the F is wrong with people? So far I've heard. 1. Better not have red or blue as the kit or club colours they'll alienate half the city. 2. Scousers only care about football. 3. I hate Koukash and that Backhouse fella I hope they fail. 4. All the other Liverpool rl clubs were unsuccessful so this one will be. 5. If Scousers don't watch Saints, Wire or Widnes games why would they go and watch these lot? 6. I asked my mates at work and they said they wouldn't go. 7. If the ground is based in (insert name of Liverpool suburb) no one will go, it's not really in Liverpool 8. What has Koukash done at Salford? 9. Their Twitter account is rubbish 10. Scousers don't watch rugby 11. If Koukash wants to throw his money down the drain it's up to him I mean, seriously come on people. Do you want this great sport to flourish? Do you want more sponsorship? Stop being negative, stop putting the sport down. Or here's a suggestion just watch another sport. Alot of RL fans just want to keep the sport in small towns and villages and will be the first to talk down anything that helps the sport be competitive on a national basis. We need to do better.

I don't know about that but what I do know is that the title of this thread is an embarrassment to our education system.

Please, add your own contributions. It will help new fans feel at home if they can quickly master the patois. WE are robust, physical and direct. THEY are a bunch of dirty thugs. WE have a defensive line that moves up fast. THEY are permanently offside. TRY FOR US WITH NO VR: About time the referee trusted his own judgement, just like the good old days. TRY FOR THEM WITH NO VR: For God's sake, the technology's there for a reason. This isn't the 1950s, you know! WE put players through with crisp, flat passes. THEY chuck it a mile forward. Every time! OUR 'experimental' kit is a bold and brave design choice. THEIR 'experimental' kit makes my eyes want to vomit. WE boo the opposition kicker because we are passionate and want our team to win. THEY boo the opposition kicker because they have no class or sportsmanship. OUR home-town referee is overcompensating in an attempt to appear impartial. THEIR home-town referee is their team's 14th man. WE SIGN A VETERAN AUSSIE: bags of experience, and a proven leader. THEY SIGN A VETERAN AUSSIE: never was any good, and now only fit for the knacker's yard. WE TACKLE round the chest or shoulders. THEY TACKLE like a bunch of Borneo head-hunters. PENALTY AGAINST US: Just have a word, ref. Common sense and all that. PENALTY AGAINST THEM: You will be taken from here to the place from whence you came and there be kept in close confinement until the day, and upon that day that you be taken to the place of execution and there hanged by the neck until you are dead. And may God have mercy upon your soul.

The Catalans are absolutely right. Delighted they are forcing the issue.

Dear Parksider, After reading your posts for a year or more, it's obvious you have RL knowledge and passion. It's also pretty obvious you don't want Toronto in RL. We get it. You also seem to have a lot of time on your hands, as most posts you make against TWP tend to be 1000 - 2000 word essays. But maybe it's time to take a rest on the topic. We TWP fans, are just that, fans. We also come to TotalRL to enjoy ourselves. In my case, also to further educate myself. We enjoy being in the UK Rugby league. We're paying our money, enjoying the matches, drinking a pint or two at the games, and generally having a great time. And our team has done a pretty darned good job in only 2 years. Yes, the Wolfpack haven't turned rugby league into a national sport in Canada. Other sports have about 150 year head start. But we are promoting the game, and done some promotion at a participation and grass roots level. I'd be surprised if any other club has had as much of an impact as the Wolfpack in terms of winning, attendance, worldwide TV promotion, creation of a highly professional back office and marketing organization, gameday experience, and general spreading the word, in the first 2 years of their existence in a brand new market, let alone a brand new country to the sport. In fact.. I'm 100% certain of that. In fact UK teams are asking the Wolfpack for advice. So maybe it's time to just let things go a bit. Every thread with the word Toronto in the title doesn't have to turn into a personal mission for you, We're doing our best. Do I expect this post to make a difference with you? No, not really. But one can hope.

I was always a strong cheerleader of Manchester Rangers bid to join the league structure and I've been frustrated that they've been kept waiting for so long and not been given the green light. My overriding thoughts were always that, if the rfl cannot see the benefits of having a well run big city club on the doorstep of its heartlands there's a problem. My second thoughts were, well what if the bid just isn't strong enough, perhaps they don't have a good business case or the bid ownership team do not meet the fit and proper persons criteria. I've been really disappointed to hear over the past few weeks and days along the grapevine how strong the bid actually was and this is a huge opportunity missed. - The bid was endorsed by Andy Burnham the mayor of Manchester - Recommended by the RFLs own consultant Ken Jones following a due diligence exercise - A board full of successful businessmen with proven financial acumen - Five star facilities at the Etihad Regional arena http://www.totalrl.com/rfl-consultant-slams-opportunity-missed-in-manchester-decision/ The decision to decline their bid was not even voted on by clubs. This is living proof that Ralph Rimmer has no vision for this sport, there is no opportunity for a well to do and ambitious organisation that adds value to the sport to enter and get bums on seats. The people that run this sport are still stuck in the old world and unfortunately the sport has been overtaken by boxing, union and many other sports because of this. The sport just isn't adapting to a global world which communicates via social media. The only way the situation improves is if the leadership is replaced. The next tv deal is due soon and I don't think the future is too bright for the sport as a brand or tv sport. Let's not kid ourselves, a lot of change needs to take place if the sport is to capitalise on the opportunities it has now.

Sorry to interrupt the petty squabble, but, anyone investing in RL at any level is welcome. I don't really care what Argyle's motives are, if this helps Skolars to move on then great. If it helps TWP get over the early season problem great. If it means more money coming into the game at the lower levels, fantastic. If it puts a few noses out of joint, who cares.

Sometimes you've just got to hold your hand up and say you were wrong. Steve McNamara has received a huge amount of stick - I've been front and centre with some of that since he joined the Dragons. However, what looked a lost cause has seen Catalans become one of the form teams over the last dozen games. Sitting in 6th with a game to go is a brilliant recovery. Not only a culture change in Perpignan but the team seems to be throwing it about too. I was wrong. Well done Steve, and Bernard G for holding his nerve when everyone said pull the trigger. The Dragons are back!

Nicked off Twitter, possibly from one of you lot. Makinson and Thompson ran a combined 326m today. Yesterday the entire England Union team ran 319m. They can keep their kicks #EngvNz

I have never heard you make these points before. Thanks for starting a new thread to rehash them.

Well done to BBC (I know we don't say this very often!) but the pre-game feature on French RL and the Nazi/Vichy connections to RU and the injustices suffered by RL have for far too long been hidden away. Hope this gets a lot more publicity!

Constantly hearing that we are in a weak position and heading for a big drop in TV income at the next contract negotiation - it is always interesting to see how we are doing viewers-wise at the moment. There is probably little point in comparing versus previous years as there are so many variables, so just focusing on top 10's and competition across the Sports channels. A few interesting snippets: - w/e 6th May: Thursday Premier League Darts (remember how Hearn was telling us how much more popular darts is?) - 89k (across Action and Main Event - ie a premium slot). Thursday Super League (RL - the sport that nobody watches and nobody knows the names of players) - 138k (across Arena and Mix - also a premium slot) NRL vs Super Rugby - identical slots sees the NRL trump SR - 21k vs 13k (this is a regular occurance). - w/e 27th May: Rugby League takes 7 of the 10 slots on Arena. More people watched the regular Super League games than watched the England v Barbarians RU game on the Sunday afternoon. Summer Bash attracted around 200k cumulative viewers. Peaking with c50k for the headline games each day. Freesports are now on BARB: Rugby AM at number 1 with 49k Backchat at number 3 with 25k NCL at 6th with 14k There are many other examples of us doing some good stuff and having good numbers out there. We should be pushing this narrative much more, instead of letting Hearn tell us how ###### we are.

I've counted those people and there's at best 1500. Had this bar been in the heartlands there would have been at least 10000 punters. Let's focus on the local bars that are actual drinkers rather than these here today gone tomorrow shandy merchants. You know it makes sense.

If that is the reason then the RFL are a complete joke. Either have these teams in the structure and treat them properly or don't bother. Certainly do not try to make them pay for your own incompetence.

With Rugby League in the UK experiencing the Issue of current stars of game being unknown by the wider public. When in the past leading players were more widely known. It is time to ditch Sky Super League Robot Intro... to show actual footage of the stars of the game performing with amazing skill . No wonder the general UK public have difficulty naming Rugby League stars when Sky Sports Super League intro is faceless animated robots playing the sport to ###### music.

Seen in a fishing village in Cornwall this evening:

Rugby League is growing in popularity in the North East as Newcastle Thunder report they are welcoming more fans to Kingston Park stadium than ever before, with a 29% rise in attendances compared to the same period last year. Over 9,000 fans have poured through the turnstiles at the seven home games held so far this season, resulting in an average of 1,289 as the club continues to grow. Specific highlights have included a bumper attendance of 4,137 at the Magic Night Out fixture against Bradford Bulls and two attendances of over 900 fans against York and Coventry, that have surpassed the 917 average achieved last season. The scale of the growth that Thunder are enjoying is further highlighted when compared to the final season at Gateshead International Stadium in 2014 when an average of 249 fans attended during the season. That figure means that since moving to Kingston Parks Stadium in 2015, the club’s attendances have grown by more than 400% And with half season tickets now on sale to cover the final six home games of the year, offering supporters the chance to save the equivalent cost of two match-day admission tickets, Thunder are hopeful this season’s average figure will rise yet further. General Manager Jordan Robinson said: “To be averaging over 1,000 fans at our home games is a big marker for the club that shows real progression that comes from a combination of hard work from all the staff and our ever improving involvement with local clubs. “We’re welcoming more and more new fans to our match-days who are enjoying what they are experiencing and are coming back for more and with some big games to come, in terms of our pushing for the promotion play-offs, we’re hoping that growth will continue through the rest of the season.” http://www.thunderrugby.co.uk/general/crowds-on-the-rise-at-newcastle-thunder/

I've started writing this post a few times without success. I just don't know what to say. It is absolutely disgusting and idiotic that people that run a sport seem to care so little about the stability, organisation and public perception of its premier competitions. This is literally the only sport, ONLY SPORT, where the governing body would treat some of their most important clubs so badly. The 3 overseas teams are supposed to be the teams we are nurturing and giving as much help as possible to grow. By demanding money we might as well be threatening them with a knife and mugging them. It's almost like people in charge don't want the game to grow. Instead of demanding money if anything the RFL should be giving them money, subsidising their travel and fans away tickets or something along those lines or instead of moaning about low final attendances they could have done discounts for fans of other teams, put on free or discounted travel to get people to go instead of sitting round whinging. They should be giving them as much aid as possible to ensure they grow. Catalans and toulouse could be major teams in French sport in general but it isn't gonna happen with the idiots at the RFL in charge. Catalans are gonna parade the trophy at Barcelona. There is a reason football is as massive as it is. There is stability, there is a plan, the competitions do not get messed around every year and structures do not change constantly. People know what is going on. It is a joke that the RFL could potentially have created a situation where the defending champions of their most famous competition will not compete and any potential new fans in Barcelona, football fans, will just see us as a laughing stock, as will the general public (who already do) when the media catch hold of it. The challenge Cup is the one thing in our game that the governing bodies around the world haven't basically ripped apart but I guess it was only a matter of time. There is nothing wrong with the actual sport, nothing wrong with the actual game, it is the greatest sport in the world but the people that run it are, quite frankly, morons, and I hope to God they read this forum because I'm really reaching the end of my tether with them. They go on about attendances dropping but they don't realise that so many fans are walking away because they are fed up with this sort of thing. It is so frustrating how badly they treat our sport! The 3 overseas teams are absolutely right in not paying any money to those greedy ####s! I think that's everything I wanted to say.

More people should support the Wolfpack and what they are doing....we will simply drag RL into the modern era if we have to . JUST WATCH US! "Moving Forward With The Pack!"

It really does make you sit up and make you proud when you have people like Romeo working tirelessly for the love of the game and to improve people’s livelihoods https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/jamaicas-rise-to-international-fame-has-been-difficult-but-worth-it-admits-romeo-monteith/ Jamaica’s director of rugby Romeo Monteith has opened up on just how difficult it has been to get Jamaica on the rugby league map. Jamaica’s Reggae Warriors became the first Caribbean nation to qualify for the Rugby League World Cup when they defeated USA 16-10 in Jacksonville last weekend. JRLA director of rugby Monteith, back in his native Kingston, has been there from the start, part of the founding board in 2004 and subsequently the RLEF development officer for the region, and is just beginning to appreciate the implications of his unstinting work. “It is incredible to think that Jamaica is going to be in front of millions of people in 2021,” Monteith says. “It means a great deal for all the people who have sacrificed so much and all the boys who funded their own way to represent their country and families at the qualifiers; all of us who were laughed at and ridiculed and told we were wasting our time. “There has been so many sacrifices over the years. I’ve had very little social life for almost a decade or interest outside rugby league, to be honest, I’ve just been driven to achieve objective after objective and give as many Jamaicans as possible the chance to experience this wonderful sport. “I’ve not been able to play much either, I’ve been stuck refereeing, coaching and administrating even when I was in my prime – and I do love giving a good bump off or shoulder charge, when they were legal!” he laughs. “Many times I’ve contemplated stopping,” Monteith continues. “Family is so important and sometimes when the sport you love threatens to tear you apart from the people you love… it becomes tough. It’s also been so hard when we haven’t got a field in Jamaica to play on, seeing kids I care about bruise and break bones, kids I’ve trained and am responsible for. “Traveling has given me so much perspective. Seeing the game played in the UK or Toronto or Jacksonville with hundreds or thousands of passionate fans has kept me hopeful.” Monteith is already thinking about possible legacy from his nation achieving their qualification dream at the third attempt, having missed out to the USA in 2013 and 2017. “I hope it’s a home for Jamaica Rugby League. We just want a field with a changing room and club house, where there is no one to chase us away and the kids can play safely,” he acknowledges. “I hope our government, corporate Jamaica, everyone on the island and the millions in the diaspora give support and respect to this team and sport, because it’s great for building character in young men and women. I think Jamaica will be everyone’s second favourite team.” Monteith also has on-field plans for the build-up to 2021. He says: “We need annual games against World Cup-bound teams to improve, and we need to build the America’s Championship up to raise the profile of the game in the region. “Hopefully, other Caribbean islands will take note and have more than passing interest in the sport.” He adds a fitting tribute. “Allow me to pay homage to Paul Morris, who we consider the father of Jamaica rugby league. He was director of rugby from the start in 2004 to his death in 2009. Along with his wife Sue, they laid a solid foundation for us and trained us in administrative techniques. “Keith Jackson and William Masterton must be mentioned too, they financed the sport at the very beginning when everyone around us was laughing, telling us Jamaicans don’t play rugby league. Hopefully, those who did will now celebrate with us.” “These have been such wonderful displays by Jamaica in a sport in which we have not been traditionally strong,” said the nation’s sports minister Olivia Grange, in a message to the team on their success in becoming the eleventh nation of sixteen to be confirmed for the 2021 tournament in England. “Not just the players, but the coach, the manager and all others around the team deserve our highest regard and as the minister of sport it is my great pleasure to convey those sentiments to them as we laud the magnificent performance that has once again created history for Jamaica.”

You rarely see a club put its whole squad in one of these pics.

https://www.manchesterrangers.co.uk/rangers-form-inaugural-manchester-schools-league/ Five High Schools will take part in the first Manchester Schools League.

There's something about this that doesn't sit right with me. For decades, players choosing to play Rugby League were banned from Union and often ostracized by their previous clubs and communities, I would rather our sport didn't take that attitude. Irrelevant of whether Eastmond is good enough to come back, the pathway should be there.

Played at Stade Ernest Wallon,. Toulouse behind at half time 16-6 before scoring 40 unanswered points in second half. Great result allround for the French club. Whets the appetite for how a competitive Toulouse club playing at the same venue would go in Super League. Close Previous Next

So small time in fact that we got only 11 fewer hits from this thread as from the RLIF website itself! Not going to dispute the conspiracy theories at the top of the post. Think what you like. The page has actually been there for two months but they started promoting it on social today, which has helped. I didn't want to be purely a journalist anymore (still do some) because I was bored with it. Time to do something different. I have a few other things going on, but none of them terribly profitable. Mascord Brownz has so far earned me less than 1000 pounds - and that's in 15 months. I've started working as UK Business Development Manager for Red Star Belgrade, which is basically what Martin Vickers does for the Wolfpack. But just two or three hours a week for pocket money. And I've done content for RLWC2021.com from the World Cup qualifiers. I hope it continues but can't say for sure it will. Had no money all year but had the best time, just waking up and acting on any idea that has come into my head. I just do what interests me and live on on not much money. Bliss!

https://www.castlefordtigers.com/article.php?id=6085 Turnover increased by £1.4m to £6m and this growth was driven by increased gate receipts, sponsorship, record merchandise sales and record bar sales. The increase has generated a record profit of £691,000 for 2017.

He was, he can't now. Busy on a Sunday...

Just scrolling through twitter and facebook this morning at the pathetic and unjustified abuse hurled at Toronto (and new fans just having a fun day out) is one of the most depressing things I have seen in a while. What must these guys think of our sport and its fans? RL "the greatest game"! BTW only "we" are allowed to enjoy it, be in the top flight and only play teams that can bring a few bus loads of fans from the nearby town. Sad, sad, sad. I am pretty close to being done with this #### for a while TBH.

Plan B is exactly the same as Plan A, but its written in French.

Over 8k home support, fly to all away games, have a tv deal to televise the games... Why does the powers that be not want them in SL and prefer 2-4k home support clubs with no extra tv deals and no new market opportunities???

It's a big day at Pennine Way this Saturday when the Stags' junior teams contest semi finals at all age groups for a place in the London & South East Grand Finals on July 21. Under 13's - Hemel Stags v Elmbridge (10am) Under 14's - Hemel Stags v Eastern Rhinos (12.15pm) Under 16's - Hemel Stags v Brentwood (11.15am The Stags teams are coordinated by full-time Community Manger Luke Ashton and are coached by Shane Hurley (U16's), Dan Stocks (U14's} and Ashley Gingell (U13's) - all of whom are products of previous Hemel Stags junior teams.

http://www.totalrl.com/newcastle-thunder-aiming-for-big-things-on-and-off-the-field-in-2019/ With big names such as Bradford and York securing promotion from League 1 last season, and the third-tier being reduced to just 11 teams, it may be easy for casual rugby league fans to pay less attention to the competition in 2019. However, do so at your peril – because you may well miss one of the most encouraging stories across the whole of the professional game. Newcastle Thunder are arguably the most ambitious club in League 1, underlined by the fact they are targeting promotion into the Championship this season – a feat many are tipping them to achieve given their impressive recruitment drive thus far. However, in a sport where participation numbers are falling across the board, it is what the Thunder are doing beneath first-team level which deserves a platform all of its own. Newcastle, rather than the RFL, take the leading responsibility for the running of rugby league in the North East at all levels, a strategic move which is already paying huge dividends. As general manager Jordan Robinson explains to TotalRL: “It’s very similar to the model you see in Australia. We’ve got 12 clubs up here now in the North East and some of them have got Open Age sides, while some haven’t – so it’s our job and our responsibility to grow that as well as grow ourselves. “But our participation numbers are rocketing; in three years, they’ve gone up 19%. We’ve got over 1,300 players registered to play at local clubs across the North East – and while we know it’s not massive just yet, if we look at the fact we’re growing that number year-on-year, it’s hard not to be excited about what we’re putting in place.” Underlined by their intent to administrate North East rugby league at all levels rather than allowing other bodies to do so, it is clear Newcastle are not afraid to do things differently. But it quickly becomes apparent from speaking with Robinson that the community is at the heart of every decision they make – including planning first-team fixtures. “When we get our League 1 fixtures every year, we arrange community fixtures around them so it all fits in and nobody feels like they’ve got to miss anything,” Robinson reveals. “Our local finals day will always be at our stadium to try and put on a show, and we’ll always try and make our kids feel like superstars when they play here, with a big screen up for parents to watch the games. “The biggest gripe from a lot of community clubs elsewhere across the country is that professional teams cherry-pick the best juniors, spit them out and eventually cast them aside. We’ve tried to move away from that and said we won’t just develop who we think are the best – we’ll develop everyone. Any junior player that wants to get involved with the Thunder can do so.” The Thunder’s remit for developing rugby league in the North East is not just limited to Newcastle itself, either. Robinson says: “Edinburgh Eagles are now in our structure, Glasgow are hopefully going to do the same and we’ve a club in Middlesbrough that went from nine kids playing there to 64 in just two years. We don’t have a lot of resources given to us so we’re putting our own money in and relying on volunteers, but we do what we can. “There used to be four or five full-time coaches across the region but what you’d get with that is a bit of complacency when it came to how we develop the sport. Participation wasn’t as high then as it is now with no full-time staff – and of course, it helps that the club are picking up a bit.” Robinson’s assertion that things have picked up ‘a bit’ with Newcastle is an understatement. Crowds have gone up five-fold in just two years, with the community again at the heart of their crowds, which regularly reach four figures – that should comfortably be the highest in League 1 in 2019. The Thunder’s owners, who also own rugby union side Newcastle Falcons, have invested in making the club a sustainable, profitable business – with junior development again their core philosophy. “People come down to see us and they can see a club on the rise now,” Robinson admits. “The owner sees the importance of solid foundations, and he’s paying community coaches to go into schools. We get half the funding Super League clubs do for our Academy; the owner makes up the rest. He invests each year because he wants this club to be built organically, from the ground up. Average attendances have gone from 200 to 1,000 in five years – it’s a phenomenal rise.” On the field, big names such as Liam Finn, Keal Carlile and Misi Taulapapa have arrived to bolster Jason Payne’s squad too – and Robinson is in no doubt about the goal for Newcastle’s first-team in 2019. “Everyone at the club is fully focused on gaining promotion,” he insists. “We’ve picked up some experienced signings that we’re really happy with – Liam is the big one, but there are others. We need to take the next step now and taking nothing away from the rest of the division, we expect to be really competitive. We’ve got a fantastic dual-registration agreement with Wakefield and we’re going to utilise it.” And if they handle their promotion push as well as they have the redevelopment of the community game in the North East, then League 1 had better be careful of the Thunder in 2019.

Talk about knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. How much positive publicity did the Catalan victory bring to the game, despite the relatively low attendance?

I hope everyone on this Forum has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. At times we do not agree or see eye to eye but at the end of the day we are all here for the same reason, the love of our great game. Enjoy yourselves and have a safe festive season.

I’d like to see a 7 foot 18 stone basketball,NRL,or union player play 70-80 minutes make 30+ tackles,take 20+ hit ups and run 150+ metres like the best of our “non” athletic forwards regularly do.

I'm absolutely astounded by some so called 'Rugby League Fans'. Here we have a group of people investing millions into the sport of Rugby League and all these people can do is try to dismantle and discredit the hard work that's bring done. Totally sad and pathetic.

So in summary, "where there's a will there's a away." It seems to me that some people have decided first and foremost they just don't want Toronto in our game and then set out looking for excuses, any excuses, to justify their prejudice.

For sure. I always cringe when I hear people complain about Toronto, Catalans not bring any fans. It just shows that far too many RL clubs operate in a mickey mouse mindset. Promote your club better so you can attract more HOME fans, who can attend every other match and not rely on a Bradford, Leeds, Wigan etc. to attend your place and be a panacea to your problems. It shows a lack of ambition and foresight. RL in this county needs to expand or it will continue to die a slow death. Focusing on the M62 and Cumbria is only preaching to the converted. RL needs to find new markets and be patient with these areas.

Someone on the match thread said they’d turned off the game because of the lines ? makes you wonder if some of the members of this forum actually like Rugby League

Went to an amazing crowd-counting event yesterday and a rugby league game broke out.

With maths like that, you can see why they might have trouble with the accounts.

Slowly recovering from yesterdays hectic, inaugural match atLenton Lane. I was a bit worried with the poor weather forecast for the day (it never stopped raining) but in the end it turned out to be a great occasion! Around 300 people in attendance despite the poor weather, great to see both stands packed and the pitch and surrounds looked fantastic, it really is a superb playing surface (probably helped by all the rain!) The match itself was a hard fought battle against a well drilled East Hull outfit, their defence was just too good and despite having periods of dominance and great field position we couldn't get across the whitewash for that elusive first try in our home ground as we ended up on the wrong end of a 26-0 scoreline. Most of the committee didn't care too much about the result, we lost out to a great team but in the bigger picture the the day was a resounding success! Afterwards the club house was packed until closing, we drank the bar dry and took more money in one game than we did in the whole of last season combined!

John, we all have differences of opinions on a wide variety of topics throughout this forum - that is what keeps it alive - but I am sure we will all agree, irrespective of which clubs we are interested in, that you do excellent work which we all thank you for.

Last season was the 20th Anniversary for the Coventry Bears. The club have done (imo) a great promotional video for the upcoming season. This is part of a series of promotional videos that will be going up on social media. Have a look at a brand new chapter for the Coventry Bears. Can't wait for next season now!

Today has debunked the following myths: 1. Expansion into France has failed 2. French players are squad players and not key players for Catalans 3. McNamara is a rubbish coach who won't win anything and doesn't know what he's doing. 4. No one watches Catalans away from home 5. The BBC secretly hate RL and promote union as much as they can. 6. Catalan cant win away from home. 7. The French bottle it in the big games 8. Richard Lewis was wrong to put Catalans into a British SL and protect them with liecensing. 9. Attendances matter and is what should be focussed on