Super League fixture list shows the road ahead

[Total Rugby League]

Talking Rugby League, with League Express editor Martyn Sadler Last Friday Super League confirmed the full fixture schedule for the 2021 season. The first two...

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[Whippet13]

Too many games in too short a period to satisfy short term cash demands.

I'd have liked a 20 league fixture game limit for players this year to help the WC preparations.

[Hela Wigmen]

Why has Sadler failed to acknowledge that a significant drop in games would mean handing back some of the TV money, for, I think, a second year in a row? 

“Perhaps Super League doesn’t like promoted teams” - I don’t know what to say there. 

Why is Sadler focusing on England winning a World Cup? Yes, we have the players to do so but do we have the infrastructure and  strategy to achieve this? 

[Whippet13]

2 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Why has Sadler failed to acknowledge that a significant drop in games would mean handing back some of the TV money, for, I think, a second year in a row? 

“Perhaps Super League doesn’t like promoted teams” - I don’t know what to say there. 

Why is Sadler focusing on England winning a World Cup? Yes, we have the players to do so but do we have the infrastructure and  strategy to achieve this? 

If you play 5 games per weekend you don't need to reduce the number of TV games as only 2 are televised so there is no drop in Sky funding. It does however mean fewer cash generating home games (when fans are allowed).

SL has deliberately hamstrung the last 2 teams to be promoted by withholding or cutting their central funding to share amongst themselves and also through other actions. So there is strong evidence to support that argument.

He is focusing on England winning the WC because the article is about the impact of SL fixture structure on their chances, it is a very valid and topical debate in a WC year so why not talk about it? 

Not exactly sure what you mean by infrastructure and strategy, but the action of the SL clubs are hampering England's chances and therefore damaging the strategy for winning the WC. This despite SL clubs recently declaring their full support for England RL in 2021.

[Hela Wigmen]

7 minutes ago, Whippet13 said:

If you play 5 games per weekend you don't need to reduce the number of TV games as only 2 are televised so there is no drop in Sky funding. It does however mean fewer cash generating home games (when fans are allowed).

SL has deliberately hamstrung the last 2 teams to be promoted by withholding or cutting their central funding to share amongst themselves and also through other actions. So there is strong evidence to support that argument.

He is focusing on England winning the WC because the article is about the impact of SL fixture structure on their chances, it is a very valid and topical debate in a WC year so why not talk about it? 

Not exactly sure what you mean by infrastructure and strategy, but the action of the SL clubs are hampering England's chances and therefore damaging the strategy for winning the WC. This despite SL clubs recently declaring their full support for England RL in 2021.

It’s all well and good suggesting stuff like this but was it ever on the table?

England are an international side that have played eleven home games since the 2013 World Cup, four in England since 2016 and are heading into a World Cup with one game in three years under their belt. It appears, to me at least, that there is no strategy there, so winning the World Cup seems unlikely. 

Yes, deflect the blame elsewhere but when England, the IRL and ERL act as they are, we’re well behind the eight ball. 

[M j M]

1 hour ago, Whippet13 said:

If you play 5 games per weekend you don't need to reduce the number of TV games as only 2 are televised so there is no drop in Sky funding. It does however mean fewer cash generating home games (when fans are allowed).

 

You're assuming the contract specifies purely numbers of games. I'm pretty sure there are requirements to provide content over a required number of weekends too.

[Tommygilf]

50 minutes ago, M j M said:

You're assuming the contract specifies purely numbers of games. I'm pretty sure there are requirements to provide content over a required number of weekends too.

That's not a huge difficulty though with byes etc. even. 

I very much doubt Sky are insisting on Super League games they don't televise going ahead whenever they do.

[Whippet13]

2 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

It’s all well and good suggesting stuff like this but was it ever on the table?

England are an international side that have played eleven home games since the 2013 World Cup, four in England since 2016 and are heading into a World Cup with one game in three years under their belt. It appears, to me at least, that there is no strategy there, so winning the World Cup seems unlikely. 

Yes, deflect the blame elsewhere but when England, the IRL and ERL act as they are, we’re well behind the eight ball. 

It's not the fault of ERL, IRL or England RL, it is SL and NRL who call the shots. The fact England RL play so few games is primarily down to those 2 organisations.

England's 1 game in 3 years ignores the GB tour, which was basically 90% England players, and 4 games were lost last year (3 Ashes plus a warm up) due to the pandemic which destroyed everyone's international calendar.