Magic XIII

Agree, w/o the IMG grading it's conceivable Hughes might have dug deep and put a competitive side together.

It's not for IMG to restore London, it's David Hughes as the current custodian. If he isn't able or doesn't want to, then he should find someone who will (easier said than done) or we, the fans, have to accept where we are at.

Like all things Broncos, several highs - World Club Championship beating Canberra, 2nd in league, McLinden, Hill, Retchless, Gill, Wardy, vibrant bar and post match music, kids zones and lows - Gus Mackay, heavy defeats, heavy opening night defeats, downward trajectory, falling out (again) with landlords ....... and funnies, Warrington fan(s) burning jerseys after getting flogged, will always stick with me!

Is currently a basket case, ill run and underperfomring since the 00s. Done well, it would be a different story.

I hate comparing to Aus but NRL franchise based (with the glass ceiling) below which hugely popular, well supported, TV screened, vibrant Queensland and NSW Cup competitions, some teams twinned with NRL clubs. It's a mind set thing, with SL being seen as the be all and end all.

NRL might fancy dipping their toes in the SL water. What does Greater London / SE offer, that M62 doesn't and the NRL are desperate to find ? Untapped potential player pool. Buy Broncos for a song from DH, put in place capable off field staff and most importantly a well structured player identification and development programme.

I have never known Meadows position, he is awful, a turnstile in defence and a poor mans Lee Gakell in attack. I would begrudge giving him the water to run on.

In my time connected with London Junior League they have done very very little other than turn up to the end of season Origin Series and promote their pathways. Granted the London League runs clubs from Ipswich to Bromley, Elmbridge to Hemel, ie a huge area.

Says their involvement in SL this year is pointless from the IMG perspective for 2025, and as a result, the squad they have assembled has no recognisable w/class talent that folk will tune in to watch.

St Albans (Hertfordshire) straight to Haydons Road, perfect, then 10mins walk. Only been a couple of times but other than one way 90mins, its an ok experience, IF the team are competing.

Year 1 is the embryo, stick with it and by year 5 the investment of time and money will come to fruition. Everything has to start somewhere !!

Thank goodness for some big picture thinking on what is a well planned, highly financed, well produced investment vs some small fry minor issue. M62 thinking yet again.

Actor, Mike Walling, sadly now deceased was a big Salford fan and spent many summer Saturday afternoon in 00/10s watching St Albans Centurions.

David Hughes will be fed up of funding a decent academy set up and having the best harvested off for little gain. Now he is saying 'up yours' to the RFL, if you want to tap into development potential outside the saturated M62 corridor, you need to do it with your own money. Cuttign his nose of, possibly, but understandable.

Plans - hahaha

IMG are shining a torch on each club. London Broncos (and I am a fan) are not immune to this. We've done well to get promoted, really well. But our preparedness for SL is what it is. We are signing Londoners back who either were cast offs, or who left at the first opportunity and NONE are SL standard, so we can infer David is planning for 25 in Championship and thereafter oblivion.

More importantly how active are they in non local areas, tapping into the nationwide potential - I am sure they realise that lads can be outstanding rugby league players even though they aren't born on the M62

I agree. I am referencing the Championship as the point was made its great getting rid of London and Toulouse from Championship as they bring few fans and the only differecne can be the promoted clubs Doncaster and Dewsbury, no doubt more but that significant ? And as I am writing this Newcastle Thunder fold. Not good.

By the same token I have watched packed football stadia, in fact sports stadia and its been like a library. If the offering on the field is tedious, that doesnt inspire the fans

The promoted clubs bringing maybe a 100 max more fans than London or Toulouse to Championship grounds is hardly going to fill the coffers, but I get your point.

Hopefully down the toilet where they belong

Funniest thing ever. I gave us no chance but I didnt factor in Fev bottling it.

Lovely, just need a York win and were off to Toulouse.

Makes no odds to us as its still 150+ miles (unless we get promoted and then its 180+ miles)

Read 'on the whole' ... naturally there are hooray Henrys in society and maybe golf clubs and rugby clubs have more than their fair share but the vast majority of unionists I come across in the Heartlands of rugger are down to earth decent folk who are oblivious to 1895, who like playing /watching rugby league. It's that simple.