Tommygilf

Do you have any faith in that ever being productive? The only way I can see that working is if the League/RFL buys at least significant minority holdings in each club and runs it like a US sport. Any opportunity a group of clubs get to break away will be taken if they have the option otherwise.

The sport has a massive perception issue that it is a game followed by northern thickos. This doesn't help at all with that.

Its basic respect between clubs in the League, and seems to have a bit more significance at Catalans given the tourists/hosts international element. When I played (much lower level) RU for example, the meal after the game in things like this was the most important part in building links and the whole game ethos. Add to that Beaumont's supposed comments about Catalans in his support for the Coup. Add to that him being on Catalans' pitch without permission with a bloke with a drum. I can see why he'd not be welcome back at the Brutus.

Call me cynical but this has been tried at SL and Championship level before and rejected because clubs preferred commercial independence. Heck even the IMG compromise is effectively a result of this. And even if it did happen, how does it stop 1 or more clubs doing a U-Turn (in rugby league who would think?!) and breaking such a thing? How does this plan effect Super League vs Championship and League 1 for example?

It makes literally no sense and is the sort of mental gymnastics usually found coming from others. Wood was running the show from 2008 so everything good is down to him but he wasn't in control of a deal quotes from him say he was in full support of signed just months before his de facto role became de jure? Yeah right...

Don't come here with your facts and logic, this is a debate for vibes only don't you know!

Looked like the Jet2 Holidays clientele tik toks Jet2 definitely don't like going around at the moment.

Gledhill claxon... States in an interview today with Bradford CEO Jason Hirst that the Bulls are planning for 3 outcomes. 1) Championship club with £150k Central funding 2) Top 12 Super League club with full funding 3) Super League club in 13th or 14th position with reduced funding. The bodge continues?

A) its possible to have a lasting impact and build a cross party consensus on any given issue B) having zero legacy, or at least zero positive legacy, isn't a good thing

I read that as Mal agreeing to a match but the RLPA not wanting it?

The competition was created to add another match (and aggregate attendance) to the Challenge Cup final. A lower league cup was chosen because non-SL clubs have next to 0 chance of making Wembley. Its generally been a failure in the early stages, and it has failed to really grasp the attention of fans and broader fan networks in most places.

So in short, the good things he did had no legacy or backing within the wider sport so fell apart after he left (Internationals, super 8s, expansion clubs) or at best stagnated (Magic Weekend). Sounds like no strategy to me...

I think its a bit like BBC2 - national stuff but with regionalised content too.

puff piece meaning https://g.co/kgs/9nqM21S Yeah you can say that.

A lot in there. The lack of match against Australia is depressing from the RLPA - they really do not want to play RL matches. I'd advocate that even a PMs XIII level supporting tour squad would have been fine too but zero imagination to get around "problems" yet again. Paris 2026 for Catalans seems pretty much confirmed. Hopefully it can become a regular thing. Aligning the season with the UK seems logical - hopefully it leads to more co-operation and international club matches. Brittany/Loire Atlantique for the Womens world cup seems an odd choice. Moving the HQ to Toulouse seems logical if Paris is just for show and Toulouse can really maximise value. That said France has been in some ways more Paris focused than the UK is with London, so removing that presence must be carefully considered. The France 3 deal would be great for French RL.

In fairness, I'd take Toronto and the League 1 expansion as the most criticism worthy aspects of Wood's tenure, especially with consideration of the "Strategic" element of the strategic review he is leading. There was zero strategy.

Oh I'd advocate for more French and Welsh lads going to Australia too, but the English clubs should be easier. Frankly nobody should be committing their body to professional RL for any length of time for anything less than £30k p.a. imo!

Next 3 games for Leeds will determine a lot. Including the last Saints game I said 6 points from a total 8 would see Leeds really cement themselves in claiming that third place position. As you say its wide open and will come down to fine margins. Teams having off days will be punished.

Its a problem endemic in the game sadly. We fish in the same waters time and time again despite proof that looking a bit broader or more imaginatively regularly produces good results too. The Midlands and Welsh pathways problem are clear examples of this issue.

They are often cheaper, and of percieved higher quality often. SL should be the highest standard possible. Clubs absolutely should do more with junior development.

Whilst I get what you are saying, I'm not sure it makes sense for clubs to take this approach rigidly. Ultimately clubs need to recruit at all levels from as broad a base as possible. An antipodean is often the easy option for many, especially with cap space considered. As such I would advocate for greater cap dispensations to be put in place to encourage clubs to fill these spots with British, French, even European RU players. That could be raising the age and wage for qualifying against the cap, dispensations for non-heartlands u23 level recruitment, specific spots for French and Welsh players in line with IRL aims. There is already effectively an RU new talent pool dispensation but its not been used a lot at all (thinking less than 10 maybe less than 5 players). Trying to force imagination is difficult!

The whole strategy has been deflection deflection deflection and it hasn't worked from the start. They've approached this as if the Tribunal was a jury who had to rule beyond all reasonable doubt, when that was never the case. The only benefit of the doubt Aston can be given here is that he has been poorly advised since the investigation launched.

Imagine who would not want to give control away to an outside group and has shown time and time again that it is that outside group who have to compromise not them.

I fear IMGs lesson for Rugby league will be the one about leading a horse to water