JonM

Which part? Very few adults play RL. It used to be that you could have pub teams or factory teams etc. Anybody playing RL as an adult today even at the lowest level is likely a serious weightlifter and in a job/ life situation where you can afford to deal with broken bones or other injuries reasonably often. It's not like cricket or soccer or many other sports where almost any able bodied person under the age of 50 or so could get a game.

Must be some chance of further problems for this game? Doncaster are now flying on the day of the game, and while the strike ends today, I'd imagine the disruption will continue into the weekend with lots of planes being in the wrong places and so on.

No. I think people see it as a problem because of the perception of there being five drives and a kick, then the other team does five drives and a kick and so on, and it can seem like there's not much variety, and this is a way to produce variety. I think the actual problem is that RL used to be mostly about what happened between the tackles, and now it's mostly about what happens during the tackle - who wins the wrestle, how long can you delay the next play the ball for without being penalised, and so on. A big part of gameplay now is about winning the collision and getting to the next collision faster than the other team wants (attack) or slower (defence). Very much like phiggins suggestion of second attacker joins means the tackle is completed, although as with all rule changes, there will be unintended consequences as coaches find ways to take advantage of it. I think there's a separate argument that the game has become too difficult to referee (compared with most other sports) and too difficult for most adults, even very fit young men, to play.

Perhaps Matt ought to read his own publication, which is where I got the info from

T.O had over £1.5 million in corporate income in the championship last season (2024). It's their biggest source of income - more than the amount they get from paying spectators. I'd be surprised if that's true for any other club, maybe Leeds?

Oldham would seem in many ways a safer bet than York, who are sometimes mentioned in these sort of discussions.

No point booking anything this soon. There might be a terrorist incident on a different continent. Or a pandemic that stops RL players from traveling but not cricket, soccer or rugby union players. Or someone's cousin might be getting married.

I don't think it is, because he was talking in the book about looking forward to trips refereeing at Gloucester and Hemel, and I doubt he would've been told to influence the outcome of games at Championship one/ League one.

Had the operation on his knee at the end of May and at the time, it was said he would probably miss the Ashes. Maybe his prognosis has improved. The squad (once again) highlights either what a small talent pool we have, or how well we do for the size of the playing pool we have, depending on your point of view. Four players out of the 32 played as a junior for Halton Farnworth Hornets, one of several junior clubs in Widnes. Probably there are other amateur clubs with bigger representation.

Should've read the earlier pages of this thread then (Or not, if you didn't want to spoil the surprise, I suppose...)

60-14 win for the home team on Saturday, with Jarrod Sammut and 10 Malta-based players involved. Part of a week long training camp in preparation for playing the Netherlands and Serbia in European Championship Group B later in the year. https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2533/malta-xiii-stun-university-of-exeter-60-

Sheffield were 14-0 up against Batley, before Batley won 24-14, with Eagles scoreless in the second half. Guess which team was playing downhill in the second half? (It wasn't Batley...)

2 456 for Barrow v Bradford, pretty decent. 1300+ for Halifax v Oldham at Odsal

Hunslet have looked pretty good in several matches recently. Losing Kobe Rugless to Salford must have been a blow. Like many teams, very little depth, so you're going to get some variable performances depending on who's injured. John Kear's return to Batley seems to have paid off. Bottom four relegation play-off places not locked in yet, but a 6 point gap with 10 games to play is a fair amount to make up, particularly with Widnes having all of the bottom three still to play at home.

York v Fev here, if anyone isn't already aware: