‘A £100m offer could be made next month’

[Ray Cashmere]

14 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Its NAILED ON

If that is the case it is scandalous it hasn't already been announced given the obvious impacts it will have on the 2022 season.

[Swansea Jack]

On 16/11/2021 at 12:03, The Rocket said:

I wasn`t going to comment on MJM`s post but since you are so interested I`ll briefly put the NRL`s side of the story.

First and foremost it`s important to remember that the NRL had 15 000 000 more views than afl up to this years finals series. That`s for a 200 game regular season compared to their 207 and we didn`t have our pre-season matches televised, there was no NRLW and viewers from NZ are not counted. They had the first two in their figures.

In 2023 we will have 17 teams and that advantage could increase to 30 000 000, if we eventually go to 18 we could easily be ahead by over 50 000 000. Easily I add because starting next year as well all 32 pre-season matches will be telecast as well and the women will be back.

Rugby League was widely regarded as the premier sporting competition in this country up until the the mid-90`s. It still is for many. The NSWRL`s ` Simply the Best` campaign with Tina Turner blew everything out of the water. It was fashionable amongst all classes to support a League team, League players like Luke Ricketson were in the social pages of the papers every week dating models etc. etc. League was fashionable.

One might even say we were victims of our own success because a certain media mogul looked at the game and said I can take this game any where, plonk down a team, scrap 100 year old clubs and it will be a rip-roaring success. Thus began the Super League war and the game tearing itself apart. Murdoch estimates he spent $100m trying to take over Rugby League and in the end all he achieved was bitterness and dislocation and a lot of people walking away from the game. I can only imagine now how that $100m could have been spent constructively, teams in Perth, Adelaide the sky could have been the limit.

On broadcast deals up until around 2014 the deals were roughly similar, in that year Lachlan Murdoch as part owner of channel 10 thought they had the NRL FTA rights in the bag in cahoots with his old man at Foxtel. It looked like a done deal until a last minute monster deal was done with Channel Nine cutting out Ten and Foxtel. This was when an enraged Rupert Murdoch made a trip in person to Australia ( he`d never done that before) for the unveiling of the next afl deal. 

Murdoch famously said at the time `afl has always been our preferred sport` and tacked another several hundred million onto their deal to spite the NRL. The absolute ludicrousness of his statement was plain for all to see, the bloke by his own account had spent $100m trying to buy the game 20 years previous, still owned 66% of the Broncos and had tipped in $50m + into the Storm until they got on their feet.

But truth mattered little to a media mogul scorned or for that particular media mogul at any time.

I could go on forever but one point where MJM is definitely correct is the problem we have in our game with player image and its` consequent effect on attracting sponsors and really breaking out of our working class demographic. If the NRL could get this one problem sorted a lot of the other issues were we lag would sort themselves out. We lost a big sponsorship with a national hardware chain early this year because of some off-field issue. It ain`t a good time in history for blokes behaving badly, especially towards women. Personally I`m hoping the growth of the women`s game and the integration of more women into clubs might nullify the boys club mentality that can pervade the game. Here`s hoping.

Unfortunately we are in a position now where League players are fair game and it`s considered newsworthy if you can find a scandal involving League players, real or manufactured. This is going to be hard to fix overnight. I put a story up on the cross-code page of a union player ripping the handle off a door of a toilet at the Prime Ministers residence for a souvenir, it was treated as a great big laugh, if it had of been a Leaguie, god help us.

Any way mate enough from me, one for sure though League is fighting back and if we can a few things right, look out.

NSWRL - Winfield Cup 1991 - Simply the Best - Bing video

Thank you for your detailed response.

 

 

 

[JM2010]

On 18/11/2021 at 16:59, ATLANTISMAN said:

Well Super League 1/2 with 10 teams looks like its NAILED ON:)

Just a question on who those 10 will be initially.

The London Broncos maybe dodging a bullet with the signings they have made this year as the Wimbledon move has all the hallmarks of getting the nod.

I can see 

LEEDS RHINOS

WIGAN WARRIORS

ST HELENS 

WARRINGTON WOLVES 

CATALAN DRAGONS 

TOULOUSE

HULL FC 

HULL KINGSTON ROVERS 

Nailed on 

 

And take your pick from the rest I would not be surprised if the Broncos though already have the green light 100% for SL2 and maybe even SL1 SKY are driving this and I am certain they will get what they want.

 

Take your pick for SL2 10 clubs 

1 up and 1 down from SL2 to the Championship 2023 onwards.

 

P

 

 

So is it being done on franchises rather than league positions?

Will all 20 clubs be full time?

Is there any promotion from league 1 into the 2 X 10 or is it application based every few years?

Are there any plans to increase to 2 X 12 in the future?

Sorry, lots of questions there

[burnleywelsh]

On 18/11/2021 at 16:59, ATLANTISMAN said:

Well Super League 1/2 with 10 teams looks like its NAILED ON:)

Just a question on who those 10 will be initially.

The London Broncos maybe dodging a bullet with the signings they have made this year as the Wimbledon move has all the hallmarks of getting the nod.

I can see 

LEEDS RHINOS

WIGAN WARRIORS

ST HELENS 

WARRINGTON WOLVES 

CATALAN DRAGONS 

TOULOUSE

HULL FC 

HULL KINGSTON ROVERS 

Nailed on 

 

And take your pick from the rest I would not be surprised if the Broncos though already have the green light 100% for SL2 and maybe even SL1 SKY are driving this and I am certain they will get what they want.

 

Take your pick for SL2 10 clubs 

1 up and 1 down from SL2 to the Championship 2023 onwards.

 

P

 

 

Heard the same from someone well connected:

 

Two division SL from 2023 has been agreed by the clubs. Div 1 looking like -Saints, Wigan, Wire, Leeds, Hull, Hull KR, Catalan, Cas, Toulouse & Huddersfield. Div 2 - Salford, Wakey, York, Fev, Leigh, Halifax, Bradford, London Broncos, Widnes & Newcastle.

[ATLANTISMAN]

1 hour ago, burnleywelsh said:

Heard the same from someone well connected:

 

Two division SL from 2023 has been agreed by the clubs. Div 1 looking like -Saints, Wigan, Wire, Leeds, Hull, Hull KR, Catalan, Cas, Toulouse & Huddersfield. Div 2 - Salford, Wakey, York, Fev, Leigh, Halifax, Bradford, London Broncos, Widnes & Newcastle.

100% NAILED ON:)

 

P 

[JM2010]

1 hour ago, burnleywelsh said:

Heard the same from someone well connected:

 

Two division SL from 2023 has been agreed by the clubs. Div 1 looking like -Saints, Wigan, Wire, Leeds, Hull, Hull KR, Catalan, Cas, Toulouse & Huddersfield. Div 2 - Salford, Wakey, York, Fev, Leigh, Halifax, Bradford, London Broncos, Widnes & Newcastle.

No Sheffield then?

[Whippet13]

1 hour ago, JM2010 said:

No Sheffield then?

No Cumbrian team either, despite all 3 being in the Championship for 2022.

[Whippet13]

2 hours ago, burnleywelsh said:

Heard the same from someone well connected:

 

Two division SL from 2023 has been agreed by the clubs. Div 1 looking like -Saints, Wigan, Wire, Leeds, Hull, Hull KR, Catalan, Cas, Toulouse & Huddersfield. Div 2 - Salford, Wakey, York, Fev, Leigh, Halifax, Bradford, London Broncos, Widnes & Newcastle.

Assuming it is 2x10, then it could be an interesting power shift with 8 clubs added to the SL structure as they would presumably all get a vote on future decisions, as will the RFL. Then there are the £100m investors who no doubt will have the biggest individual vote share even if not a controlling one. All adds up to the current position of power which the big clubs enjoy being removed, that might a bad thing given what's gone on in the past with SL but it could equally make reaching a consensus even harder in the future.

[Ray Cashmere]

9 minutes ago, Whippet13 said:

No Cumbrian team either, despite all 3 being in the Championship for 2022.

This is the problem. How do we grow the game if all the good work being done at Barrow,  Crusaders, Sheffield & Midlands Hurricanes (to name a few) gets shut down? 

This can only work if there is:

a) A clear plan to expand SL1 and SL2 when these clubs meet franchise requirements  

b) A requirement that all SL2 clubs have a full time professional environment and

c) An overhaul of the rules on player recruitment so promoted SL2 clubs are able to compete in SL1

If all 3 of these aren't met then this is merely a rebrand of the championship in an attempt to justify condensing Super League even further.

[voteronniegibbs]

7 minutes ago, Ray Cashmere said:

This is the problem. How do we grow the game if all the good work being done at Barrow,  Crusaders, Sheffield & Midlands Hurricanes (to name a few) gets shut down? 

This can only work if there is:

a) A clear plan to expand SL1 and SL2 when these clubs meet franchise requirements  

b) A requirement that all SL2 clubs have a full time professional environment and

c) An overhaul of the rules on player recruitment so promoted SL2 clubs are able to compete in SL1

If all 3 of these aren't met then this is merely a rebrand of the championship in an attempt to justify condensing Super League even further.

A ten team top division.  What a ##### joke. 

[PhilCarrington]

3 hours ago, burnleywelsh said:

Heard the same from someone well connected:

 

Two division SL from 2023 has been agreed by the clubs. Div 1 looking like -Saints, Wigan, Wire, Leeds, Hull, Hull KR, Catalan, Cas, Toulouse & Huddersfield. Div 2 - Salford, Wakey, York, Fev, Leigh, Halifax, Bradford, London Broncos, Widnes & Newcastle.

No Cornwall?

[Big Picture]

15 minutes ago, voteronniegibbs said:

A ten team top division.  What a ##### joke. 

Joke or not, with the reduction in TV money ten is all they can afford in the top tier.

[voteronniegibbs]

25 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Joke or not, with the reduction in TV money ten is all they can afford in the top tier.

Not much point having play offs for the GF. 1st past the post and play each other home and away 4 times

[Ray Cashmere]

32 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Joke or not, with the reduction in TV money ten is all they can afford in the top tier.

And then in 5 years time the reduction in TV money will mean 8 is all the top tier can afford. Rinse and repeat.

You don't grow a business by reducing its assets. This either has to be a genuine top 20 divided into 2 competitions or it is doomed to failure. 

[Phil W]

If they go two divisons of 10 they should at least make it the top 20 best teams from this season, make it on merit. Have promotion and relegation still. Ultimately as a Thunder fan if we finished outside that but Batley were in the top eight in the Championship they would deserve to be there.

[Man of Kent]

Is this not effectively a hard split between full-time and part-time clubs? Even if it’s not immediate it seems to me inevitable. 

[Ray Cashmere]

18 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Is this not effectively a hard split between full-time and part-time clubs? Even if it’s not immediate it seems to me inevitable. 

It may be, but if that is the plan then it'd be nice if the powers that be can let everyone know so we can stop taking the sport seriously and move on to other things.

10 full-time clubs, 8 along 1 stretch of motorway, is not even worth bothering with. 

All it will achieve is sending a clear message to the backers behind Newcastle, York and the like that their investment and ambition is not welcome in a sport like rugby league.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Ray Cashmere

[JM2010]

2 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

No Cumbrian team either, despite all 3 being in the Championship for 2022.

I was thinking more about Sheffield being one of the biggest cities in the UK. Thought the RFL and SKY might want them in

[THE RED ROOSTER]

7 hours ago, burnleywelsh said:

Heard the same from someone well connected:

 

Two division SL from 2023 has been agreed by the clubs. Div 1 looking like -Saints, Wigan, Wire, Leeds, Hull, Hull KR, Catalan, Cas, Toulouse & Huddersfield. Div 2 - Salford, Wakey, York, Fev, Leigh, Halifax, Bradford, London Broncos, Widnes & Newcastle.

Was your source, sauced at the time they tlld you this, becauise the club in Bold will struggle to make 2023. This reads more like one of the expansionist poster wet dreams on here rather than a strategic plan.

[burnleywelsh]

2 hours ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

Was your source, sauced at the time they tlld you this, becauise the club in Bold will struggle to make 2023. This reads more like one of the expansionist poster wet dreams on here rather than a strategic plan.

No he wasn’t on the ‘sauce’…..I’m just relaying what a former administrator at an SL club has told me confirming what Atlantisman posted. It would be interesting  where he got his info from ?

[dealwithit]

16 hours ago, Ray Cashmere said:

And then in 5 years time the reduction in TV money will mean 8 is all the top tier can afford. Rinse and repeat.

You don't grow a business by reducing its assets. This either has to be a genuine top 20 divided into 2 competitions or it is doomed to failure. 

Play the other 9 teams in your division twice, and the 9 teams in the other division once = 26 rounds. Perfect. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by dealwithit

[Wholly Trinity]

25 minutes ago, dealwithit said:

Play the other 9 teams in your division twice, and the 9 teams in the other division once = 26 rounds. Perfect. 

I hope this is how it's done and SL2 should have places in the playoffs so that it's one competition not just a rehashed and reduced SL & Championship 

 

Mmmm... arithmetic on a Sunday? Not happening. 

2x9 = 18

+ 10 = 28

[DI Keith Fowler]

48 minutes ago, Wholly Trinity said:

I hope this is how it's done and SL2 should have places in the playoffs so that it's one competition not just a rehashed and reduced SL & Championship 

 

Mmmm... arithmetic on a Sunday? Not happening. 

2x9 = 18

+ 10 = 28

I don't think SL2 teams should be in the SL1 play offs, they should have their own for promotion to SL1. The inter-division games should be there to either boost points in SL1 or steal points for SL2, while providing a few derbies you wouldn't get otherwise (Leeds-Bradford, Widnes-Warrington).

[Wholly Trinity]

4 minutes ago, DI Keith Fowler said:

I don't think SL2 teams should be in the SL1 play offs, they should have their own for promotion to SL1. The inter-division games should be there to either boost points in SL1 or steal points for SL2, while providing a few derbies you wouldn't get otherwise (Leeds-Bradford, Widnes-Warrington).

Neither solves the main problem that there ain't enough dosh for 20 clubs...

[JM2010]

8 minutes ago, DI Keith Fowler said:

I don't think SL2 teams should be in the SL1 play offs, they should have their own for promotion to SL1. The inter-division games should be there to either boost points in SL1 or steal points for SL2, while providing a few derbies you wouldn't get otherwise (Leeds-Bradford, Widnes-Warrington).

I don't think there will be any inter divisional games just play each other 3 times and then top 5 play offs. 1 up 1 down