Harry Stottle

How about now we have increased to 10 NFT, we put a seperate cap on how much clubs can spend on NFT's including the full value of the Marquee players, if we don't do something along those lines, just expect those with most money to entice the best and breakaway once again in terms of league standings.

Without really going into it, Edwin Ipape for one PNG Hunters. But really that doesn't matter, very few of those signed over here could not get a contract with NRL clubs hence next best option cone over here. What this increase to 10 will do is divide SL even further in terms of quality in my opinion the richer clubs will employ the better players available. I thought we were getting to a place where just not 4 clubs would canter to silver ware but they would have more competition to get there.

Where are they now John, for 70% of the new quota?

Now let's be totally honest, where the game in Europe be without the present 7 allowed non fed trained, just take our leading club from last season winning all 4 gongs available to them containing players like Field, Misski, Keighran, French, Mago, Isa, Ellis.? Now I am not a fan of saturating our teams with overseas player's, but I do find what the authorities are actually doing is admitting they have neglected for years the sport under the pro/semi pro level, as those of us who have been involved in the community game have been saying for a long time.

Aren't most visiting Aussies, Kiwi's and P.I's reserve grade or at least can't get a NRL contract?

Oh I don't know Damien, those picked up by Adrian Lam over the last few years from his time at Wigan and Leigh have certainly had quite a big impact on the SL comp!

See you have the same information source as I do Tommy, I thought this news worthy of it's own thread.

Probably very much akin to voting for IMG.

Any more of an old boys club being very matey than the recent appointments over the last few years at RFL HQ?

Well someone had to say it so may as well be me. I firmly believe that Cas threw all available monies into the IMG grading criteria last season instead of team building, McGuire as any coach who would have been appointed was on a hiding to nothing.

See that this has been relegated if that is the correct term to Skysports + instead of one of the main Sky Channels according to rugbyleagyeontv.com. Is this a sign of what is your come!

Plus a 5 figure fine, what relevance would either do? These are the the recommendations of RFL's Compliance Manager Mr Gavin Wild.

Not a clue, suggest you seek out Ikram Butt and ask him, who tried for years to increase the popularity of Rugby League to the Asian communities, I would suggest he has a lot more subjects to try to convert today than he did those few years ago, time to give it another go?

Clubs informed they can have ten non-federation-trained quota players from 2026. The allowance has been increased amid concerns regarding the size of the domestic player pool. Is this good or bad? It was decided not to throw open the allowance to any number of overseas because it could impact our national team.

No Matt, his argument was definitely re Night time not being allowed as many as opposed to day time fixtures.

Couldn't agree more, and what I miss most about being in the Championship was the regularity of 3pm Sunday Afternoons as opposed to the 'anytime to suit Sky' fixtures we now have in SL. I loved going on the coach to W. Yorkshire clubs on Sunday's and hardly missed any I still do when we are lucky enough to have those fixtures today, but traversing the Pennines at night time with games now regularly finishing gone 10pm and having to travel back is a complete no no.

Never say never Browny, I can only remember - not looking at records - when my club only once had >6,000 (just) back in 1982 in the last 50 years, we are doing very well at the moment albeit I doubt we will ever average 10k+ over a season, but for a town our size the return is extraordinarily good.

Warringtons rejuvenation was moving out of Wilderspool, Oldham are already in a very suitable stadium sharing with the football club and it seems by all accounts they are now well financed, likewise not many better RL grounds than Widnes they just require that "local lad done good" which is nowadays the predominant factor for relative success that can improve as the public joins in.

For years schools in Widnes did not play Rugby League, even though it had quite a few Junior ARLFC clubs when the pro club was doing well, but as you say they have been in the doldrums for so long with the towns pro club, so if the schools do not play the game and the pro club is unfashionable, what is the introduction to the game for youngsters?

The changing face of Oldham from it's days of being a top RL town are now in the demographics of the place, it is more suited to being a cricket town. As would be tge case with some West Yorkshire towns.

In discussion today someone said that there will be a greater attendance v HKR this week than Wigan last week, how come I said Wigan game was sold out, he said that because it was a Saturday afternoon more can be allowed into the stadium than on a night time game?

Is there a reduced capacity for night matches as opposed to daytime games?

I think we are sparse on quality homegrown 9's at the moment and probably can't look much further than O'Neil and O'Connor who's games are very similar for me and off course Litten who has much more all round to offer for mine, I don't see any improvement in Daryl Clarke and of course we have Danny Walker but will he be the same when he returns from such a long lay off? What Mr Wane wouldn't give for an Ipape! It's pretty much the same story with homegrown Half Backs, there is not a lot to choose from, the main talk on selection is how we perm any two from three, a couple of injuries and we are then looking at drafting in Sneyd, or even Jowitt who is not a bad option with his full back capabilities, which may be another problem if Welsby doesn't recover sufficiently.

Not to hijack this thread. What you say is my thoughts precisely why the path the game has taken with the gradings does not show enough consideration to the game below SL, it won't be long before SL will become a closed shop in all but name. But that is for another thread.

Yeah, agree a few years ago Mark Calderwood had two good games on the trot at the close of the season and he got selected just on those games, he was never of international quality, so as you and @WN83 say there has to be other Criteria taken into consideration, but conversely it shouldn't happen as Mr Macnamara did for the '13 World Cup when he picked his half backs fully 10 months prior to the comp starting, he may have had the idea who he wanted in, but that should have been a private thought and not made public in case a better candidate came along that season which it did in the form of Danny Brough.