DOGFATHER

Are you suggesting it will be a Fev v Bulls final, then IMG will make it a 14 team SL, and promoting both finalists?

I heard we made him an offer, but he had been offered more money by Keighley and was likely to sign for them. However, that was before Keighley were relegated.

I personally think the best option for the game, would be to combine the divisions and have 2 leagues of 12. The top 4 from each, form an 8 team playoff for the end of season Championship. I would also like to see a total salary cap of £500k, no dispensation, no marquee players costing less than face value, and everyone on a clubs books should count towards it. None of this top 25 earners type of loophole, and it would also include all backroom staff and not just players. Keep it simple. This would reward the better supported/funded teams, so they could spend up to the cap, but not put them out of sight of teams that can't. However, I'm not a Fev fan, and with my tinfoil hat on, I firmly believe Fev will go up this year, and will come straight back down, being replaced by Wakefield. IMG will pull up the SL draw bridge and we will be back to a closed shop. Therefore, there would be no need to spend £2M on the squad getting the nucleus of the side ready for SL the following year.

Meadows Manning McGowan

So by doing nothing, referees therefore have a great game?!?! People keep telling me, no ref, no game. By your definition, it would seem that is not true. If he is the best the RFL can come up with, I think Id rather take my chances of not bothering with the clowns in the middle at all. He is appalling. I'd even go as far as saying he is even worse than the clown that gave you the win up at the mount in the mud bath last season, where we had 3 perfectly good tries disallowed, and Pauli Pauli committed two sending off offences yet stayed on the field, and picked up two suspensions at the disciplinary following the game. I make no wonder you think he had a great game. If you have that kind of officiating every week, this time next year you'll be top of SL. I'm absolutely sick of paying good money to see referees deciding more matches than the players do.

Are you sure there isn't a shortage? 11 English SL clubs with 2 HB's required at each = 22, without including the 2nd choice players to cover injuries or a lack of form, and you can only name 5? Some of those 5 would never be classed as a first choice at an NRL club, and should not get anywhere near playing international rugby.

I would think there is a bit more to it other than just money. With a young family, would you want to travel to Widnes 3 or 4 times per week? As I understand it, he is a local lad and the journey would be a nightmare during the week after a day at work. I realise it is all down to personal preference, but I really like him and he'd be a huge loss if he goes. He is more of a footballer than most of the rest of the pack, he has a good offload game, and his work rate is huge, both attacking and defending. The bit I find a little hard to understand is, why and how we apparently don't have money to strengthen the squad given the recent on field successes? I understand Kevin has announced the club hasn't made anything out of the GF last year or 1895 Final this year, my question is why? The prize money in rugby league seems to be a more closely guarded secret than the recipe for Coca Cola, but surely we must have made something from the ticket sales, we took very strong numbers to both games, as well as the shared gates in the run to the GF. If nothing else, surely the club must have seen an increase in sponsorship revenue?

Kear Morton Brown

I wonder if it was the same reporter that awarded Alex Rowe a performance score of 7, a few seasons ago against Toronto away? This would have been fine, if Rowe was in Canada and wasn't in the UK when the game was played .

The major benefit of the Wembley appearance, as I see it, will hopefully make the job of marketing the club and gaining sponsorship, much easier for next season. However, it won't fall in to the BOD's laps, it will still have to be earned. Would it also be worth selling very early bird season tickets for next season? Perhaps even selling them at this season's discounted prices, for the next 2-3 months only, to let people get over the Wembley weekend financially. Or maybe a deal with Wembley tickets, e.g. present your 1895 final ticket and guarantee next seasons tickets at this season's prices. They have presented fantastic value for money. Cash in on the euphoria?

I would assume the same as we got for losing last years GF. The princely sum of sweet FA!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0g2hdfj Radio highlights and interviews after the game with Lingard, Brown and Nicolas.

Morton Brown Buchanan

Business!!! Really??? If it is business, how many clubs in SL would be in "business" if it wasn't for a sugar daddy pumping (in some cases £M's per season) in to them? How many clubs do you think would be sustainable business' if it wasn't for wealthy owners pumping money in and willing to write it off? How many club owners do you think will see a return on their investment? How many teams broke even, never mind made a profit? Wakefield was the only one, wasn't it???? All this rehashed "Framing the future" proposal is about, is trying to ensure the clubs at the top get a bigger slice of the pie, in the hope that the sugar daddy's won't have to pump as much money in, and to try to make the clubs more sustainable, because they cannot afford to keep throwing money away like they have done for years. The problem with that dream is, it won't mean the sugar daddy's at the top don't spend as much, or clubs becoming more sustainable. The basic problem is, most clubs are spending more than they are making, the same as it was when SL started. It would seem nothing has changed in that regard, other than weakening the teams outside of SL and widening the gap between the have's and have not's.

Hooley Manning Meadows

I was at that one, (my lad was playing for NW Crusaders under 7s in a tournament prior to the game). Although, not the greatest ground I've been to in terms of facilities, it was certainly one of the most picturesque I've ever been to! Stunning scenery, and what a thunderstorm in the second half! I convinced myself the all metal stand would act as a Faraday cage if it got struck by lightening. I was also at Chester RU for the Cru game against Rochdale on Sunday. A really tidy little ground. Hats off to the Crusaders, they are really trying to get the kids of North Wales involved and seem to be building something special. As a Batley exile, it's so nice my lad has the option of playing league and really enjoying it. P.S. I live about 3 miles from Rhosllanerchrugog, and the locals just call it Rhos, and don't bother with the llanerchgrugog part of the name, thankfully for me.

I went to the game yesterday as a neutral, and tbh I thought you bossed the first 30 minutes (particularly in the forwards), and then fell asleep in defence for the last 10 mins, which got NWC back in to the game. and I really thought with the heat (at times) and NWC losing the centre so early on and down a substitute (as he didn't return), it would have told in the final quarter. With a bit better discipline, ball control and game management in the 2nd half, I think you'd have won comfortably. Whether it was a lack of fitness that caused the errors and ill-discipline, is anyone's guess? From a neutral standpoint it was an entertaining game. I saw NWC obliterate Midlands Hurricanes a couple of weeks prior, so I think it might be a bit soon to throw the towel in.

I think it depends on who you support If you support one of the teams likely to benefit from going back to how things were during the framing the future days, you will be happy, it is a visionary revolution that the game has so desperately needed for years. If you support a team not likely to benefit from going back to a system that is likely to be as transparent as mud, you will think it is just the same ideas that were tried and failed and we're making the same mistakes all over again.

On your last point would you be happier if Beaumont had said "Oh well, we will give it a shot, we'll probably go straight back down again as we have no chance of competing against clubs that have been established in SL for years. They have been able to recruit sooner than us, because they knew there fate months before us. They have established academies etc.etc. What is wrong with a bit of confidence and trying to inspire the local community to support them? On your other point about geographic diversity, I'm all for it, even as a heartland club supporter. I would love nothing more than Rugby League being a truly national sport. But the issue has always been the top down approach to funding. None heartland clubs have always been reliant on heartland based players, because not enough people play the game in those communities to sustain the clubs in those diverse areas long term. If a top player is going to up sticks and move to play, it costs more than them staying local to friends and family. Catalan has worked, because it has a USP of much better weather than the UK and I would imagine most players would prefer to live in the south of France rather than say the drizzle of the M62 corridor. More money to the grassroots, means more players. More people playing, higher standard of the game, more interest in the game and higher attendances. I can only liken SL's approach to Kwasi Kwarteng's trickle down economics stategy. They have tried it for 20 plus years at SL, and it has only served to strengthen a few at the top.

1970s Gibson SG 1978 Ibanez Artist Super Edition But my weapon of choice is a JHS Vintage brand Jackson/Charvel-esque copy, I picked up really cheap on ebay, it plays so well. Laney GC 120C with a few different Boss pedals (Distortion, Chorus, delay, Phaser, flanger) but I tend to play through POD farm and Guitar Rig on my laptop since the kids were born, as it is a little easier to keep the noise levels down.

This cover of Stevie Wonder's Superstition by SRV is up there for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37-yFGJngPs