Eddie

I’m sure they’d love on but who would pay for it?

I lived in Sheffield in the mid 90s and there was a real buzz about the Eagles then, I thought they could develop into an established top flight team with an average gate of 5,000 or so, and still maintain that could have happened, such a shame.

Wasn’t this thread about Sheffield not Cas?

Why? They’re an established SL club with everything (other than the ground) going for them compared to YCK?

Agreed, he looked and sounded a bit awkward in front of the camera but that’s understandable as he hasn’t done it often, and he obviously doesn’t have the usual studio look (to say the least), but I’d like to hear more from him in that role.

Agreed, probably best for him and Cas, there are a number of great young coaches who could do well there, though not so good news for (the obvious one) York.

I can’t remember Wakefield or Hull KR playing at home, though doesn’t mean they haven’t of course.

Who would you have England play? We need games in between tournaments (ie world cups) to help win one, and the RFL can’t afford to go down under every year, Australia aren’t too interested in coming here and the south sea island probably can’t afford to come here either. It’s not ideal, but France is our best realistic option. Could maybe have a game against the NRL champions when they come over for the WCC but playing a club side would be quite embarrassing, win or lose.

Doesn’t matter what name tier someone has given it, the point is that Australia v England is almost as much of a mismatch as France v England, as the results bear out. I think we should play France at least every couple of years, to give the England team a run out together and also to help France (decent crowd over there, exposure, experience for them etc). It’s our only serious option really, the Exiles is a ###### idea and there is little chance of S Hemisphere teams coming over regularly.

How about blond and ginger hair v brown and black hair? Anyone who’s gone prematurely grey would be left out, play it at Wembley.

One could wear blue and the other green and white hoops, and it could be a double header somewhere random, like Glasgow.

I’d just spend the whole game hoping nobody got injured.

Ireland v Scotland would be Yorkshire B v Lancashire B - would rather watch paint dry.

It was Chorley, I think?

I’ve often thought that would be a good idea, if it could get support and momentum, but agreed fitting it in would be difficult.

Yes but the letter is primarily about the inequity between who can access funding and who can’t - i.e. they can’t for example for catering staff because it’s in house, but they could if it was outsourced (according to the letter).

Capable of coaching them to a better level than they already are?

Where would they come from though? I doubt many people from the UK or Australia would be enticed by a £20k wage.

Or Union.

Not gladly but it would happen, just like it does in football when clubs sell their best players to the wealthier teams, and like it has always happened in RL just substitute Leeds, Wigan and Saints for Twp Ottawa and NY. I have the utmost respect for you Harry, but I just can’t understand why you’re so against TWP. Each to their own though.

Re your last paragraph I haven’t said anything of the sort. I said people playing, be it men, kids, women, LD, wheelchair, tag etc.

If the alternative is to wait three generations and then have nothing bearing fruit, then yes. Though I’d argue that it wouldn’t take three generations, why would it.

I’d say it is. Toronto have always said that they’d get the team going first, to show people what it’s about, and then try to get people playing - ie a top down model. To me that makes more sense than trying to get people playing a game with zero exposure and then setting a pro team up.

I think (and not trying to be cantankerous here), that the game (and by that I mean the heartlands super league clubs who run it in the N Hemisphere) needs to decide are they happy being a minority sport in a small part of the country rabbiting on about being TGG, or do they want the game taken to other places and to grow. If it’s the former then fine, but they’ll only have themselves to blame as the tv deal gets smaller each time and they end up being semi pro playing in front of much smaller crowds, still going on about being TGG.

They always said it would be top down though, they’ve only been going for 3 years you can’t expect them to have set up loads of new teams in that time.