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If Toronto get rejected, for whatever reason, I can see a noticeable decline in the game's already poor media standing. It was clear from day one their intentions. The RFL have had years to sort this out. If there was never any intention they'd be allowed in SL, they shouldn't have let them in in the first place.

Too small for a forward. Too slow for a back. Never passes the ball ever. Played for Wigan. A guaranteed flop in the NRL. He'll be lucky to get a reserve-grade spot. Oh, hang on... Seriously, he laid out his stall from game 1, and is thoroughly enjoying the big part he has played in a remarkable team performance this year.

Pathetic from Smith.

Keep things as they are and Swinton will struggle to exist. Its as simple as that. Swinton has no ties to the Swinton area and hasnt had for decades. Its a Club that has around 500 fans who are mainly over 40 years old. Its a Club in its current structure, dieing a slow death. The Club, like the rest in the lower League has to change and make some harsh decsions which will upset fans who live on emotion, but not reality. Swinton fans have probably killed off "Swinton" with the short sightedness, as who will pay for Swinton to keep alive now? What future does "Swinton" have? The reality is it will struggle to survive, like most in the future outside of SL. Changing the name to "Manchester" would not change anything, same as changing Halifax to Calderdale, Keighley to Bradford Cougars etc would change them clubs in a positive way. But if marketed properly and done in a way that combines the Old Supporter and Sponsor base with the new , then it could be a success. In Swintons case, it possibly would help the club maybe to bring in more or bigger sponsorship, thus giving the club a greater chance of survival. Sponsorsorship and Corporate Money brings in far more money than a couple of hundred fans will. Would "Swinton" losing even half of its fan base, hurt it that much should a couple of Sponsors come on board and possibly invest in the Club? No fan wants big changes that would possibly see a name change. But if it means the Club survives, then is it not worth it? Swinton like every other Club is a business that needs to adapt to survive. I cant understand why people cant see that. I am sure Mr Mazey and co could have done things better. He has probably kept the club alive and has invested much time, money and effort in it. He has a better understanding of how the club can survive than most fans. Its a shame that many fans cant see this. Abusing and threatening the board, has maybe cost the Swinton fans the club. There is no excuse for that. Its easy to criticize Mr Mazey and the BoD for the decisions they made, but its them that kept Swinton going , not the fans.

Let me be clear on my position here. TWP bought into the UK pyramid by taking no central funding and covering the additional travel costs that come with an NA team. If TWP are still offering that in SL, it is a no-brainer that they should be in. Without question, all the other detail around fixtures, quality of hotel etc can be worked through, none are show-stoppers. Any deviation from that base position though needs negotiation. Personally I'd give them central funding as long as they cover costs and we all share any future NA tv deal as we currently do.

TWP originally applied to join Super League. They were told, you have to start in League 1 and work your way up and you will get no central funding while you do this. Super League and the RFL have known from the start that Argyle's ambition was to play in Super League. If Wolfpack have "steamrollered the small clubs", that's down to the RFL and Super League for the entry conditions they imposed on Toronto. If Wolfpack win the playoffs and aren't admitted to SL, the bad publicity lands squarely on the shoulders of SL. So much utter nonsense in two paragraphs.

It's an argument that loses its merit when your own side lost to all other relegation threatened teams at home in the final 6 weeks or so of the season.

I think you are misinterpreting most peoples intentions on here. My guess is that virtually everyone on here is a genuine RL fan who wants the best for all our clubs - including Swinton. The effort and dedication of players, staff & fans of Swinton is without question & to be applauded. If Swinton grow and prosper by keep doing what they have been doing for the last 25 years then fine & good luck to you. But as a RL fan who wants to see the club successful, I just worry where the next generation of Swinton fans are going to come from. Will the youth of Swinton flock to Sale? Will the youth of Sale suddenly decide that it would be a great idea to start watching another towns team? Don't get me wrong, Just changing a name clearly isn't the answer to Swintons problems, however the name change may have just been the catalyst for long term positive change. The board of directors (most of whom appear to be genuine Swinton fans) who were the closest to the business side of the club have made it clear that in their opinion the club will struggle to continue long term by operating as it does at the moment. I genuinely hope I'm wrong & do wish Swinton all the best for the future in whatever path they chose to take.

Can they do the same analysis without trys and see who would have won the league just on pens and drop goals. Once that's done maybe see who would have won if left handed players weren't allowed to play.

We love the English players here in Canberra.

What if it was held at Rogers Centre in 2024 and it was rammed? What if Catalans get there and it is played in Marseilles in front of 60k? If you end up with 2 French clubs and a Canadian club in SL then eventually you will have to start understanding you have an 'international' league. At moment, it is we (existing northern clubs) hold a higher moral place than you, which is the reason RL is a small tin pot operation in the UK. Instead of embracing its international element, RL treats it like #### (the Challenge Cup bond a perfect example).

You might want to book your seat for next season to avoid disappointment

The st Helens charge is rubbish. The first game was a pretty decent side and they were 12-0 up. Plenty of teams got Catalans at their worst too.

The team that finished 2nd in the Championship last year and were huge underdogs for promotion managed to get the highest number of points for a bottom side in SL history and was joint bottom. For me, that shows promotion worked.

I simply don't know where to start........I've come to the conclusion that certain 'rugby league fans' want to keep the sport small time. Congratulations to them.

So after the drama of last night, we get to the business end of the season. Wigan vs Salford (Qualifier) next at the DW followed by Warrington vs Castleford (Eliminator) at the HJ. Should be two good games. Looking forward to them. Winner of the qualifier has the joy of going to Saints and the loser up again the winner of the Eliminator. Do enjoy this format; always my preferred option.

Unlucky York, and I know it's not over yet but what an incredible season, bloody great seeing a club like yours doing so well. Good luck next week and next season.

First game against Hull KR we rested Percival, Walmsley, Roby and Taia. London took advantage of us resting players, Hull KR weren't good enough to do so. It's strange to argue that Saints shouldn't be allowed to rest players for the sake of helping out teams who haven't been good enough.

I think some of the criticism here is odd. This is exactly the time to criticise the system, as he has done plenty of times. Now his team have survived it cant be dismissed as sour grapes. I dont agree with him necessarily, but while has constantly criticised relegation, as have many. The fact that the record-breaking winners of the LLS provided London with four points is really, really questionable no matter how many times people try and make out it was a normal occurrence. If this was a sport like boxing or horse racing it would be a scandal.

Whether it's the right time for Smith to air his views or whether he should have just let it lie is one thing but I agree with him about the two London Saints games. I am surprised that so many people are ok with Saints fielding an under strength team and losing. Maybe once is ok but twice against the same team seemed unfair to the other teams to me. And to clarify, I was hoping for London to stay up.

I think the article is BS personally. What we all should be commenting on as true fans of the game is the cracking match Toulouse just had against York. I am very excited to watch them play Toronto next week! That is the type of matchup that builds excitement in this sport. Interestingly, TO XIII drew 6000 fans when Toronto came there earlier in the season, far and away their highest attendance. Those are the type of match ups and events that are going to propel this sport forward in new markets!

I hope not, because it's stupid. If Toronto get beat by Toulouse next week, they shouldn't get a home final should they reach out. They lost that chance by losing.

No they won't because there is conscious discrimination against clubs that have come into our competition from other areas in the last couple of decades. Even London still get it. It is like something out of the dark ages and it's pathetic. One rule for one, and one for newbies.

Yeap seats in the new stand are expected to sell out fast !

I'm a general RL fan and I find Hull FC to be constant underachievers. They clearly have above average resource , a good fan base and an excellent stadium. Year after year their league efforts get worse. Inconsistent beyond belief and too many spanking. Radford seems a nice guy but also seems thick as a plank.His interviews with his constant exaggerated head and face scratching are embarrassing. I think his time is up. I also notice Hulls team always seems full of older players.

Could you move the Fev ground closer to Manchester Airport ? I have to take a bus to Lux airport, then a flight, bus to the car rental and then traverse the M62 and try and find the Fev ground. It's not convenient. In fact could you ask the management to move the Fev ground to Luxembourg? Far more convenient for me

I thought he might struggle in the pack in the nrl, but boy was I wrong. He's an outstanding player, I'm not sure there's been many who play so far above his weight. Be a ridiculous move if he's played at centre in the internationals.

Why didn't the Robins beat Saints when Saints sent out a weakened?

There's not really any need for Smith to comment on this in my opinion.

Btw, Wolfpack did some great engagement with the Canadian Armed Forces a couple of weeks ago: If I were the TWP and CRL, I would be looking to get Rugby League played in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Wow? How low does Smith want to drag his tarnished reputation with this kind of sore-winner whining?? Good coach. World champion bet-wetting whinger.

I agree, they are a quality side that play exciting football. Robin and Kheirallah are two of my favorite players in this competition. Robin is such a dynamic player and really pairs well with Ford. I think Toronto is better prepared this year than they were last year. The Super 8s were a real grind. Exciting stuff but you could see it wore the teams out near the end.

It’s generally been a bit closer but Toulouse do what Toulouse do and any slip up or mistake by York and they pounce on it and are ruthless

Toulouse are killing it. Should be a cracking match when they play Toronto next week! Toulouse score again, Robin the machine!

Utterly meaningless, without the loop fixtures the other results wouldn't be the same, the amount of variables that change are massive so there is no way you can take the home/away fixture results as being absolutes if the loop games were not played.

My comment was in respect of Tickle, runs lines the others dont even see mate, plus he directs the team all day long. Hardly misses a tackle either. Our form is not just down to those 3 you decided to highlight?

Age is the only thing against Fui, Tickle & Penky - all three have pulled their weight and been professional all season. You could argue Penky has not had the same effect as last season, IMO this is mainly down to his individual style of play that looks genius when it comes off and not so when it doesn't. Does any one know if they want to continue next season?

That would be a bit one-sided.

But will you accept they may be self-serving, narrow minded and inward looking Chairmen?

I'm sorry but Swinton,like a number of other similar clubs,offer very little to rugby league.They play from a hired ground,have little or no assets,a small but loyal band of supporters,dont really support the amateur/community game,so what do they offer other than tradition and the past. The rugby league cake is already spread too thinly.Two leagues of 14 sustainable clubs has to be the way forward,with those missing out going into a stronger pyramid,as in ru.

I’m not sure I like the positivity on this thread. So, having been to Norway, I can safely say that amount of funding will get you about 2 gin and tonics

Nope I am not saying that, nor wait for finalists. If potentially a quarter of your competition are from other countries, it is likely that they will get to GFs in time. The GF final at OT is great, however it was 10k under capacity last year and will be that or more so this year (that is with teams within ####### distance playing). You cannot run a whole competition with the (fingers crossed) hope that 2 well supported clubs make the final. That is an embarrassment. The RFL genuinely thought Wembley would be okay because Saints got there this year - they are bloody deluded!

A name change alone wouldn't have changed anything, but I doubt anyone was dumb enough to think that it would. The name change would come with a lot of hard work to make it stick. But the reaction to the attempt to try something new is sadly typical of so much small time, parochial thinking in the sport. I genuinely believe that some fans would rather their club be king of the ashes rather than a small part of something bigger. With fans like these, who needs enemies?

But regardless of that, they are withholding £1.9m from Toronto if they are promoted - £1.9m - £850k = +£1.05m (for SL clubs) If Leigh or York get promoted they will get £1.9m from SL - £1.9m -£1.9m = £0 (for SL clubs) So how does that work out? Who is worse off? It is ridiculous. They want their cake .... and they want to divvy up the 12/12 slice of SL funding between themselves too.

I was talking about London Broncos and the decline in their support, though you don't seem to have the brains to have perceived that. You're bringin brexit into this why exactly? Lol, I'm guessing from what you've posted that you're a "Brexiteer!"

I put that blog together and someone from the Batley club contacted me to say one of the home games was incorrect. I accepted his input and amended the average for 2019 to 1,335. I think it was a game where free tickets were made available and my figure may have excluded them. It made a huge difference anyway.

A sports club may well exist for the benefit of its supporters, but not entirely for their benefit. It has a responsibility to the game, too, and to it's financers, sponsors, players etc. A sports club has a responsibility to do its best for ALL stakeholders. If that means changing the name it plays under in order to attract new money, new sponsors, new players and above all, new supporters, that is what they must do. The club's responsibility to a segment of fans is not the top responsibility

Thank you London Broncos for making it an entertaining season. Hope to see you soon. Good luck for next season ?

Terrible news. The article says that the major of Salford and local councillors have objected to the change. As far as I am aware these people have done nothing constructive to get the club a ground in Swinton over the last 30 years. Attitudes like this and the insular morons who have made the abusive threats are a cancer that will slowly kill the game if not addressed.