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Hello Fellow Lovers of League:) For those that are interested. I spent yesterday up in Toulouse and had a nice lunch with the commercial team main points that came out of it. * Confirmed will be full time next season * Will make 100% effort to get back up to SL and sign the players needed to keep them there next time * Disappointed with the season but learned much to be positive about * Confident that crowds will grow next season to average of 5000 + on the back of locals like a winning team new promotions etc * Big push marketing wise on social media (Already very impressive) special deal for students with one free beer on entry band entertainment etc (Suggested deal with bus company to run them back to and from campus) * Local sponsorship doing really well and expected to increase by around 30% next season All good stuff WELL DONE TOULOUSE:) Cheers Paul PS/Damm good lunch went easy as a 2 and half hour drive back home:)

A bloke with no actual inside knowledge makes a speculative podcast and we get a whole new thread of speculation about what structures folk would prefer. Don't you love RL forums?

which is very difficult in England if you're not from Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, or London.* *yes, also Newcastle, Birmingham (this year) etc, but you know what I mean

There is a lot of talk about the price of the games being high this year, certainly higher than anything ever seen for international RL, or RL at any level in this country in its history. However, as you do look through, you see that amongst the high prices there are a lot of great value tickets to be bought - which may be helpful for some of us on here who are looking to attend multiple games and support the tournament. Let's not make this a debate about the prices, there are other threads for that, let's use it as a useful resource to highlight great deals etc. I'll start: Mens Tournament £20.21 or less (lowest price for an adult ticket) Scotland v Italy (Newcastle) Jamaica v Ireland (Leeds) France v Greece (Doncaster) Wales v Cook Island (Leigh) Fiji v Italy (Newcastle) Lebanon v Ireland (Leigh) Samoa v Greece (Doncaster) Tonga v Wales (St Helens) PNG v Cook Islands (Warrington) Fiji v Scotland (Newcastle) Lebanon v Jamaica (Leigh) Samoa v France (Warrington) PNG v Wales (Doncaster) So as you can see, 13 games out of the 31 men's matches have prices starting at £15/20, including some really good battles. In 2013 a lot of the games like this were the real highlights and I see no reason why they can't be the same again. But packing out the likes of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG games will hopefully show the governing body that there is a real demand for these teams to come here ore regularly. I haven't had chance to price up the women's and wheelchair games yet, but I know they are even better value.

Neither did the Sheffield public

Fingers crossed you're straight back up.

'But what about away fans though'

With the usual caveats of "IF it's true..." This is the usual short termism we get in Rugby League. Teams are already building squads for next season and suddenly there is talk that what we are playing for next season might change. Will we ever learn to plan long term? The fairest way to change the number of teams is to announce NOW that there will be two up in 2024. In fact, I'd argue 2025 would be even better. You HAVE to give teams the chance to build sustainably - over a period of at least two seasons. IF they announce two up for 2023, then there'll be a few teams will who will bankrupt themselves this off-season to try and get one of those two slots for next season.

Last Sunday morning I swore I would never drink again. People say stuff they don't mean.

When only 16 players were announced last night I thought it would be difficult for us and it looked like that at 28-12, but the fight back was on. Sheffield got off to a good start with a try after four minutes when McGowan dropped a high ball and Sheffield managed to score in the corner. No conversion. Dewsbury hit back almost immediately when Ferguson powered his way over under the sticks and Turner converted. Soon after Schofield twisted around in the tackle and planted the ball down close to where the first try was scored, Turner adding the extras, making the score 12-4 in our favour. This unfortunately, sparked Sheffield into action and with Dewsbury creating gaps for The Eagles to run through and touch down with two quick converted tries. Half time gave us a score of 16-12, which I thought wasn’t bad after seeing so many Sheffield attacks and wondered if we might be able to get right back into it after the break, but our hosts had different ideas and soon it was 28-12 (although for me there was question whether Farrell’s try was from a forward pass). You would then be thinking that The Eagles would build on their lead, but that was not so. Dewsbury quietly set about fighting back and Knowles crossed on 63 minutes, Turner having no trouble converting. Kirby (or was it Stevens?) then scored, Turner’s conversion making it 28-24, but there was little time remaining for us to build an attack and score: we did try but, unfortunately it broke down and a Sheffield player scooped up the ball and raced for the line, but he hadn’t noticed Ferguson chasing back to haul him down just short of the line. From the resultant play the ball, Bailey Liu was on hand to squeeze over the line, with Holmes converting, making the final score 34-24, but what a gallant effort by Dewsbury and Liam Finn’s judicial use of his three substitutes. Team: McGowan; Greensmith, Graham, Tomlinson, Ryder; Sweeting, Turner; Schofield, Butterworth (capt), Ferguson, Davies, Knowles, Stevens Subs: Walker, Blagbrough, Kirby. I understand only 14 players trained on Tuesday and as the match was scheduled to be played the Friday previous, it is understandable if some players had gone on holiday immediately after that day. Missing from the 21 man squad were Beckett, Blackmore, Carr, Dixon and of course, Sykes.

I certainly agree that Gwaze had a cracking game and was easily Fax's most effective player. Whilst neither Cuthbertson nor Lockwood were especially effective I don't think that led to the fatigue/slowness you describe. Cuthbo came on after 25 minutes when Fev were leading 18-12 and went off after about 47 minutes when Fev were leading 24-12 and still dominating in terms of yardage, and Lockwood went off after 60 minutes. If there was a turning point it came around the 50th minute when Hardcastle had to go off and Moors switched to his edge back row position, Rovers continued to dominate for a few more minutes but then after 22 sets where Fax had only made 50 metres once they then went for 60m, 59m, 56m, 48m, 68m and 70m on their next six sets. So if you're a Fax fan you'll think if was Fev tiring, if you're a Fev fan you'll just think our intensity dropped in what was after all a dead rubber and point out that after those six big yardage sets from Fax we held them out for four consecutive sets inside our 20m when the chips were really down, and then held them comfortably in the set that followed the 79th minute try, when Fax should really have been going all out. Probably a bit of both in truth. We'll see a week on Sunday, if York don't cause an upset this weekend.

If we don't have HOPE what's the point.?

To be fair, their crowds were half the size that they are now three or four years ago, so they have been very much on the up and give it a few more years and they will be higher still unlike the majority of SL clubs whose crowd numbers have stagnated for years now.

I would suggest this train on squad means that Sua'ali'i is pretty much nailed on to be on the plane. There are two wingers in this train on squad, Sua'ali'i and Addo-Carr. Here are the wingers for the teams left in the competition and who they can play for in the World Cup: Brian To’o (Samoa) Taylan May (Samoa) Maika Sivo (Fiji) Waqa Blake (Fiji) Nick Cotric (Australia) Jordan Rapana (New Zealand) Connor Tracey (Australia) Ronaldo Mulitalo (New Zealand) Kyle Feldt (Australia) Murray Taulagi (Australia / New Zealand) Alex Johnston (PNG) Taane Milne (Fiji) So there is Nick Cotric, Connor Tracey, Kyle Feldt and (maybe) Murray Taulagi who would quality for Australia. If, as you suggest, Sua'ali'i is not going, then you think Meninga is going to pick two of these to go with Addo-Carr as wingers? I would say there is 0% chance of that. With no Selwyn Cobbo in the train on squad, Sua'ali'i has 100% been selected as one of the Kangaroo wingers.

That's what I was hoping for another great signing.

James Glover signs a two-year deal according to the Press

Alex Murphy is far too old now.

I'm a Fev fan OG and I too said "why Fev?'. Obviously I'd like Fev to go up, but whoever it is, it has to be on the field performance that gets them there and nothing else.

They do every year when it happens. As does every other club when, every year, it happens to them.

Players have lives outside the game, can't take summer holidays etc and good man management by LF not to drag players back.

Fantastic if it means a 14 team SL.

That's a shame, we all know Nice Guy's never win.

I’d prefer one down and three up, or it gives the bottom feeders the chance to make even less effort next season.

Needs to be NZII in my opinion. The immediate player pool in the short to mid term of NZII infinitely outperforms Perth.

His sidekick…Mick Gledhill.

I'd go for an experienced half back as player coach. Someone along the lines of Ashton when he first started

we need to remember to still play rugby when 2P is on the pitch and not just focus on 'one out crunch'. we are better than that.

It's based on the York V Workington game. I know Workington are struggling but there was something in the York passing game that reminded me of a few other times over the years that James Ford's teams have suddenly clicked and started performing. And it's always when the backs become fluid. Without going into too much detail, I feel that James has a tendency to overthink the role of the pack and undercook the backs, but that his best teams are when the backs take the baton. And that happened on Sunday for the first time in ages.

Heave a look at Peets support team and let’s see what Applegarth gets.

We can argue whether it is wise or not but even if it is wise, it is still rubbish. Those two are not mutually exclusive. I'm with Trent Robinson and Aaron Woods on this one. Don't stay down looking for the video ref to give you penalty. I like Aaron Woods' solution. “For me, if you lay down you’re straight off for HIA - 15 minutes off the field. Any time someone tries to lay down thinking they’re trying to milk something, just take them off and it’ll stop players from doing it.” After all, if you are unable to play the ball after a high shot, you should go for a HIA.

I always find this really strange that fans will sit through all the games during the season but won't pay £16 for a ticket for the game (s) that actually matter. It's just weird!

Not really. Toulouse will likely dominate in the same way. As they did the previous season when they got promoted, beating everyone including Leigh, not dropping a single point despite the massive disadvantage of having to play every single regular season game away due to covid.

Think the current staff seem to have lifted morale, players look like they are enjoying playing at the moment.

The clubs can't afford less than 27 games in a season. We can clamour for less fixtures all we like, but I doubt they'll accept less pay for it.

I hope we get a statement from the club soon regarding how we are doing regarding the short fall the club found themselves in and how things are shaping up regarding board members and money required, this will probably indicate which way we will be going regarding a new coach , I'm not fussed if it's Wayne Bennett or Basil Fawlty as long as we have a club to follow at this moment in time . UTT

Mostly the Super League War. Broncos were the main front-runner in that which was an event which set the game back considerably. There's also resentment because of the fact they get a Friday night FTA game every single week and lots of third-party deals by being the only show in town. The theory is there's lots of supporters of other clubs living in Brisbane who would support a 2nd Brisbane team but hate the Broncos.

The mood has shifted since the squad announcement. Prior to it we knew 100% we were missing the three you mention (Walmsley, Dodd, Hopoate) plus Grace and Norman. Then there were doubts over Percival (who hasn't played in a long time) and Matautia who has been out also. Plus rumours around the availability of Lees. So take all of them out on a worst case (and fans tend to extremes!) and that would be pretty dreadful. Having 4 out isn't anything like as bad obviously. We have had problems in the backs but we now hope to name 4 international three quarters plus a good young player in Bennison behind Welsby and Lomax in the halves. It is comfortably the strongest position in the backs for a long, long time and it is in the backs where most of our recent issues have manifested. It's a big improvement on recent squads and is a squad capable of winning the semi and the GF if it performs (as all the remaining teams are). No excuses, bring it on.

Be yourself, everyone else is taken! -Oscar Wilde

Championship clubs have been able to recruit for next season for a number of months as evidenced by the announcements made over the last few days some of which were agreed weeks ago but kept back until the end of the season. The biggest issue for most Championship clubs is not knowing their central funding for next season

Crowds seem to be a key missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle for them. Able to do ok for play-offs but a massive struggle to gain much interest for run-of-the-mill fixtures at the Wallon. To be honest, we heard many of the same noises 12 months ago ...

As low as we are now, the job is actually a great opportunity. For someone that can motivate and truly coach!! Imagine if you could get someone who could get the team playing above their individual talents and could identify players with potential. Get a team that plays good rugby and gives a , and things will happen We may not be a sleeping giant anymore, but the support is there. A GOOD coach could make his name here

Certainly I can see them wanting 14 teams, seems a better number, no matter the "where will the players come from" argument which is a short term issue. This would definitely be the way to do it IMHO as its seen as fair and on the pitch. However, as with anything in RL at the moment, I'll believe it when I see it.

There was some feet stamping from Saints fans and typical moans about Wigan being homeless but it’s immaterial. Champion sides aren’t decided by twelve hours rest.

Wakefield finished 7th/8th of 12 in the academy league this year and their reserves team won the league. Their pathway is pretty decent and they've appointed the man most responsible for that. The expectations are also different. Yeah Peet has the budget and infrastructure of a top team, but if Wigan came 8th it would reflect poorly on him. The same is not true for Applegarth.

Strange comments re Academy team?

I suspect this is just one of those 'see what the squad could be' lists circling around rather than anything official.

Brian McDermott apparently......according to some random facebook page

Not missed a single home game this year. Absolutely gutted carnt go due to family christening. Will be glued to me phone.

You cannot expect to put big scores on teams just because you have done in the past. Things change, Barrow are not the same yoyo team of the last 20 years as proven by this years 4th place finish - you seem to have missed that.

Bulls sign confirm Tom Holmes signing.