bamfordsbeans

There were 5 Fairbank brothers at Elland. I believe 4 of them played together regularly (John was too young) and they all went onto play professionally.I don't think any of them played together in the pro game.

If as many expect the new deal to be reduced,it is slightly ironic that the Championship and League 1 clubs suffer due to an under performing SL. After 23 years we still have only 4 to 6 clubs living up to the requirements of the game in this countries premier competition. A lower standard of play and high profile players has led to reduced crowds,TV audiences and general media interest.

For us to begin to compete with the Aussies the salary cap has got to increase.The vast difference against our main competitors(union and the NRL) is telling. Saints are by far our best team,yet with 3 or 4 players out injured they just didn,t have the strength in depth to give themselves a realistic chance of winning.

Sky like Thursday games.

Depressing night at the Shay last night. Poor weather,crowd,performances from the players-particularly Fax and incompetent officiating.

Good idea to have this thread.You can,t rely on the BBC or local media to keep you informed. However soccers postponements were relayed a lot quicker yesterday-so is it the media's fault or our clubs not getting the info over?

Fax v Dewsbury off much to the delight of the soccer fans in the town.

Really poor from the BBC.According to there website no fixtures have been called off today. People used to rely on them for information.

Good work Ray

This is the kind of series we need.A significant notch up on the usual output we get. The only problem is it is only likely to be seen my a small audience.

The emphasis on expansion needs to be on the amateur game. A question for the game if there is any money for development officers etc-is where would it be best spent? London,Midlands,South-West would all have strong claims,but the dramatic decline in the heartland areas certainly needs addressing. If development officers were positioned in Halifax,Oldham and Workington for example would that be more beneficial than the former?

Ken Loxton and Les Holliday at Halifax in the eighties were top examples.

The Championship is only just recovering from the years of licensing.To go down that route again could be terminal for those clubs not in the "chosen few". Coming upto 25 years of SL and it still relies on only 4 or 5 clubs to provide the trophies and the bulk of interest and crowds.Until that number increases to 9 or 10 any such talks should be put on hold. Having said that the likes of Hudgell,Davy and Carter are only going to vote one way.

When I started this thread I didn't want it get political(we've had more than enough of that over the last few months). However to hear one of the countries top politicians mention the RLWC on prime time TV was very encouraging.

Watching BBC's Breakfast Show this morning and in an interview with Michael Gove he mentioned that one of Nicky Morgans proirities in her new role was to deliver a successful Rugby League World Cup in 2021. Amongst all their tasks at the moment I wasn't expecting that. Is this a thank you for"Workington Man"?