Putting Leigh in SL is the biggest mistake RL ever made (Merged threads)

[Barley Mow]

7 minutes ago, meast said:

Absolutely, I would love to see York flourish, an away game at York would be a welcome addition, but as much as they're doing things right, they are nowhere near to being an alternative to any of the SL clubs, yet some people seem to think that they've suddenly become the beacon of hope for rugby league.

They have done extremely well to build themselves up to where they are, from where they were, a bit like Huddersfield in the mid 90's we weren't ready for SL when we took over PSG's place in 1998 and it put us back few years, we lost support, we lost sponsors, our name was tarnished, and still is to some extent, it took us another 10 years to become a competitive force in SL.

By pushing York,and even Newcastle now when there is nothing to suggest they are even ready to compete at the top of the championship is just desperation from people, determined to see the end of clubs like Wakefield, Salford, Huddersfield, etc and we must be patient and let them develop and compete organically so we don't end up losing all the good work they've been doing from the game.

I think a beacon of hope is what they are, but hope is all it is in terms of Super League at the moment.

I'm not one for promoting (or relegating) teams for anything other than on field performance. If/when York are ready for Super League, they'll demonstrate it on the field.

[Davo5]

55 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Fair enough 

Must be a small lawn 

[Snowys Backside]

43 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Must be a small lawn 

I have to admit, that did make me chuckle. 

[Scubby]

1 hour ago, Snowys Backside said:

I have to admit, that did make me chuckle. 

And he'd only cut it last week after a few minor exchanges on here.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Scubby

[bratman]

3 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Leigh were put into Super League for 1 reason and 1 reason only, to get relegated. Small time clubs like Wakefield, Hull kr, Salford and Castleford are happy with that as it preserves their Super League status for another year. 

Leeds are probably pretty grateful too

[PECETTO]

3 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

I can only comment on my experiences Pecetto , not making it up , although it seems on here , unless you can back up your statements with a government funded survey published that can be linked to , you are a liar 

You especially seem to be the one who gives lessons to everyone. 

[sweaty craiq]

What odds will some mastermind give me that Leigh will be in SL 2022?

[Scubby]

4 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

What odds will some mastermind give me that Leigh will be in SL 2022?

Leigh may only need 5 wins to stay up. Wakefield, Salford and Hull KR in particular will struggle to get more than that with the shortened season. Leigh are the weakest club because of prep time and squad size but I said this before, DB is probably the only one in that bottom pack who may put his hands in his pockets with a third of the season to go and sign some players for the run in. All to play for IMO.

[Hela Wigmen]

9 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

What odds will some mastermind give me that Leigh will be in SL 2022?

I think you’re insinuating that there won’t be promotion or relegation in 2021 rather than Leigh earning enough wins/points to stay up. 

[Wigan Riversider]

On 16/04/2021 at 10:12, The Daddy said:

I just want to understand the logic for putting Leigh in SL coz I still don't understand. 

Toulouse has just signed a 9 year deal with Stade Toulousain that not just allows them to play at the iconic ground but gives them a major presence at the complex. In addition to that they now have backing from the various local authorities which in France is significant. With the partnerships they have in place  I'm confident in saying that over the next few years Toulouse will quickly become one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

The commercial partnerships that Toulouse have are on a different scale to Leigh's and it gives the RL exposure to the 4th biggest city in France that has a population in the  metropolitan area of over 1.3 million, plus many more across the South West region. It would have increased the competition's presence in France and the number of professional players which allows the France national team to become more and more competitive and create a natural rival for England on its doorstep, that has so many commercial benefits in itself to UK RL. 

We were told over and over that they had an 'oven baked squad' ready to compete. If that's the case why are they now loaning a player from another SL club? On paper, their squad wasn't any better than Toulouse's and they finished below them in the league table in recent seasons.

Apparently the bids were assessed by an 'independent panel of experts' yet there has been no explanation into the reasoning behind the decision. 

To top it all off the majority of people in this country don't even know where Leigh is and thought that the parish of Leigh-on-Sea in Essex had entered a team into SL.

It was a terrible decision which says so much about the mindset of people running the sport here. It's several months on and I'm still disgusted 

Well said indeed.

[JDINTHEHIZZOUSE]

On 16/04/2021 at 11:07, The Daddy said:

Leigh are cannon fodder right now 

Edited April 17, 2021 by JDINTHEHIZZOUSE

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, sweaty craiq said:

What odds will some mastermind give me that Leigh will be in SL 2022?

I think it’s pretty much guaranteed as I don’t think they’ll be promotion from the Championship 

[Blind side johnny]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

I think it’s pretty much guaranteed as I don’t think they’ll be promotion from the Championship 

Even though SL have said that there definitely will be - do you know something that they don't?

[gingerjon]

16 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

Even though SL have said that there definitely will be - do you know something that they don't?

Not at all. Just a hunch. Could turn out to be wrong.

[Spidey]

14 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Not at all. Just a hunch. Could turn out to be wrong.

It’ll all depend on who wins the Champs final I guess, not that it should matter

[The Future is League]

35 minutes ago, Spidey said:

It’ll all depend on who wins the Champs final I guess, not that it should matter

I would say if Toulouse win it they won't get promoted, but if a another club does they will.

[ShropshireBull]

11 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

That’s lovely. I’m not talking about Toulouse and Newcastle directly anyway.

In Super League, there are issues with stadia, player pathways, player pool, the salary cap, commercially and surrounding funding. These things will all still exist if Toulouse and Newcastle were announced as taking part in Super League in 2022 and aren’t some form of “golden goose”. Belle Vue and Wheldon Road will still exits, player pathways at Salford and Leigh will still remain questionable, the player pool will still be as small as Newcastle would have to go fully professional and ties back into the pathways point, questions around whether the salary cap is big enough (and many other questions) will still exist, questions will still be asked commercially and of the funding of the sport.

None of these things are solved by Toulouse and Newcastle. They’re not solved by Featherstone and Bradford either. Dropping two sides into Super League, whether they’re not on the M62 or whether their glories come decades ago, doesn’t solve any questions. It asks more and really suits very few people. Using the same approach we have used for nearly every ‘new’ side that have joined Rugby League in the modern era and the same approach last time we went to fourteen, cannot happen again. 

A fourteen club Super League should be the aim but not for some time yet. Super League needs to sort Super League out before looking to expand. 

I just dont think clubs that are ready to exploit the commercial opportunities that come from being in SL and on sky should be held back because clubs currently in there cant or wont.

Make it 14, reduce the tv money accordingly and let the Toulouse Yorks and Newcastles exploit those opportunities whilst clubs that cant will be the ones who get relegated. 

[Hela Wigmen]

34 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

I just dont think clubs that are ready to exploit the commercial opportunities that come from being in SL and on sky should be held back because clubs currently in there cant or wont.

Make it 14, reduce the tv money accordingly and let the Toulouse Yorks and Newcastles exploit those opportunities whilst clubs that cant will be the ones who get relegated. 

You’ve named York and Newcastle, two part-time teams. They’re growing organically and naturally and it’s commendable what’s gone on at both clubs but they’re not ready for Super League. They should be left to grow for now, with longer term ambitions for Super League. Switching out a fully professional side with some of their ducks in order for a part time team with fewer ducks in order is exactly what we cannot do.

We need a Super League of twelve clubs (that doesn’t mean those who are in Super League presently) with minimum standards met by all. Not some, all. Moving to fourteen creates more clubs at the top with issues and smaller central funding. Its further diluting the sport and is exactly what we did the last time we went to fourteen. It’s a terrible proposition right now and only serves to end loop fixtures and nothing more. 

Fourteen needs to be a long term goal. The NRL could expand tomorrow but they’re not just going to drop and ill prepared and poorly strategised side into its competition, the same for various American sports. That’s not how growth works. 

[GUBRATS]

11 hours ago, Davo5 said:

Must be a small lawn 

Yes it is , although I do have very good lawnmower 

[ShropshireBull]

3 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

You’ve named York and Newcastle, two part-time teams. They’re growing organically and naturally and it’s commendable what’s gone on at both clubs but they’re not ready for Super League. They should be left to grow for now, with longer term ambitions for Super League. Switching out a fully professional side with some of their ducks in order for a part time team with fewer ducks in order is exactly what we cannot do.

We need a Super League of twelve clubs (that doesn’t mean those who are in Super League presently) with minimum standards met by all. Not some, all. Moving to fourteen creates more clubs at the top with issues and smaller central funding. Its further diluting the sport and is exactly what we did the last time we went to fourteen. It’s a terrible proposition right now and only serves to end loop fixtures and nothing more. 

Fourteen needs to be a long term goal. The NRL could expand tomorrow but they’re not just going to drop and ill prepared and poorly strategised side into its competition, the same for various American sports. That’s not how growth works. 

Yes but you know,  as I do,  the second they are in SL they would go full time so that arguement doesnt hold water. 

14 teams now rests on the theory that I am happy to defend that in SL York and Newcastle would be more than capable of making up the difference in a spread of tv money with comercial income. 

 

[frank]

To be  fair, any team entering SL under the same conditions that Leigh  did would be struggling.  

[Hela Wigmen]

6 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

Yes but you know,  as I do,  the second they are in SL they would go full time so that arguement doesnt hold water. 

14 teams now rests on the theory that I am happy to defend that in SL York and Newcastle would be more than capable of making up the difference in a spread of tv money with comercial income. 

 

Of course it does, it shows both aren’t in a position to be considered for promotion yet and throwing them in ill prepared would be disastrous. 

 

[Manfred Mann]

On 16/04/2021 at 07:23, Spidey said:

Talk about over dramatic. Leigh haven’t played any of their relegation rivals yet.  I don’t think it’d do SL any harm them replacing Wakey, Hull KR or Salford for instance

Hull KR have a strong fan base. The other two don't.

[Spidey]

11 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

Hull KR have a strong fan base. The other two don't.

It’s a shame to they were garbage on the field last year. Which is where it counts in a P&R structure 

[Manfred Mann]

7 minutes ago, Spidey said:

It’s a shame to they were garbage on the field last year. Which is where it counts in a P&R structure 

Hull KR aren't garbage on the field this year.  Leigh are.

But more important, we need to get rid of P & R. The game is too weak, too under-sourced financially, to be at the whim of the P & R system. We need a strategic vision that will expand the game in the UK and other countries, and that means giving intelligent executive authority the ability to relegate sponsorship and fan unattractive clubs and to promote new sponsorship and fan attractive clubs as members of Super League.

In a franchise-licensing system we can get the important missing English clubs -- London, Newcastle, Bradford and York -- into Super League soon. We can also get Toulouse and perhaps other French clubs into the Super League competition in a timely manner.

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Manfred Mann