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We have four games left -- TWO at home -- and Roughyeds hope as many fans as possible turn up at the Vestacare Stadium this coming Sunday (3pm) for the visit of London Skolars and again on Sunday, September 4 when Hunslet are here in what might, or might not, have a lot riding on it in terms of play-off qualification. We all know it's been a disappointing season, but pre-season lots of fans were thinking we might not even have a team. We are still alive and kicking and its fair to say, I think, that off the field we are stronger than we have been for years. The club doesn't shut down at the end of the season. Preparations for 2023 are already under way and the more money we can generate for the club the better will be our chances for success next year. That's why it is important we have decent crowds this Sunday and again on Sep 4. It's all about YOU - the fans -- and whether you want to support the club through thick and thin (Roughyeds till I die and all that) or whether you only want to support the club when everything is going well. We are asked to survive on only TEN home games for the full year -- a year in which we have to travel to faraway places like Cornwall, London, Llanelli and the other side of Birmingham. Financially, it's tough for all clubs in League One but tougher for us than a lot of clubs because we don't have our own ground so we can't generate income from bars, food outlets etc. This year clubs like ours have also had to cope with a reduction in central funding of something like 80 per cent. It's not easy but when the going gets tough we like to think Roughyeds in 2022 are resilient enough to roll up their sleeves and get going. This is not a moan -- please don't take it as such -- rather a statement of fact. It was fabulous to see a lot of fans at Solihull last Sunday. I think there were more of us than them. Hope to see you all again, and more, at the Vestacare this Sunday. We owe Skolars one. Let's show our colours, be loud and proud -- and cheer on our boys as we did in Worcestershire last weekend when we went 29-0 up. See you Sunday !

I can't blame him. Going to Brisbane is a wonderful opportunity for any coach.

They are utterly clueless. Which other sport would do this and play a game only a small handful of miles away from their own country? No wonder our sport struggles to grow.

Could never fault his work rate and effort, but for a man who was playing 6 and Centre, he could never pass. I've felt sorry for Handley at times this year with so little service coming from his centre; its like he has glue on his hands. Perhaps Sutcliffe epitomises (alongside to a lesser extent Cam Smith) the problem Leeds had between 2013 and 2019 bringing through youth to replace the "golden generation". Scouts, coaches and the board seemed to have convinced themselves that these players were the best thing since sliced bread and they just haven't reached those heights at all. His utility is often cited as his simultaneously greatest strength and greatest flaw. Its true, no Leeds coach has ever seemed to settle on a single position for Sutcliffe and his Squad numbers at Leeds have reflected that. On the other hand of course, you could also take the view that his versatility has also come about because he has never really been at the right level in any one position either. Not big enough for second row or loose. Not fast enough at full back. Not skillful enough in the halves. Not got the pace or handling for the centres. Hull have got a decent squad player. A capable hard working lad the likes of which every squad needs. But if he is in your starting 13 it will be because you're starting 13 has a noticeable weakness.

Yes. Next question.

Yes Burgess after struggling for a couple of seasons is in the form of his life. He also has the size advantage over Marshall.

The Broncos have been crying out for a half back. If Albert Kelly can get a gig then Lee can dust off his boots for sure.

I'm a bit puzzled about the suggestion that they're off to Rochdale who will probably be in L1 next season and have serious problems with their landlord when the Cru could well be in the Championship and get on with theirs.

Seems a bit pointless dropping it when the alternative - dropping those godawful live interviews with managers where nothing is said and everyone feels a lot more stupid as a result - is right there. It also was a good 'public service' bit in connecting all the disparate bits of football together.

The clown Council issues a grand statement that a 20million quid grant will help Odsal become the National stadium for Rugby league. It actually owns Odsal and has seen the pitch reduced to a size unfit to play the game at anything above kids level ... with concrete road barriers alongside the touchlines. The Council also bans the opening of takeaway shops within 200 metres of a school ... claiming serious concerns about childhood obesity. At the same time, it's subsidising the building of schools without playing fields. Welcome to Bradford. City of Two Cultures. If you haven't done so already, catch Bradford on Duty on BBC i-Player. For additional fun, have an evening drive around the roads inside the ring road and play real-life Wacky Races.

I think I'd rather have Burgess on the wing instead of Marshall. He seems to be having a good season

They DO get paid.... ....and they're not leaving until the end of the year - which includes the playoffs.... And yes it is a shame. We are in a great position thanks to Muzza and his team. We're having our best season since 2013 and will be in the fight for the playoffs. I'm sure all the North Wales Crusaders fans wish Muzza an his team all the very best for whatever the future holds. All other posts about Rochdale and payment are just speculation.

Its 3 for a win, football style points system. I hope that helps gents. Its been a long layoff, and the season went ahead at very short notice, so were trying to get ahead with the presentation this year, the teams are doing a decent job of promoting themselves, and there are 2 new clubs this year. Young Crocs academy were the Union national teams development arm, but decided to give league a go this year, and the Portmore club are a new entity, who are fed by 2 D2 teams, the Cyclones and Eliminators. Those guys are going really well in a debut season. We haven't managed to give it the coverage that it deserves, but there is also a club U19 season going on. This is usually played amongst high schools. but. as the island eases back to normality, the club competition has been launched to get youth back into playing. For many, its been 2 years since they were able to even train. Ohh, and for the jersey collectors, keep an eye out for some exclusive limited edition Jamaica Hurricanes and Exodus jerseys, which will be on sale soon, as usual with every cent going back to Rugby League Jamaica.

The Dewsbury Faithful are pleased to announce the launch of Dewsbury Faithful 2023,Myself & Graham Fisher fully understand the hardship everybody is suffering at this moment in time,never in the 5 years The Dewsbury Faithful has been running has it been harder for the fans on & off the field,the launch should have been a couple of weeks ago but after the Batley performance we just didnt feel right asking for your kind donations after such a bad performance,understanding the tough financial crisis we all are feeling donations will start as little as £1,please give what you can afford,due to the uncertainty for which division we will be playing in our first focus is to secure the Kicking Tee for the season 2023,this season we sponsored the players Reiss Butterworth & Alex Smith,Alex left mid-season and joined North Wales,so our sponsorship of Alex was transfered to Jack Blagbrough for the remained of the 2022 season,so goal 1 is to raise £400 to secure The Kicking Tee,Goal 2 is to secure A Player at a cost of £200 for the 2023 season,donation can be made to myself & Graham Fisher at the Batley game bank holiday monday,bank transfer to Graham,or left at the club in an envelope,or if need be i will collect from your home if that is more convenient,never before has this money been so important to help the club,please give what you can and see if we all can make a difference please

Times are hard but this group of people are Rams through and through and do so much for the club. They sponsored Alex for this year for which we are very grateful. Although Alex is no longer at the club l will be chipping in. Who is with me?

The Cup should not be about manufacturing competitive games. Everything that is good about cup competitions comes from it not being manufactured. Why are we so afraid of teams beating other teams anyway.

More like my grandad I was there Sunday looking after the disabled which gave me a chance to have a good chat with Gav Wilson

I think one win in 8 is perfectly fine. Clubs drawing the 'big' teams in the cup has many attractions. The pull of a big team if they play at home, players testing themselves against elite players/internationals and the fans dream of pulling off a giant killing win... and one win every 8 games makes it a perfectly realistic dream. But manufacturing the draw so Super League teams are only likely to play Super League teams completely dismantles what the Cup is supposed to be about.

With a restructuring of the leagues likely to be announced soon now is an excellent time to issue some plans about a new stadium with an unrealistic costing

Maybe he has learned quickly and what he does well now is delegate? He may work well as a figurehead type coach - everyone seems to love the guy - rather than a master tactician.

The fact nobody at all rates Kevin Walters as a coach, yet Brisbane are in the play offs, pretty much answers the question of the impact of a decent coaching team.

He’s done a great job in transforming Wigan’s attacking play after the drudgery of Lam,which obviously hasn’t gone unnoticed,a great opportunity for him to further develop & to hopefully move up to a head coaching role in the future.

He's still got a mountain of it left over from panic buying during the pandemic!

Seems like there is a lot of frustration about not winning and then when you get a win some folks dont want to see any more! Come on you yeds….win as many as you can….yes its been a poor season….guess who finished 7th last season.

You still not buying toilet paper then?

My take on the playoffs , fax v barrow , fax win , dogs v knights , knights win , Leigh v fev final simples

5th in the Championship and 10 points clear in the play-off positions with 5 games left, and in my opinion we haven't played that well this season other than in fits and starts with the only real 80 minutes being against Widnes at home. If we can play to our potential for the full game, Add Hingano & Inman into the mix then I think we'll surprise a few come play-off time.

You said they "deserve to get paid", therefore strongly suggesting that they were not being paid, We have no evidence of that

As many have pointed out, I don't think there is a massive issue with Betfred being involved as a sponsor. I don't really gamble myself, and I understand why others don't like them being involved, but bigger and richer sports than us are taking money from gambling companies. The issue really is around all our eggs in one basket, but we have gotten ourselves into this terrible position where beggars can't be choosers. I think there is a real problem with a lack of investment in this area by the governing body, we could offer so much more to potential partners than what we do. Many of our assets that we have previously had names attached to remain unsold - Magic Weekend, sleeve sponsors, big screen sponsor, highlights sponsor, pitch sponsors etc. It's easy to just point at the demographic, but even where the game sits now we should be doing better. A big problem for us imho is the emergence of women's sport - it is squeezing us even more, and instead of us using Women's RL to try and take a slice of that pie, we have treated it like a second rate version of the men's game. Things like that are good illustrations of the issues we create ourselves.

Looking at the sponsors a sport attracts is like looking in the mirror. Those sponsors are a direct reflection of how the corporate world regards your reach. Don’t expect the likes of BMW, HSBC and McDonalds to replace Northern Railway, Betfred and Mushy Peas any time soon.

BBC Alba begins its coverage of the closing stages of the Camanachd Cup (the 'Scottish Cup') today with live coverage of Lovat -v- Kyles Athletic at 4pm. For Sky subscribers it is channel 169 (or thereabouts!) The Camanachd Cup is the sports blue riband event. Travel challenges meant that it was played on a regional basis for many decades from its inception in the 1890s, with the final bringing together the 'champions' of the north and south. Eventually, in the 1980s, the north clubs, rightly feeling they had more strong teams in their area, pushed successfully for an open draw. Sod's law kicked in and the first 'open' final, in 1983, featured two south sides, Kyles Athletic and Strachur; Kyles won 3-2 and I remember being there to see it. Over those many decades of regional play, Kyles were as often as not the southern qualifiers; they hail from the villages of Kames and Tighnabruaich on the shores of the Kyles of Bute. This also means that they are one of the three most successful teams in the history of the competition (the others are Spey valley neighbours and arch-rivals, Newtonmore and Kingussie) Lovat have won the cup just twice, in 1953 and again in 2015, on both occasions beating Kyles. I attended the second of these in Oban. Chatting to a disappointed Kyles fan on the train heading back to Glasgow, he ruefully observed, "Typical Lovat! You play them off the park...and they beat you!" That day, Lovat won 2-1. Kyles haven't won the cup since a high scoring 6-5 win over fellow Argyllshire side, Inveraray, in 2012. The second semi-final is next Saturday, but it looks as though it will be broadcast as a recording tomorrow week. It pits Kingussie against Oban Camanachd. The defending champions, Kinlochshiel, whose success last year was their first ever, have already been eliminated. Despite two national divisions of league competition having been established many years ago as travel around the Highlands became more easy, the 'Scottish', a knock out cup still, retains its top spot in shinty fans interest and affections - an interesting bucking of a trend in some other sports, soccer and rugby league included.

Mention of targeting the Lebanese community in the Greater Manchester area, which is something I didn’t even consider. It’s a shame that the Welsh fans in Wales weren’t a consideration.

It's not even in Swinton, it's at a lower league RU ground in Sale. At least keep the money in the game.

No I just can't... As you look like a T-Rex bit off Graham Fisher's head, chewed it for 20 minutes then spat it onto your neck!

Sutty is a good player but his strength has been his weakness, he can cover many positions adequately but not excel in any of them. Centre is by far and away his best position , however I think leeds need a bit more from the left centre position than Sutty can offer.

Great balancing act on that bar by the Chatham player.

TBH I didn't know you were a pensioner, I knew PM was close but not you!

First half we were fantastic and could not fault the lads at all. First 20 mins of the second half I felt the ref give Bradford everything and kept piggybacking them up the field, eventually with all the defending town tired and Bradford ran away with it from there.

All true. I think the broader point is that as a sport, we had a period where we had a diverse range of partners at various levels of involvement, and it seems like we have failed to grow those relationships. I think I mentioned on a different thread, but of all the sponsors that came to the game during the 2013 WC, only Specsavers extended their partnership. There's a question to ask here about the value we're offering our partners, what account management goes on to try and grow those arrangements to turn small involvements into bigger ones, and whether sponsors leave the sport happy with their investment or not.

Fantastic opportunity . A club on the up and he can spend his spare time reading Adam Reynolds tattoos

So do I. Top top bloke - what he’s done for the sport, making it so inclusive, is truly something he should be proud of

Hope the link works. Brief mention of rugby, and a good review of the city and its culture. http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1058/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/1058/pub/1058/page/212/article/NaN

Congratulations to this week's winner StormGirl and congratulations to the minor prize winners.

The biggest beef with me is that not only was that trip a sending off offence, it probably stopped Salford scoring a try. I don’t think that it is unreasonable to suggest that that one decision changed the result of the game.

The YouTube piece is interesting. I must admit, the SL videos are slightly better than last time I looked, and a bit of additional content has been put on, but it is still generally just highlights mainly. If we compare to the RU comp, they have around 5 times as many subscribers to their YouTube channel, despite the TV viewing figures being broadly similar. They do have far more content that is obviously encouraging people to engage with it. This is probably a good area where value van be added and we improve our numbers. It's like we have a relatively professional service, but don't really know what to do with it in terms of getting people to engage with it. Fixing things like this is the kind of thing I was talking about - it may seem boring and unspectacular, but improved numbers across all of our outlets can then make a huge difference when it comes to sponsorship and commercial revenues.

Away fans only have to come once a year if they're lucky - we're in it every other sodding week. We get it!

You could get a cracking air-con unit for the commentators for 20 million quid.

And therein lies the problem. The RFL should have no financial ties of this kind, to any club at all.

*Makes joke about how can a loud, hot-air removing device that somehow clings on at Odsal be something other than Gledhill himself.*