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I wouldn’t upset John Bateman . If he says it’s Christmas Eve I’m putting my tree up

Been there and have got the T shirt. In my time from founding an expansionist amatuer club to a semi pro outfit. I have done EVERYTHING from clearing up dog muck to being the chairman ( both vital). I have experienced every adjective except boring. Would I do it again?........... not in a firkin million years. The best bit was some of the people. The worst bit was some of the other people. Edit. On reflection That's not fair. I can only count on my fingers the number people that have given me grief. As against the literally thousands ( including some to be found lurking on this forum) that have been a real pleasure to meet.

Hope he recovers soon

How about the clubs that want it cut by 15% just reduce their wages by 15% if they need to. Race to the bottom mentality again.

I reckon you'd have been put in an asylum if you'd have said 5 years ago that in 2021 we'd have a candian team, Sonny Bill Williams, Israel Folau and Greg Inglis playing in Super League Edit: oh and had a French winner of the Challenge cup the year after they were in the million pound game.

From The World's only Roy Haggerty Web Page: "Roy was at training in 84 when Billy Benyon (then Saints coach) and the Chairman came down to announce that the club had signed Mal Meninga, arguably one of the greatest centres of all time, even then. Roy, who was playing centre at the time, turned one of the other guys and said "I don't know why they've signed another centre, where are they going to play him?"."

When I was planning the annual budget for 450 staff and a circa £20M salary bill, funnily enough I didn't start by asking them how much they all wanted. This is disingenuous. There may be some bad chairmen and I don't agree with their decisions all the time but many of them have poured an enormous amount of their time, and often a lot of their own money, into their clubs.

I have a season ticket for the Bulls. Who play five drives and a kick on a mini-pitch. In Dewsbury. I buy my mate one as well. It's expensive but cheaper than having to pay a dominatrix to laugh at my dogged persistent attitude, sneer at my memories, wee on me and then hit me with a spiky bat.

Greg Inglis is trending at number 3 UK-wide on Twitter. Well done Wire!

Also, given the calls for the salary cap to be reduced, isn’t this, the loss of a key player for a Super League side to RU, who pay better, the exact reason why we shouldn’t even be discussing the reduction of the cap?

Disgrace that some clubs are wanting the cap lowered. Very disappointed in my club Leeds, who are reported to be one of them.

More acknowledgement for Giants academy? Have to agree with Jon Luke, Huddersfield very rarely get credit for anything, but are deemed fair game for a good bashing from most within RL circles, The likes of Jack Welsby, Harry Newman, Morgan Smithies, Jack Walker etc get praise lavished on them, and quite right as they are fine young players, but Huddersfield have some young lads who are just as good, if not better than some of those and they get very little praise in comparison. But he is right in what he says, at the moment, we have a very good set up and have produced some quality players over the years, our budget is less than half of what Leeds, Wigan, St Helens, Warrington and I believe Castleford, and also the joint City of Hull side, but we are more than holding our own and even made the semi finals in 2018 where were blown away by Wigan in the end, but a fantastic achievement nonetheless considering we rent most of the facilities and a lot of the finance comes from monies raised by the Supporters Association. A lot of that 2018 squad are now first teamers, Innes and Louis Senior, Jake Wardle, Ollie Russell, Sam Hewitt, Jon Luke himself and Dom Young, whilst Ronan Michael, Robson Stevens and Aidan McGowan have since signed first team contracts, Ben Bamber and Ross Whitmore left to go to rugby union, Josh Pinder was on the brink of a first team spot and Jack Flynn left to take up a career and also signed part time with Dewsbury I believe? Oliver Wilson signed from Bradford's academy for 2019 and has now become a massive part of the first team pack, along with Matty English Before them, Kruise Leeming (although left for Leeds)Jake Connor (left for Hull) Darnell McIntosh, Matty English and Sam Wood have all become integral to our first team and all have received international call ups. And of course before them there are the senior players, Paul Reilly, McGillvary, Cudjoe, Lawrence, Crabtree,, again, club legends, and all vital to our first team and all with international recognition. Although not through our scholarship, the likes of Larne Patrick, Joe Wardle, Keal Carlile, Kyle Wood, all spent time in our academy/reserve grades before becoming first graders. Matty Dawson, Josh Johnson, Nathan Mason, Jacob Fairbank, are also through our academy system who never let us down when they played first grade. All clubs should be striving to produce their own good, young players rather than splash the cash on star players or overseas players, all clubs should be made to develop their own, some clubs don't do nearly as well as they should be doing, for me all clubs should be made to have so many homegrown players in their matchday squads, but that's for another debate! We don't do too bad for a rubbish little club with no fans though.

Owen Farrell to London? No, a New Zealand-born State of Origin Queenslander and Samoa international who played kick’n’clap for England after considering Ireland signs for Brisbane. Meh.

Thanks to the guys at TotalRL.com (special nod to John Drake), there is a new sub-forum on here, dedicated to the recently re-formed RL Record Keepers' Club. Get yourself over there for more info on the RKC, to sign up, or to debate all things relating to RL records, stats and history. Yours in RL Neil, and the RKC

For all the work some people do in Rugby League and mental health, we still have people calling others “nutjobs”. Delete.

They can keep my sponsorship money as well, and I'll continue a fresh sponsorship in 2021 - as long as I haven't gone bust obviously. I appreciate everyone's finances are different at the moment and I certainly wouldn't judge anyone not doing so but if we can stick by the club and basically spend what we were going to spend with them anyway, York City Knights will come out of this in a much stronger position to move forward once normality resumes in that lovely new stadium that's sat waiting for us. Also I thought I'd do this publicly so you can all see what a great guy I am and then tell all your friends and acquaintances to use York's Premier Design & Print Company should the need arise, which will in turn help prevent me going bust.

I see a lot of criticism here, but not many alternatives. We’re in extraordinary times. Playing a few games in the winter months as a one off exercise to complete a disrupted season seems like the least of our troubles. What the hell else could they do in the circumstances?

I think the main gripe we have here is that between SL and Top International Rugby League we have nothing, we have to travel half way around the world or welcome International (now one of three) teams here to satisfy our desire to watch better than SL can provide, it's no use playing useless France the player's neither want to or can't offer any competition of the required quality. On the other hand in Australia they can bridge the gap with a tournament that has now surpassed International Football in popularity with the paying punters, a Tournament that was born out of nessacity nearly 40 years ago to provide for the Aussie player's and public what the international game couldn't, and it's momentum has been growing ever since, the clamour for tickets and viewing figures are testamount to that. I honestly don't see what people over here expect the Aussies to do, should they knock their premier tournament the SoO into second place just to satisfy our desire for something that we cannot provide for ourselves. The OP is pointing the finger at the Aussies saying they are being insular, I would say have a look when you are pointing a finger at someone there are 3 fingers pointing back, it is our own ineptitude that we can't provide any domestic tournament to provide the bridge from SL to International Football, if we had such a thing there would always be next time, it wouldn't matter as much as having nothing at all.

I started playing aged 7 in Warrington. Played until I was 40, when an injury I'd sustained (in a rather cynical and dangerous tackle) a few years earlier finally made me re-evaluate my playing career. During those 33 years I played for Thornhill, Oxford Cavs, the RAF, Dewsbury Academy among many others and finally ended up back at Thornhill. I've been an assistant coach (not a very good one), a physio, videoed games, done social media and media work for the club. I am currently vice chair and the clubs junior secretary. Rugby has been a massive part of my life, much to my wife's annoyance, and I can't see it abating in the short term.

I've said before that I started playing last year at the age of 33. Began coaching this year with the U8s. Got one trial game in and COVID put an end to it and my playing season. I was on the first board of the Latin Heat after founding the El Salvador Rugby League in '13 or '14 and stayed on the next year. I'm currently on the Australian steering committee of the ESRL. I also founded the Nicaragua rugby league last year and they played their inaugural 4-team domestic comp in the same year. 3 different cities are involved. That's probably my proudest moment. I've been involved with a few more nations also. Currently trying to spread the game to the rest of Central America and looking into a potential Central American Super League. It may be beyond me but it's worth a look. If anyone believes they are too far away from the heartlands or whatever, don't be disheartened. You can do anything these days without leaving your house. Get in touch if you'd like. Your time and money goes a lot further in developing nations.

Just to put my experience down, since the lockdown at the end of March, I have created the foundations to a new rugby league team setup in Harrogate (Harrogate Fire Ants) creating a website, social media and club policies before moving on and securing sponsors, physios and medical teams and recruiting interested players. I have also been on the RL championship and League 1 podcast after establishing links with York City Knights foundation. Also creating links with 2 schools for community projects and a specialist colllege for Learning disability rugby league and the biggest project bringing a mentor on board from North Yorkshire Sport which if anyone is setting up a team getting the local equivalent if available really is invaluable, to assist with applying for grants and council training pitches or other training facility contacts etc. All of this has been done without any face to face contact, all done via zoom/Skype and on the phone and email. It has taken alot of time in the evenings and weekends as I have been working full time from home but have had the time to do it due to lockdown so once lifted it is literally ready to go.

I pity the players. This is one of the hardest sports to play in the world, the number of games they have to play, combined with the reduction in real wage value over the last decade. And now this. I don't see how the sport can grow financially with this mindset. Investors need to be attracted to the sport, the game can't go into a downward spiral just so three or four clubs can stay competitive. Maybe a ten team SL is more realistic, if there is less funding in the next TV deal, surely better than lowering standards. The best players will follow the money to the NRL and Union.

Whilst I am supportive of the salary cap, I think we have seen this week the difference in approach that may be at risk of holding the game back. We had a story yesterday about people pushing for a salary cap reduction and then the next day we have possibly the biggest SL signing ever announced. I know which is more positive for the game.

How can a club lower the SC when it has players under contract for 2021? Any club could be up to the SC for 2021 with players already under contract. If the highest paid players are under contract then that could really present clubs with difficulties. Leave it is as at present.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/05/24/seibold-pays-tribute-to-pioneer-who-convinced-him-to-play-for-germany/ great recognition Simon

Irish 19 year old front rower signs first team contract with Huddersfield. https://www.giantsrl.com/article/7073/giants-again-promote-from-academy?platform=hootsuite also a couple videos and podcast on his journey. https://player.captivate.fm/episode/5d1cd825-baa5-4e4b-8a5c-40630dc08e07 https://t.co/X4UXBsuteM?amp=1

The Warrington signing of Greg Inglis and the fanfare it created this week (let alone when he actually arrives and plays a game) and the loss of a key player (Naulogo) to a regular play-off contestant (Hull) to a sport that pays significantly better is exactly the reasons why these men are short-sighted and the reduction of the cap is a stupid idea.

Well I'm a bystander at the moment but will almost certainly throw my hat in the ring when things warm up. I presume they will join the Welsh league but can't say at this stage. The talk is a 2021 launch. My preference would be to create a friendly fixture list in the first season, with any and all clubs willing to travel to Aberavon to help us get established. I'm a firm believer in the value of a fixture secretary, creating friendly fixtures a season in advance to assist in the establishment of new clubs. The chap organising it is a very capable administrator so I have every confidence in him. I'll keep you posted.

If he had signed for an NRL team then I'm almost certain their fans wouild be excited and happy, though as with the wire fans we see here there will be some hesitancy due to his injuries and time away. One thing it has done is put RL back in the conversations, brought the game back into propels thinking which is a good thing. Im excited to see him in the English game.

It's been extended until 31st October, do keep up https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-extends-furlough-scheme-until-october

I don't think any proper judgement can be made on finishing in January 2021 without seeing a clear plan for the 2021 season. I can't believe any serious person would favour a 2020 season finishing at the end of January, followed by a full 2021 season, running straight into a World Cup. To be honest, I'd probably say the same about finishing in December. Clubs would be in pre-season in December, with friendlies from Boxing Day onwards. We'd just be flogging the players, and ruining the World Cup.

We just got a £16m loan because the government made a manifesto pledge to deliver the Rugby League World Cup. Some recognition of the importance of that competition should feature. But I don’t see much criticism. The first option makes the most sense to me. The others I think are based more on fantasy than reality and could do real damage to the RLWC.

This is sports entertainment. Toby King may be a good player, but he won't sell thousands of shirts, tickets, sponsorship, shift hospitality etc. This may be a masterstroke, it may be a flop of a signing, but it is exciting and entertaining and gets headlines. The constant negativity about a club signing a huge name and not a young lad from an amateur club within a 10 mile radius is rather tiresome.

Started playing as a kid in St. Helens, so played for Haydock Warriors, Ashton Bears and Golborne Parkside before coming to uni. Went to the Uni of Nottingham where I ended up Captain and Treasurer. Started playing for Nottingham Outlaws in my first year so now into my 8th season, along with just having started as Head Coach. I took up coaching with the Outlaws juniors in my first year of uni. I've coached Outlaws Juniors, Midlands Regional Academy, Midlands u16s (rep team) in the past. I currently coach Outlaws Men, Outlaws Women, Nottingham University and Nottingham Trent University; in short, pretty much everyone I physically can coach!

I think he'll be OK with just the pint I think a good rogering is being far too generous imo

could rugby league invent some kind of scrum cap that also has a nose a mouth shield . Could this help speed up the return of the game and help protect players .

Leeds under McDermott, Cas under Powell and Wigan under Wane perhaps best typify the attacking spectrum of modern RL. Leeds in attack was unstructured. Very few set plays and had many comments from opposition about how this unpredictability made video sessions less important and defending much less easy. Also made Leeds prone to looking directionless and out of ideas at times. Cas under Powell perhaps a best of both worlds. Attacking plays at pace making use of strike players in various positions. Determination to use the full width of the pitch too in a much more ordered attacking fashion than the previous example. They were also willing to attack from deep which marked them out. Finally Wigan under Wane. Block plays at pace that for all they were predictable were equally very hard to defend against. I didn't know where to categorize Tony Smiths Warrington in this venn diagram of attacking styles so perhaps it sits outside! My takeaway from Burrell's point that there wouldn't regularly be the same set plays in union I think is a misrepresentation of the fact that the same situation rarely presents itself. Without wanting to take this cross code, the number of ball passing players generally limits what happens on a union pitch in attack to plays off a 9 or 10. The number of players, unlimited tackles and propensity to go back inside to a forward or podding from the ruck masques this as greater diversity. Its not that attacking plays then are unpredictable they are just not regular. In League by contrast there are essentially 3 lateral positions from which an attacking play can come from regularly. Left, right or Centre. Occasionally we see a blind side play and even in the central positions we see an attempt by the clever players to get tackled to the outside of the post to create more space. Our attacking plays correspond to those points on the field and the limited number of tackles does make a more consistent attacking style more appealing to a generally more conservative attitude in the game now. I do agree with both Carney and Burrell that we have become more conservative - but that the primary factor in that has been defences getting better meaning plays at fast pace are prioritised over maverick moves as they are replicable. I also agreed with the point that we seem to have taken on this Australian obsession with left and right sides to every position. I understand the logic behind it - get really good at attacking your side by doing it exclusively - but I do think it can be seen as symptomatic of how many teams and coaches have a plan A and then nothing much after that.

Push ups week 5 day 3 (repeat) 20,20,24,24,20,20,22 and Thanks to Bob8 him reaching the 100 definitely made me dig in for those last 4 or 5.

Got mine...................easy peasy...

I like Gus Gould, his openness and I’m sure if he was asked about internationals then he would answer. But like us, they have to walk before they can run with the restart. imo, from an international point of view, we have to beat them when/if we play them. That’s the only way to get Aussie interest again in internationals.

Hmmmmm... Greg Inglis was one of the best players ever to pull on a shirt to play rugby league...but, during his last full season (2018) he was disrupted by a shoulder injury and was (by his own high standards... pretty poor) this culminated in being apprehended after a drink driving offence, for which (somehow?!?!?) avoided conviction. He lost the Australian captaincy and very soon afterwards, he retired. Since then he has been in therapy for his mental health whilst adjusting to life away from playing. those issues, physical and mental... make this ( in rugby terms) a very risk signing. Add to that the moving and living in another country, away from close family and support networks, adds to the risk. that has to be balanced against the opportunity to parade one of the biggest names in the sport in a Wire shirt! The deal is twelve months... and it seems the financial commitment is being well managed. I remember being a disappointed Trinity fan when I heard we had signed Ray Price to come out of retirement after 3 years... my disappointment was short lived as he was an inspiration to the team and the club... will the same be said of Inglis with hindsight??? I hope so... moreover, I think it’s worth the risk!

I thought there'd be more comments on this ...... For what it's worth, IMO, the team that Jack assembled with Dave Busfield as 'leader' was the best we've had since the '73 squad..... Some of the rugby that team turned out was of the highest calibre. Great club servant in many roles and good to hear the club is planning something in his honour post-lockdown.

https://www.kahawatungu.com/edward-rombo-appointed-first-kenya-rugby-league-head-coach/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=edward-rombo-appointed-first-kenya-rugby-league-head-coach

Could 2021 be Warrington's year?

This is the best news I have seen in a long time. Fill in those corners! Can’t wait to see him play again. A true genius.

London and East Anglia? Bloody hell. Your new system has barely had time to bed in and you're already talking about mergers.

I was a Player, and committee person at the Great Irlam Hornets, I played for (Brent) -Ealing, when I moved to London, and started an ill fated club that lasted 1.75 seasons called Hillingdon Tigers, based in Uxbridge. After us not going on to win the World Club Challenge, I sort of lost interest in organising RL.

It seems a bit pointless to drop them when there are hundreds of tackles in a game, commonly involving 4 people give or take.

Scrap it, survival of the fittest rather than protect the weak