Lapsed Leeds Fan

I haven't watched an NRL game or read any NRL related story since their world cup announcement, and I can't see that changing any time soon. It's not what they said but the way they said it which still rankles. I also still have my doubts they'll be over for the 2022 world cup.

I always loved the old RFL logo. It looked like the sort of thing a bloke would knock together on a notepad whilst taking a tea break from designing 1970s multi-storey carparks.

Unfortunately Ray begged to differ .

There's a game-wide mouthguard study currently in progress. It's an RFL initiative in conjunction with Super League clubs, with research being led by Leeds Beckett University. It's in a pilot stage at the moment with full rollout intended for November 2021. https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/news/2021/04/leeds-beckett-university-links-with-rugby-league-on-head-impact-research-project/

Agreed. From now on I'll treat the game in Australia and NZ as I would an estranged family member. I'll remember the good times but I've no desire to keep in contact or have any involvement in their future.

And the story underneath is about rugby league aiming for the 2032 Olympics as a priority. The game won't be around in 2032 with decisions like this.

An email form Leeds has just landed in my inbox. One of the news items features this interesting passage : "As the 2021 World Cup excitement starts to build, we're bringing the official England Rugby League merchandise to the Leeds Rhinos Merrion store. With the official kit and our latest off-field ranges being made available, you can get ready to support England." This means either Leeds have been told nothing about any postponement or they are doing a very good job of hiding it. Either way, if clubs like Leeds are still promoting the world cup and it gets pulled it makes the game look even more shambolic.

Maybe, maybe not. But a Rhinos resurgence would need to coincide with any United relegation to take full advantage. For those two elements to align is down to luck rather than planning, and even then Leeds United would still be the most popular club in the city.

I agree that Leeds have somewhat stagnated in the last few seasons both on and off the pitch, but how much of this can be directly attributed to Hetherington is questionable. The buzz in Leeds is understandably now all about Leeds United, and where a few years ago you would see many Rhinos shirts around town these have been replaced by youngsters in football shirts. The Rhinos overachieved for a period, United massively underachieved. Now the roles are reversed and we're probably back to a more natural balance of the popularity of the two clubs in the city. Hetherington can try all he might, but where we once we had RL almost within touching distance of Leeds United crowd wise, those days are gone and unlikely to ever return. As for Leicester Tigers, see the Kevin Sinfield thread. In a nutshell, union is a far more popular game.

Possibly, but off the pitch the two codes have never looked further apart. On the pitch they've never looked closer. That would be a worry to me if I worked for the RFL.

For those of us who were watching RL in the dying days of RU shamateurism this is the inevitable consequence many of us could see coming. We railed against the hypocrisy of rugby union's boot money payments and banning of league players, but deep down knew that any professionalisation of Union would probably start to crumble the foundations of League. Unfortunately a free pathway between the codes has led to a steady stream of talent having their heads turned by money, profile, and the all important cliché of wanting a new challenge. I feel your frustration, I really do, but I honestly cannot see a way out of this for league. We are too small-time, too impoverished and we are most certainly not 'on-brand' with the wider general public. Until all three of these change we're going to have to get used to it.

I'll be surprised if he's still here by the end of the month. He's made up his mind, and his attention is clearly elsewhere. No point delaying the inevitable.

Realistically, what options did Leeds have? Plead with him to stay? They probably tried that and his mind was set on leaving. Try to redefine his role? Leicester would just come back to him and say he can create the job he wants. Offer him more money? It would still be matched and probably beaten by Leicester. Sometimes we just have to realise that a bigger sport with bigger pockets can come and poach our talent. Unless we want to bankrupt ourselves in the process there’s little we can do. When RU backroom staff positions outnumber those in RL by at least threefold, and there are dozens more RU clubs with the financial clout to tempt people from RL, the traffic will be one way. Years ago I used to be infuriated by defections to RU. Now I simply acknowledge that they are an inevitable part of being a rugby league fan. It’s annoying, but we are an under-funded sport in a fiercely competitive market. It’s a wonder that this doesn’t happen more often. We also need to remember that it isn’t just RU that takes our talent, although it is always the one that hurts the most.

Brilliant, and exactly what the great man deserves. What's also nice to see is that a couple of papers have picked up on the story: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-league/clive-sullivan-google-doodle-rugby-b1828909.html https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/14591983/who-is-clive-sullivan-google-doodle-great-britain/

A great article which I think sums up everything perfectly. If you want the very essence of being a rugby league fan you've captured it with the sentence below: "Fans still believe that the game should be at the centre of our national life, but at the same time, nobody would honestly claim that the game has made the necessary sacrifices to achieve it."