JM2010 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 The current top 4 in the Championship are all big cities and aren't from the current strongholds of Greater Manchester, Cheshire/Merseyside, West Yorkshire or East Yorkshire. It's highly likely that the promoted club will come from one of these with a Toulouse vs Toronto GF being my prediction. Which team do you think will add the most to SL and have the best chance of becoming a team that challenges at the top? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssexRL Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Either TWP or Toulouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerrumonside ref Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Toronto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man of Kent Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Toronto will inject more glitz, glamour and profile but there’s a nagging doubt they might be a here today, gone tomorrow novelty act. There’s probably more long-term benefit from Toulouse being in, not least from a player and French XIII perspective. All things being equal, Toulouse. Of course, it could and possibly should be engineered so they are both in but that’s a whole other thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacko45 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 45 minutes ago, JM2010 said: The current top 4 in the Championship are all big cities and aren't from the current strongholds of Greater Manchester, Cheshire/Merseyside, West Yorkshire or East Yorkshire. It's highly likely that the promoted club will come from one of these with a Toulouse vs Toronto GF being my prediction. Which team do you think will add the most to SL and have the best chance of becoming a team that challenges at the top? ?? Top 4 , only been 4/5 games played, bit early yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2010 Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 I did say current top 4. I think Toulouse and Toronto are guaranteed. A lot can change over the course of the season but I think at least 3 of those teams will make the playoffs with Halifax, Featherstone and Bradford being other possible contenders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MZH Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I think Toronto would be the most exciting and I think for the sake of their venture they need to get up sooner rather than later. But I would love to see York in SL, as unlikely as that may be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moscow01 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 27 minutes ago, JM2010 said: I did say current top 4. I think Toulouse and Toronto are guaranteed. A lot can change over the course of the season but I think at least 3 of those teams will make the playoffs with Halifax, Featherstone and Bradford being other possible contenders Bradford? They’ve been very poor so far this season. I’d be astonished if they finished above York. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdd Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Toronto are what the league needs in the near future. They offer profile and more TV games, no doubt they would bring in some serious talent as well and probably get a fair bunch of sell-out crowds at Lamport. Longer term the league needs Toulouse with the increased player pool they’ll bring and continued development of French Rugby League. I personally think Toulouse deserve the same treatment Catalans got.... most would agree that Catalans are our best template for expansion of the league and they were given more than a years notice to come into the league and two years exemption from relegation. Toulouse could perhaps be an even bigger success given the same opportunity. With a second french team it will genuinely increase the opportunity for a good french broadcasting deal. York have massive potential. Big city, great for tourism and no huge football club to compete with on their doorstep. Personally don’t think Sheffield will ever make an impact at the top level again, they couldn’t even attract support after their incredible cup win in 1998, what has changed to suggest they’d now be able to do it? Toulouse, Toronto, York, Bradford... those are the kinds of clubs I want to see in super league. Collectively they offer profile, broadcasting opportunities, a massively increased player pool and massive potential to win new fans for the sport. Isn’t that originally what Super League was all about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Clothesoff Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 It’s only 4-6 games into the Championship season, so it’s not as though the current top four is anywhere near decided. Out of the current top four, I’d take any of them. Toronto have the potential to create a media buzz around them and the league as a whole but their promotion has to come with a plan around the schedule they’ll play to, the venues they use and the logistics behind the trips for Super League sides, because the last thing we need is negative parochial news articles about a pretty revolutionary team that paints the game out as some M62 dwelling game for men with funny accents and whippets. Sheffield created probably the biggest Challenge Cup Final shock in the competition’s history, were the first side to play a Super League game, is one of the Northern powerhouses and a good city for visitors. However, they’re part-time and their ground probably isn’t Super League standard so that would be a big negative, I think. York, again, a great city. New ground. Big buzz around the club. New name to Super League and potential to keep growing with a promotion. Would love a weekend stay there. Though, again, part-time and it would be a hell of a step up, I fear. Toulouse add to the “European” aspect of the game and a French derby in Super League would be quite an event. However, I don’t think there’s a lot of money there and issues around their ground, so that may be an issue. Would take any of the current top four, Bradford and Halifax in Super League. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Future is League Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Having Toronto in would certainly give Super League a more international awareness and hopefully more sponsors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sports Prophet Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 I think the question that should be asked is which three teams would you like to see in SL 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdd Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 32 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said: I think the question that should be asked is which three teams would you like to see in SL 2020 That is the question Rob Elstone should be asking Sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Picture Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Toronto without a doubt. They'll expose just how small time the so-called "Super League" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayCee Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 3 hours ago, Sports Prophet said: I think the question that should be asked is which three teams would you like to see in SL 2020 I'd like to see all the 2019 sides retained, with Toronto and Toulouse added. My blog: https://rugbyl.blogspot.co.nz/ It takes wisdom to know when a discussion has run its course. It takes reasonableness to end that discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulwalker71 Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 7 hours ago, Oliver Clothesoff said: Sheffield .... their ground probably isn’t Super League standard Quite likely the biggest understatement I've ever seen on this forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Kevin Sinfield Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Hopefully Toronto get promoted in 2019 with Toulouse getting promoted in 2020. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Kevin Sinfield Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 7 minutes ago, paulwalker71 said: Quite likely the biggest understatement I've ever seen on this forum! Is London’s? Or Wakefield’s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE RED ROOSTER Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Toulouse for me a proper French club, and should help the French national side if they made it. Quote When the pinch comes the common people will turn out to be more intelligent than the clever ones. I certainly hope so. George Orwell You either own NFTs or women’s phone numbers but not both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedfordshire Bronco Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Toulouse would be best for the game....French RL might really take off of they got there and we'd have a decent national side to play tests with within a few years Bradford my second due to the fact they have the potential for 15,000 attendance of they get success Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeHearts Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 All the above posts sound like strong arguments for a 14 or even 16 team Super League. The Championship is doing extremely well this year and is showing that clubs don't necessarily need huge tv money to be financially viable, although it obviously helps. At present you could add Toronto, Toulouse, York and Bradford to Super League and it would immediately be a more vibrant and fresh league for their presence. Also don't discount Sheffield Eagles, clearly the ground is currently an issue, but how the club has survived let alone remained competitive since the farcical merger with Huddersfield is a minor miracle. At some stage the OLP will be SL compliant and if Sheffield remain strong on the park then there is no reason they can't step back up. Super League's profile is all the stronger for the return of London and hopefully they can establish roots and grow organically at Ealing, maybe Sheffield can do the same at the OLP. Other posts have spoken of how League can capitalise on current issues within Union. Sensible expansion at a time when Union is looking to pull up the drawbridge and contract is surely the way forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedfordshire Bronco Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 8 hours ago, Oliver Clothesoff said: Sheffield created probably the biggest Challenge Cup Final shock in the competition’s history Toss up between that and Catalan's win last year for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedfordshire Bronco Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 23 minutes ago, BladeHearts said: All the above posts sound like strong arguments for a 14 or even 16 team Super League. The Championship is doing extremely well this year and is showing that clubs don't necessarily need huge tv money to be financially viable, although it obviously helps. At present you could add Toronto, Toulouse, York and Bradford to Super League and it would immediately be a more vibrant and fresh league for their presence. Also don't discount Sheffield Eagles, clearly the ground is currently an issue, but how the club has survived let alone remained competitive since the farcical merger with Huddersfield is a minor miracle. At some stage the OLP will be SL compliant and if Sheffield remain strong on the park then there is no reason they can't step back up. Super League's profile is all the stronger for the return of London and hopefully they can establish roots and grow organically at Ealing, maybe Sheffield can do the same at the OLP. Other posts have spoken of how League can capitalise on current issues within Union. Sensible expansion at a time when Union is looking to pull up the drawbridge and contract is surely the way forward. Yep I agree on capitalising where the RU is showing contempt. In Ealing the RU's treatment of a potential Ealing Trailfinders promotion to top flight has been disgraceful. I've met a few union fans at the club who've been impressed on the SL match days so far RU's treatment of the island nations the same. .RL and the NRL in particular looking to capitalise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PECETTO Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Toulouse !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BladeHearts Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 1 minute ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said: Yep I agree on capitalising where the RU is showing contempt. In Ealing the RU's treatment of a potential Ealing Trailfinders promotion to top flight has been disgraceful. I've met a few union fans at the club who've been impressed on the match days so far RU's treatment of the island nations the same. .RL and the NRL in particular looking to capitalise None of this should necessarily cost vast amounts of money either. In many ways it just a case of extending the welcome mat and being open minded to expansion. With respect to the Pacific nations give them games, it's hard to under estimate the positive publicity garnered by Tonga's matches in Auckland and is a whole new dimension to International RL. Australia MUST push into Perth and having London back in Super League is another fabulous good news story, the fact they have achieved this on the field is fabulous as well. London Broncos are now a club with a genuine history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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