Kirmonds pouch

We will see

Normally I wouldn’t bother pulling LE up for lazy journalism but this one I will. His first try was ok but owed much to a Rodwell slip. The second came off a blatant obstruction and would never had stood on a VR decision. It’s not the fact that it was given that bothers me, refs make errors. But the reporter had all the time in the world to see what happened. What happened allowed Connor to score a try almost any player could score. Yet somehow Connor was the star of the game even though he did sod all after that. There were some great performers for both Leeds and Wakey on the day and all did better than Connor. Yet the reporter clearly couldn’t see beyond the reputation. Does it matter, well not so much in this game which was a friendly. But it does matter overall because it’s typical of the clickbait journalism we get in RL these days. Compare to the NRL or the Premier League. There you get deep and expert analysis and that’s what we deserve. If you’re a RL writer I expect you to know the game and the obstruction should have been mentioned and it should have relegated Connor to reasonable performance and nothing more. I’m sure I’ll get shot down but it matters to me. I want LE to thrive as a publication, as it’s the only genuine one we have that is not purely a click bait web site. However they are free and LE/TRL is not. If you want punters cash you need to up your game imho where match reports are concerned - I want the negatives as well as the positive. Promoting the game is fine but sanitising it is not. Players cheat, coaches cheat, some refs have ###### games and some rules are clearly stupid. I want the LE/TRL to sharpen its teeth and stop pandering to big club and worse still, reputations. I want you to point out the wrong as well as the rights. This is fair criticism imho. Rant over

But you are the silly one. Please tell me exactly what impact a midlands club would have on the game. An area that has even less appetite for the game than London. What planet are you on? I bet you couldn’t find a single businessman in the world who’d think the idea of setting up a franchise in the West Midlands was remotely viable and at SL level it is a business. Just because you have a pipe dream doesn’t mean the rest of the game has to fund it or even want it. Despite what many seem to believe this forum does not represent the majority of RL fans and never has. It just a virtual echo chamber for the eternally deluded at times. As for London’s impact, again, a handful of half decent players in forty years. That doesn’t account to anywhere near enough to warrant the time, effort and hype invested. As for MM, if he didn’t exist do you not think Trinity couldn’t find another marquee signing. The only reason they went for MM was availability and that Powell was the coach who made him. Isn’t it obvious what a failure London are when literally none of the lean pickings actually played there careers in London. Take the rose tinted specs off.

Yes he is and imo it will be the making of him. Injuries permitting he should play every game, hopefully at centre. He’s a talent I can assure you. Remembering that he still trains full time at Trinity.

My point exactly, there was nothing special by Conner. Yet for some reason Leeds fans in particular get seduced by names. Siva (not sure on spelling), got cheered every time he got the ball. Yet given a clear break he ran out of steam and was easily run down by the Trinity defence. The bloke is shot, that’s why the NRL let him go. Maybe Johnstone is past his best, we will have to wait and see, but I’d still put my house on him scoring that try, ditto Walmesley, Pratt and of course Booth who actually did. It’s not an I hate Leeds issue, because I don’t. But unless some of those kids break through big style that’s yet another season of Leeds fielding a truly underwhelming team. This imo is not good for the game. Realistically Trin are 1-2 seasons away from being truly competitive assuming the investment continues. That’s why I’m more happy as a Trin fan than I would be as a Leeds fan. We will lose our opening game against Leeds, but I reckon we will learn quickly.

Again I agree it’s just a friendly, but I’m just commenting on the match.

Yes because half a dozen players produced over the last forty years from non heartland clubs has made all the difference to the game, come off it. Are you seriously suggesting MM rise through the ranks of RL has been worth the million spent on RL in London. Great player, happy to have him on board, but seriously get a grip.

It absolutely is in the U.K., I never mentioned the world other than a brief mention of NRL methodology, but please feel free to carry on with your silly delusions. Funny how people seem incapable of accepting what is clearly obvious.

I’ve come to the conclusion that some people will moan about anything.

Oh don’t be ridiculous. The north in the case of RL is geographically obvious, the M62 corridor. I think it’s hard to be more ‘Northern’ than that. As for northern culture, if you don’t think there is one then you need to get in your car and head up the M6 onto the M62. Though not as unique as it once was it’s still strong and distinct. The homogenisation of British culture is far from complete. I also find your attitude somewhat pedant. I doubt you’d question the existence of a Scottish culture or a Cornish one, yet you can’t accept a Northern one, odd. A club from the midlands would make the same impact on the northern game as London did, and that is zero. Like it or not the power of the game lies in the heartland. I know RL revisionists hate that but most people hate the truth. All the SL clubs bar one are heartland clubs and the reason they take up all 11 places is because they are the only viable options. Even the 12th club is a in its own way a heartland club. I don’t care who plays RL, the game belongs to all. But it’s leading edge and it’s power base is northern and there is no arguing with that. I want northern RL fans to stop clinging onto this ludicrous expansion nonsense that in forty years has yielded zero results. I want them instead to turn their energies inwards and rebuild what we already have. Make that work and then we can expand, because people are always attracted to success. If that happens, then your little West Midlands club might stand a chance because it would be in a strong sport. I wouldn’t mind but the role model is already there, it’s called the NRL. A competition that only forty years ago was far more parochial than the RFL ever was.

Again I was responding to a specify comment from one poster. You don’t have to be a northerner, I never said you did. However the bulk of the support is northern and with that comes a northern bias. I see no reason why that needs removing as if it were some silver bullet to greater national recognition. Quite the opposite imho, as I believe the more homely nature of RL will become its major selling point. Whenever the nation goes through a genuine slump and it really is now, flash becomes less attractive.

I agree and that was my point. Wakefield defence was clunky to start with but as a recently promoted team with lots of new faces you’d expect that. However that can soon be put right as Trinity get up to speed. Leeds are a far more settled side and we’re in SL last season. They should have done far better imho. They were after all the daddies in the first half. Connor I’m afraid always flatters to deceive. If your lucky you’ll get three good games in a season, I wouldn’t give him bus fare. Croft will do better I’m sure but I can’t help but think Salford got the best of him.

Although I don’t agree with the notion, January and February were always well attended games in the winter era. Odsal was always vulnerable due to lack of cover but most SL grounds could cope.

I was replying to the posters, hence the quote, you do know this works? You’re more than welcome to our sport, new support always is. However that doesn’t mean the bulk of Northerners have to change there culture in order to gain more fans.

I’d be worried if I were Leeds. Not one Leeds player stood out. Neither Connor tries were special. I don’t think Croft was better than anyone else, I don’t know what player some were claiming to watch. Trinity looked good and never had more than half a first team on show. They certainly created the best try by Sinfield. Whilst the move of the match saw Booth slightly overrun a pass. Easily the best move of the game. Think Powell will have the better nights sleep.

Now you know how we feel about you.

So what I’m proud of that heritage. Funny how you never mention the pearly king and queens, or any of the other supposedly quirky regional oddities. Stop being embarrassed about being northern and embrace it. RL is a northern game, I’m happy it is, it’s special and belongs to us. We don’t need to expand we need to consolidate.

We’ve done just about enough in the last forty years to remain in the public consciousness that’s true. This has stopped us falling of a cliff in the way clubs like Swinton have. However at no point in that period have we experienced success. Winning two million pound games was a monumental achievement, but it was a Dunkirk moment not Waterloo. Ditto promotion, it was vital but it’s still only a positive response to a previous and enormous failure. People will turn up for car crash moments, but that’s not what people want on a regular basis. The Wakefield public now want a little glory.

I’ll take exception to that. Clearly Salford lied initially. Clearly it was spotted very quickly. Ie they knew they couldn’t get away with it as in the past. This time strong sanctions were imposed. Say what you like about Michael Carter, he will have been totally dispassionate and thorough. Something that was rarely the case when the RFL took the lead. What he and the others have recommended looks brutal and it is. Salford are drinking in the last chance saloon and at last I think they realise it. To me such realism is down to IMG. You don’t have to like all there policies but when it comes to financial proprietary they know there stuff and have no issues imposing it without emotion. People don’t like that last bit because it interferes with their own prejudices and bias. I say good, about time.

Just my opinion but I think it is starting to have an effect. I think the grading process forced the clubs to have a good look at themselves and all seem to have responded to varying degrees. This is the first season in an age where I think the game has edged slightly forward after years of decline. My own club Trinity has gone from being an off field embarrassment to something of an example of how to really up your game. Bothe Leigh and HKR have refused to fade away after a good season or two. Wigan are strong and when they are so is the game as a rule. Trinity, Cas and now Hull have picked up some serious investors. Leeds seems to have stabilised, such a massive investment in Headingly was bound to affect them for a bit. Yes I know they only contributed a percentage but all things are relative. It’s yet to be seen if there is an on field improvement but in most other aspects things seem to have improved. Better pricing, better marketing, better matchday experience seems to be the norm. Would any of this happened without IMG and grading? Not IMO it wouldn’t. Early days, still some hurdles ahead, but I do think the game is starting to change for the better.

It’s not really just a Leigh thing tbh. RL is a small game but to many people have that build it and they will come mentality - they won’t. It’s taken Wigan years to make the Brick stadium viable, and even now they rarely hit capacity. Ditto Saints and Hull FC. It’s not capacity we need, it’s interest and participation. Once that happens then other things like ground development will happen naturally. The only club in SL imho that has a capacity issue is HKR, but even that is manageable at present and could also be very transitory. Both you and HKR have definitely gate crashed the party of late and that’s great, but let’s not run before you can walk. 10k is more than adequate for your club and the odd sell out is actually a good thing, it creates a demand of its own. Finally, a word of warning, Leigh is a small place and it has a natural ceiling fan wise, as does Cas. You mustn’t lose site of that. Same as Wakefield fans with Leeds, they have no limits, we do.

Well you’re wrong on that

Mmm, not sure on that What you need to do first is stay competitive. If you don’t that support will quickly evaporate. I’d say your now entering a rebuilding phase and this season could go either way. I think it’s a bit premature to suggest your capacity is an issue at the moment. If you continue as you are and cement yourself as a top club then maybe in a few years something will need to be done. If you think I’m being negative or putting Leigh down I’m not. I have the same discussion with Trinity fans demanding an all singing all dancing west stand instead of the more modest effort proposed. There is no point creating a capacity we can’t guarantee we will hit on a regular basis. That stand would quickly become a white elephant. For me the success needs to be far more long term before huge investments are made. if I were Leigh I’d spend my money developing the local junior game and create that conveyor belt of talent.

Nothing to do with Leeds United, who have hardly taken football by storm in the last 20 years. Cas have remained a reasonably competitive club in the last 40 years. One CCup win and another couple of final appearances. They have also appeared in a SL final and have often been top six. True they have had there downs, but have generally been competing. Trinity last contested a major trophy in 1979. Since then we have done nothing, zilch, zero. With numerous financial meltdowns and generally being cellar dwellers, support has simply ebbed away since the glory days of the 1960s. Thats the difference with us and Cas. They have competed to a reasonable degree and we haven’t. On the plus side, taking 8000 to Wembley this summer for a Mickey Mouse trophy shows the potential is still there.

What’s also interesting here is the reasoning. Even without the new terracing on the north and south ends of the ground, Trinity had a capacity of approx 8500. This is a figure that has barely been tested in 15 years. the relaid north terrace will yield an extra 400 spaces I’m told, whilst the south 800. That’s 1200 extra places and a revised capacity of 9700. You have to have a reason to spend that kind of cash on what appears to be an unnecessary upgrade. Especially when as a promoted club you’d expect that money to go on players. So I can only assume that recent ST sales have gone especially well. I also assume that the club also expect a good take up on individual match day tickets. My guess is that come the new year it will be announced that we have sold between 5-6000 ST sales. That is a fantastic base figure for us, and imo could facilitate a number of sell outs. I reckon our first home game V HKR will be one, especially if we perform well against Leeds the week before. Then if we stay reasonably consistent I see the same against Cas and Leeds and perhaps Wigan. Ellis really is a shrewd operator. Though having the money does help. No massive egotistical stuff, just the ability to act quickly when circumstances change. Often in relatively small but useful ways. He really is setting us up for the future. We are a very fortunate club.