Martyn Sadler

In the latest League Express podcast, editor Martyn Sadler and host Jake Kearnan discuss the weekend's results, they preview this weekend's Challenge Cup Quarter Finals, the rumours around Hull FC, whether South Sydney will make a move for Sam Burgess and Wigan re-signing superstar Bevan French.

Can I echo that from everyone at League Publications and, I'm sure, everyone on this forum.

Check out our latest discussion. Jake Kearnan and I discuss the weekend's results including whether Hull KR are contenders or pretenders, Saints' impressive win over the Premiers and the prospect of an NRL Europe competition. We also discuss the International Rugby League meeting taking place in Singapore in two weeks, the NRL's record breaking attendances and the expansion of the NRLW to 12 teams next year.

If there was a completely open draw for 32 clubs that included 12 SL clubs and 20 non-SL clubs, the average draw would include two all-Super League matches, six matches between two non-Super League clubs and eight matches between SL clubs and non-SL clubs, with four each expected to be at the home of the SL and non-SL clubs respectively. I think that would be a pretty good combination of fixtures for an opening round. Last night I was at Bradford Bulls and I had the chance to speak to Frank Slevin, the Chair of RL Commercial about the Cup. I'll be continuing that conversation with him next week so I'll be happy to put your thoughts to him as well as my own.

I think the idea of converting the Magic Weekend into the Challenge Cup Quarter-Final weekend, with all four ties being played at one venue in one day, has some potential if we could find a venue that would stage it at the required date. I've proposed this myself in the past. But it all has to be part of a bigger review of the Challenge Cup. I take your point about keeping Super League clubs apart from each other in the earlier round, but I think that would detract from the magic of the Cup, which is that it always used to be possible to see big clubs drawn together at that stage and, with one of them being knocked out, it gave other clubs an opportunity to take advantage of their absence in subsequent rounds. The USP of the Grand Final is that the two best teams will face each other, whereas those same two teams may meet in the first round of the Challenge Cup and one of them will be out. That difference to distinguish the two competitions should be emphasised more than it is.

Thanks for your generous comment. Plenty of people are trying to work out how to revive the Challenge Cup and I'll be writing about it myself in the near future. The trouble with your proposal for Super League sides to all play away in the round of 32 is that it conflicts with the underlying ethos of the Cup, which is an open and unrestricted draw. That would mean that Wigan could draw St Helens in the first round, while in the same round Cornwall could draw Midlands Hurricanes, depending on how the cookie crumbles. I would be reluctant to depart from that principle as its part of the USP of the Challenge Cup, although we have moved away from it. I'm sure there's a way to restore its former prestige. As for joining the podcast, you never know, anything is possible as we build up the audience. Let me know if there is anyone you would particularly like to see on there with us.

In this week's episode of the League Express Podcast, Jake Kearnan and I are joined by Rugby League Great Garry Schofield OBE to discuss whether the Challenge Cup has lost its aura, poor attendances and what needs fixing at Hull FC. We also discuss the proposed Championship broadcasting deal, the injury casualty ward in the NRL and the controversy surrounding Wests Tigers playing at Leichardt Oval.

Check out the latest League Express Podcast. Editor Martyn Sadler and host Jake Kearnan discuss the weekend's results, Hull FC's problems, Scotland and Ireland losing their IRL membership, financial troubles at Featherstone and Championship reorganisation.

In this week's episode of the League Express Podcast, Jake Kearnan and I discuss all the weekend's results including the history making Salford Red Devils come from behind win at St Helens, the round 6 Challenge Cup fixtures and all the round 1 NRL action from the weekend. We also discuss Spencer Leniu's suspension for a racial slur against Brisbane Broncos stand-off Ezra Mam and discuss which English players impressed in the NRL debuts.

Not specifically, but it has a lot to do with the positive image for the game that is currently being created, with the games in Vegas being the culmination of that change. And I've no doubt there will be other examples over time.

As I said earlier, when you take calculated risks, you sometimes gain unexpected benefits. Who knows where the NRL will be after five years of Vegas.

It does to me too. Buy maybe that's why PVL runs the NRL and we don't. He isn't going to die wondering.

They would be grim if they were prime time figures. But, to put them into context, 61,000 for a game kicking off at 9.30pm EST (and which only transferred to Fox Sports 1 after 17 minutes) and 44,000 for a game starting at 11.30 EST may or may not be below the average figures for sport that commences at those times. That is the key test, although obviously the NRL would like the figures to be as high as possible. If the NRL is going to do a deal for regular coverage by Fox Sports, it needs to select a game each week that would kick off at a suitable time for a strong broadcast slot on the eastern seaboard of America. Ideally it would be a game that would be likely to have a full stadium.

Back in 1998, when we first had games on the road, it was me who originally proposed the idea to Gary Hetherington, who was then a key member of Super League (Europe). The cancellation of the World Club Challenge after its farcical operation in 1997 had left a gap in the fixture programme and Gary telephoned me and asked what I thought could fill it. So I proposed games 'on the road' to try to expand our audience. I remember going to a game between Halifax and Sheffield in Northampton, for example. But like many things in Rugby League it didn't last. I would be very happy to see the concept return.

Check out the latest edition of the League Express Podcast. In this week's episode, Jake Kearnan and I discuss the success of the NRL's season launch in Vegas, we reflect on Round 3 of this season's Super League competition and Jake suggests how the World Club Challenge game could fit into the NRL schedule to be played in Las Vegas next year.