Magic XIII

Agree, w/o the IMG grading it's conceivable Hughes might have dug deep and put a competitive side together.

It's not for IMG to restore London, it's David Hughes as the current custodian. If he isn't able or doesn't want to, then he should find someone who will (easier said than done) or we, the fans, have to accept where we are at.

Like all things Broncos, several highs - World Club Championship beating Canberra, 2nd in league, McLinden, Hill, Retchless, Gill, Wardy, vibrant bar and post match music, kids zones and lows - Gus Mackay, heavy defeats, heavy opening night defeats, downward trajectory, falling out (again) with landlords ....... and funnies, Warrington fan(s) burning jerseys after getting flogged, will always stick with me!

Is currently a basket case, ill run and underperfomring since the 00s. Done well, it would be a different story.

I hate comparing to Aus but NRL franchise based (with the glass ceiling) below which hugely popular, well supported, TV screened, vibrant Queensland and NSW Cup competitions, some teams twinned with NRL clubs. It's a mind set thing, with SL being seen as the be all and end all.

NRL might fancy dipping their toes in the SL water. What does Greater London / SE offer, that M62 doesn't and the NRL are desperate to find ? Untapped potential player pool. Buy Broncos for a song from DH, put in place capable off field staff and most importantly a well structured player identification and development programme.

I have never known Meadows position, he is awful, a turnstile in defence and a poor mans Lee Gakell in attack. I would begrudge giving him the water to run on.

In my time connected with London Junior League they have done very very little other than turn up to the end of season Origin Series and promote their pathways. Granted the London League runs clubs from Ipswich to Bromley, Elmbridge to Hemel, ie a huge area.

Says their involvement in SL this year is pointless from the IMG perspective for 2025, and as a result, the squad they have assembled has no recognisable w/class talent that folk will tune in to watch.

St Albans (Hertfordshire) straight to Haydons Road, perfect, then 10mins walk. Only been a couple of times but other than one way 90mins, its an ok experience, IF the team are competing.

Year 1 is the embryo, stick with it and by year 5 the investment of time and money will come to fruition. Everything has to start somewhere !!

Thank goodness for some big picture thinking on what is a well planned, highly financed, well produced investment vs some small fry minor issue. M62 thinking yet again.

Actor, Mike Walling, sadly now deceased was a big Salford fan and spent many summer Saturday afternoon in 00/10s watching St Albans Centurions.

David Hughes will be fed up of funding a decent academy set up and having the best harvested off for little gain. Now he is saying 'up yours' to the RFL, if you want to tap into development potential outside the saturated M62 corridor, you need to do it with your own money. Cuttign his nose of, possibly, but understandable.

Plans - hahaha