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If you go on the MEN Rugby League section there isn't even any clickbait, unless you are going back a year. I'm not going to search through the MEN but have they not reported once on anything to do with Salford for over a year? Even the recent stadium/council issues? Surely that should be in the RL section.

I am not sure signing good players and winning things is all that unique in terms of circumstances, every club tries to do it to a certain extent. Bradford overextended for whatever reason - But if they actually sorted out the club, the ground, etc. Then they have the fan base to be able to sustain a certain level - and with a money man behind them, they could IMO get similar crowds to other top teams in SL. I have no idea if Oldham had signed a bunch of world class players and won everything if they would have got big crowds like Bradford used to get - Have they had a period of their history that could indicate they could get those attendances? Just having a winning team for a few years doesn't necessarily guarantee big crowds.

Just on an mostly unrelated note - What an awful Rugby League section MEN has .. I have never been on it before, but the banner is the introduction to the 2023 season, and when I looked down the first article that popped up was about Wigan going through a hectic fixture period with their upcoming match against Toulouse... Dated Aug 2022.

100% this, it is recency bias. It can't be helped for the most part - He will probably be judged more accurately in 20 years time (in comparison to other "GOATS" of St Helens. But then you also get less and less people who would have seen those older players live. A younger fan would never have seen the likes of van Vollenhoven (For example, I have seen the name written on here, but have no idea who he really is), or even younger never have seen Cunningham play so can't really compare to Roby who they have seen for the last 10 + years playing for them.

It's one thing to say you can't see them reaching those heights again, but they have hit those heights once, I think that is the point RE: Bradford compared to those other clubs, I don't believe any of the ones you have named have ever achieved the crowds Bradford have in those years. I have no idea if they stole an idea from Keighley, but if they did, they did it better. They could potentially get big figures attendance wise if they weren't in the state that they are in, they still get big figures in comparison to others in the same league as them.

He's too good for the rules.

Sounds like someone has a chip on their shoulder about something ...

I am going to hold off buying a black t-shirt until I can at least see what the sponsors will look like on it (Not that I am all that hopeful of having actual sponsors other than Betfred, etc!) Hoping for a better effort on the away kit .. Great the club have done this Black Friday sale.. On the two products.. (technically 1, junior & adult shirt). After everything that has happened regarding London since the final whistle in Toulouse, I was at least hoping for a good shirt for next year

I genuinely cannot remember the last time the RFL has re-iterated having to use the foot for a proper PTB. It has to be up there as a fan complaint for a number of seasons now.

Not sure of it's actual name, but I believe they have NFL Redzone where people watch multiple games at once. Think that can work for the NFL when you have 30 + seconds between each play and can look at another game and not miss much, not as much for RL.

So how do we actually help all of these sleeping giants? Not sure you've said much other than name a bunch of heartland clubs that should be doing better anyway.

I think London have 7 or 8 of their away fixtures on a Friday. My dad is already regretting promotion, he enjoyed his weekend train trips t'up North which aren't going to be happening on Friday nights. I don't want to hear any comments about our away fans fitting in a taxi on a Friday night

Yeah, sometimes I like to close my eyes and only look at positives as well.

Got it. No one can comment about how they disagree or don't like something.. Unless they carry around a USB stick with a PowerPoint presentation at the ready, with their 10 point plan explaining why they don't + 5 better ideas ready to be put into place, complete with any costings included.

Up the Trin

I honestly didn't realise that he was turning 33 next year ... God I feel old now. Thanks Johnny!

A signing like Moylan is exactly the kind of "sales pitch" that should be communicated to those that haven't bought memberships/tickets. "Buy now to watch our biggest new signing for years"

It should be a part of their marketing plan. If Leigh or any other club only send emails to those that pay then they are failing at basic steps. Unless Harry et al have unsubscribed to the emails, seems stupid if it doesn't work that way.

It isn't really possible to answer that without the benefit of hindsight and seeing how RL not forming those explicit pathways for themselves turned out for it in the country. The system at the time was very short term minded, with English RL clubs picking some of the best Welsh RU players and letting RU get on with whatever they were doing beforehand. You would hope if it was a similar position now, they would invest more into the region to produce the talent for themselves, rather than cherrypicking.

Ah, yes, Burrows ... I was thinking about Johnstone after everyone constantly took out the T, but people seem to have understood his name now.

I think this is the point. If a club or the sport is signing players from other codes instead of doing anything else to grow the sport from wherever they're from then it won't be beneficial or cost effective. If RL had capitalised on the increased interest in the sport from all the RU players moving from Wales, then those cross code signings would have been beneficial long term. But this is RL, so it was never going to be like that.

Has there been another player that has had his surname spelled incorrectly as much as Tomkins' has? From debut all the way to now being retired, won many trophies, played for his country... Still some people can't spell his name

I had to google who Samuel Gigot even was But looking at his picture - you can definitely tell that they're brothers.

I am not sure on what this means? I don't think anyone is saying that signing these players from other codes/sports is supposed to be the only way to increase crowds. It should be something that is ontop of a whole host of other things clubs and the sport should be doing. As an example, I think the last full RU game I watched was the last match Burgess played for England RU. I wouldn't have watched it if he wasn't playing - but he brought my eyes to the game. Obviously, it didn't work out. But the thought should be to attract new people to watch the sport who may want to watch the sport their favourite/a player they like has moved to. If our sport is good enough, perhaps they will continue to watch. SBW at Toronto brought huge media attention, many more eyes at the time for SL then anything anyone else was doing, it didn't work out in the end but if the club and he had stuck around, who knows what could have happened next.

I'm sorry, but I am struggling to understand what points you are making, or are you just talking about the team in general? This year will be a drop off for Catalans with a lot of experienced players retiring/leaving, McNamara has done great getting them to perform aswell as they have for the last few years. Unfortunately it is a choice of I guess choosing more young French players or winning more games. (I think that is some of what you are saying.. )