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What an amazing month it's been as a Hunslet supporter Looking back,we so nearly failed to beat a good Midlands team in the 1st elimiminator. Since then it's just got better and better. Under no illusions about the challenge next year but,for now,enjoying the win. Commiserations to Swinton. You played well and,on another day,may well have won the game. I think you'll soon be going back up.

He bought $10k of tickets to giveaway to Bulldogs fans for their Manly play off match so I doubt it.

Come on people, be honest - before you clicked on this thread, which of our TotalRL posters did you think it was about?

Or just wants to do something for the fun of it?

If we're allowed to show our age, Alex Murphy.

Well one of the more bizarre things I've seen:

Not heard anything. No noose is good noose...

As you may recall, when Town were relegated from Super League in 1996, the parachute payment was slashed from 750k to 100k a few weeks from the end of the season, when it was apparent that we would be bottom. That decision effectively forced us into administration the following year, which caused another relegation in 1997. So I am totally against ANY club getting a parachute payment or extra funding after relegation, call it whatever you will.

IMG are literally being paid to get an intern to set up a spreadsheet and deliver the bleeding obvious. They can count. Well done them. Can they grow the greatest sporting spectacle in the country? Of course they can’t. HKR succeeded for a lot of reasons, and having a year free from relegation may have been a factor, but there are enough clever leaguies in the game who could have worked that out with or without IMG’s “contribution”.

I wondered if Paul Rowley was short of a few bob when I heard him commentating on the Sportsman last night. I then remembered that he has wealth beyond any of our imaginations (TM: you) and decided it must be for the fun of it. Which is fair enough and he is a very good summariser.

Am starting a new thread about this subject as it had rather derailed the game thread for the Wakefield v York semi final. As we all know, there's an end-of-season signing deadline, which this year was close of business on Friday 2nd August. It's not hard to see why this rule is in place; it prevents, for instance, players whose club have failed to reach the play-offs from then signing for a club that has reached the play-offs (in whatever division). However, this year a signing has taken place that appears to highlight an anomaly in this rule - I called it a "loophole" in the other thread, but that appeared to upset people. Wakefield have included Jake Trueman in their squad for today's semi-final (whether he plays or not isn't really relevant to discussion of the rule). There's no dispute that they signed him before the transfer deadline (and as we all know, he's joining them next season), but he appears then to have been loaned back to Hull for the remainder of their regular season. Indeed, he played for Hull two days after the signing deadline, and barring the injury he sustained that day, would clearly have continued to play for them until their final match on 21st September, which Wakefield acknowledged when they finally confirmed that Trueman had signed for them on 27th August. Let me make it clear, as I did on more than one occasion in the original thread (albeit to deaf ears on occasions), that neither Wakefield nor Hull have done anything wrong or outside the rules here. Indeed, you could say they have been quite shrewd in spotting this "anomaly". Although Trueman was offically Wakefield's player from before the signing deadline, they clearly had an agreement with Hull that denied Wakefield access to him (at a time when they were desperately short of fit half backs) until the end of the SL regular season, but allowed access for the play-offs. However, what it does mean is this: every club in the league is now aware (if they weren't before) that they can approach any club that looks likely to miss the play-offs and strike a similar sign-then-loan-back deal that means a quality player could continue playing for his own club for the remainder of the regular season, and then "join" another club for the play-offs without having played for them previously. We already have a rule in place to prevent teams from exploiting this with DR players (a DR player has to have played at least 4 games for his Dual Registered club to be allowed to play for them after the end-of- season signing deadline). In my view, we need another rule that prevents players effectively being transferred in for the play-offs. A rule proscribing players from playing for their parent club if they have played on loan for another club after the transfer deadline seems the obvious solution to this. It might not be a big deal this year (especially if Trueman doesn't play), but it could be in years to come.

I pointed out to John online that the two major turning points in Hull KR's fortunes that have resulted in us getting to a Grand Final directly correlated with the IMG-era "future state", but he had little interest. Namely: 1. Knowing we'd not be getting relegated in 2020 (through the sheer luck of Toronto), enabling us to plan for 2021 and beyond in that failed season rather than press the panic button and do short-term stuff instead. All clubs will have that ability soon, just as they do in the NRL. 2. Attracting our new Board members and investors in 2022, for whom the IMG strategy was key to joining. Paul Sewell's business acumen and network, and James McNichol's money, would not have been brought to the club without this. The Hull KR of 2023 and 2024 has been built on improved squad depth, which needs money. Our marketing decisions and outcomes have been built on an improved commercial team, which needs money. This is a long-term play, one undermined by the annual insecurity of the old model. Strangely he preferred to not see that Hull KR's growth and progress in 2024 offers a glimpse of the art of the possible in this new era, and instead re-hashed some tired old cliches about IMG not being "visible" enough. We need to be realistic: £500k per year gets you some good advice, some data-led insight and a bit of marketing strategy support, but come on people it's less than £50k per club so it really doesn't mean that clubs don't have to then do the hard yards themselves. They do. Those that do, will prosper. Those that don't, or can't afford to, won't.

Didn't Daniel Vidot leave Salford to do wrestling full time?

Apologies it was 5,946 at Wakefield v York.

Not sure why you keep whingeing about this, Toulouse have been paying everyone's bed and board all season, like every season.

Congratulations to Town Ladies beating Orrell St James today 26-12 and gaining promotion, a fantastic achievement, enjoy yourself girls you all deserve it UTTL

I'm a Town fan , and I wouldn't have liked to see Whitehaven fold .As I hope, if the roles were reversed the Whitehaven fans would feel the same .We need each other ,We would miss all this this banter on the forum if it ever happened . Plus Iwhen we play each other it's our biggest crowds of the season . Next season with Coaches and players swapping clubs. The Ike Southward and home and away in the league there's going to be some interesting encounters . Which hopefully will generate much needed revenue for both clubs . UTT.

No, you don't understand the sequencing. I do, because I know some of the people involved. Part of Paul Lakin's role in 2020 was indeed to find a buyer, but Neil changed his mind and that evolved to "find new Board members to add value, and co-invest". Those new investors bought-in to the new operating model that promised greater short-term security and so the ability to invest in the long-term development of the club. That's genuinely how it played out. I'm sure if people ask Matt Ellis he'll tell them it was also part of his own thought process at Wakefield, in terms of the club's investability and knowing what levers he could pull to secure and grow the organisation. But I'm not connected to that club so can't be so certain.

Oh no he doesn't.....

I missed the bit about "for your club". Apologies. So for Fev, currently Ben Reynolds & Jack Bussey. Reynolds very much plays up to the pantomime villain role and seems to thrive on it. Bussey has a bit of a negative rep (not undeservedly) based on one or two incidents over his career but is actually a really smart player, one of the brightest in the team for many years. But the absolute all-time standout at Fev in this category has to be Brendon Tuuta. Hero-worshipped to this day by Fev fans, and a tremendous player with a high range of skills, but his, ahem, aggressive tackling technique didn't always endear him to opposition fans.

That'd be a bad thing for Warrington, and should be a mark against the club. Not having the women play the match against Saints at the HJ on the same day the men were doing the same was a ridiculous decision.

Just had to re-watch to check - Does seem incredibly harsh to give him a grade E charge for that. And to not give anything to Burgess who hits him in the head when he is on the ground makes it even more of a joke. The charge is "Grade E Unnecessary Contact with a Player who is or maybe injured" I'm sure Hiku can probably claim that he didn't know that the player was or could be injured at that time, until he did move his arm. It isn't like other incidents over the last few years when we've had players pulling a player up from the ground that they believe is milking a decision.

Got to feel sorry for Hunslet, after yesterday's epic performance I just checked the Championship table on the RFL website and it appears that they have been decreed to have finished bottom and thus immediately relegated...

Post but one after this.

Likewise. Speaking personally, I just find the fact that a club didn't exist when a new policy was implemented as fairly compelling evidence that said policy wasn't invented due to them... You obviously think otherwise for some reason, as is your prerogative...

happened so quickly that both the missus and myself mentioned it immediately and could not understand that when they replayed it after he had attention they stopped at the point of the first tackle before he went in whilst on the floor... each time on the replay they stopped showing it all the way through. I could not understand guess the TV decided not to show all...

No normal person talks about 'football codes'. That's for anoraks like us on a messageboard, and Australians.

Hull KR seem to have done OK since getting 6K for the "Million Pound game", as did Catalans. Leigh got 7233 for the 2022 Championship final for comparison.

Thanks. That's crazy - Dewsbury get relegated and it results in them and their neighbours all getting an extra half point. Huddersfield could find themselves desperately hoping that Dewsbury don't get promoted next season as it could get them relegated!

One thing I absolutely would agree with is that the communication from the sport's leaders is appalling, probably the worst I've ever known in in 40 years of watching. And I don't mean IMG, they are the third in line really, behind RLCom and the RFL. When we have questions about what the game is doing in London, it is them who should be speaking up.

Keep your negativity going and we will prove you wrong yet again like we did winning this play- off. Next season, yes they will be hard games in the Championship no doubt, but write off the Huns at your peril like your sarcastic comments do.

And we beat them twice. It just shows what we should have achieved

This year was actually one of the most competitive championship in many years with 4-8 spaces undecided down to last game. It’s been one of the best most competitive championship in years bar Wakefield over the season.

At the time I couldn't believe more wasn't made of what Burgess did.

Wow!!! Amazing stuff. Congratulations Hunslet. Did it the hard way for the last month or more. Swinton had enough to win; but Hunslet did enough. Great game.

Commiserations, but what a season you've had,you'd have taken 4th and reaching semi final beginning of season no dout.

Looks like Bradford have acknowledged they won't make it this year which is a tad disappointing. However we still have the Toulouse conundrum to look forward to. If they make it then there's going to be tantrums elsewhere. If they don't, will they be in the championship next season? With London's future currently up in the air to lose one club would be unfortunate, to lose two would be careless. Its going to be so exciting.

Well done IMG. Best final attendance in 7 years. Positive early signs!

Hiku wasn't dragging him up, as we have seen in the past. Absolutely nothing ban-worthy in his moving of Nsemba's arm to check on him IMO. How someone can look at that and let Burgess off and charge Hiku makes me shake my head.

Wedding scheduled in the function room?

Didn’t see that one coming, congratulations .

I just can't help but feel that RL will just always be like this because of its northern-Ness. I always try and stay pragmatic and often defend Northerners from a lot of unfair and arrogant critcism. But I do feel that the stubbornness and self deprecation which is a trait of Northerners is a barrier. I think we are some of the most welcoming people around, but we'll also be blunt and honest, and pretty negative which can appear unfriendly, and I think the trait of rather being right than proven wrong and the game flourishing is a challenging one. Our Northernness should be celebrated, but we should also be self-aware enough to know when it is a short-coming.

I guess if he throws enough darts he might eventually be right.

He sauntered in, took a look and had a go at his head on the ground, when he was both trapped and he could have worked out he was injured. The tackle had nothing to do with Burgess, and he clearly couldn’t care less what state Nsemba was in. Had it been a notorious player, or a maligned club the calls for his blood would have been through the roof. Whereas there are people who say that incident and choose to bleat that Nsemba shouldn’t have returned to the field. That said, the disciplinary will deal with it objectively, and whatever they decide is likely to be fair. They are the experts.

Congrats to Hunslet and what a brilliant game. Hard not to feel bad for Swinton and its a shame they will have to waste a season in League 1 when they looked to be making progress and to be relegated from 3rd bottom must be a sickener. From a Fax fan point of view and Swinton been our bogey team Im not too dissappointed about losing Swinton from the league.

Indeed. Make all the players that decided to pull out feel guilty watching their mates get smashed around the field for 160 minutes while they sit back in Australia.

He talked about it on his podcast a couple of weeks back when he had The Big Show on. Was a good listen for anyone who likes the 2 sports.

What were everybody's fears, please? That's a really poor take, I said on both threads that there was a chance Trueman wouldn't play anyway, the point as clearly stated in the original post is that this is now an established opportunity for other clubs to do the same type of manoeuvre in future years, unless the rule is changed.

First time I've seen that, and I'd like to see it more slowly, but it looks like thuggery tbh.

Edwards and French is a combination that could give opposing coaches nightmares!