Get them in Super League

[daz39]

A few weeks ago on here and on RL forums all over there was a massive clamour to expand the geography of Super League by adding teams from various cities around the country, among them Newcastle, Bradford and York were touted as perfect replacement clubs and possible saving graces of our dying game....

Fast forward a couple of months and we now see one of these teams shipping 100 points today, another getting hammered 3 weeks running while now announcing they are going part time, and the other continuing to be a basket case of a club with a handful of diehard fans still offering support.

Do those who offered that opinion previously still stand by it or has reality/normality kicked in? 

I've nothing against 2 of those clubs at all so bear them no malice, just simply interested to see if those who almost demanded they be put into Super League still hold the same thoughts?

[The Future is League]

2 minutes ago, daz39 said:

A few weeks ago on here and on RL forums all over there was a massive clamour to expand the geography of Super League by adding teams from various cities around the country, among them Newcastle, Bradford and York were touted as perfect replacement clubs and possible saving graces of our dying game....

Fast forward a couple of months and we now see one of these teams shipping 100 points today, another getting hammered 3 weeks running while now announcing they are going part time, and the other continuing to be a basket case of a club with a handful of diehard fans still offering support.

Do those who offered that opinion previously still stand by it or has reality/normality kicked in? 

I've nothing against 2 of those clubs at all so bear them no malice, just simply interested to see if those who almost demanded they be put into Super League still hold the same thoughts?

14 team Super league with the 12 who are in it now, plus the 2 teams who reach the championship grand final. A condition of Super League for me is though all Super League clubs must have academies.

[Ragingbull]

7 minutes ago, daz39 said:

A few weeks ago on here and on RL forums all over there was a massive clamour to expand the geography of Super League by adding teams from various cities around the country, among them Newcastle, Bradford and York were touted as perfect replacement clubs and possible saving graces of our dying game....

Fast forward a couple of months and we now see one of these teams shipping 100 points today, another getting hammered 3 weeks running while now announcing they are going part time, and the other continuing to be a basket case of a club with a handful of diehard fans still offering support.

Do those who offered that opinion previously still stand by it or has reality/normality kicked in? 

I've nothing against 2 of those clubs at all so bear them no malice, just simply interested to see if those who almost demanded they be put into Super League still hold the same thoughts?

What do you class as  'continuing  to be a basket case', what the criteria?

[glossop saint]

I'm not sure anyone suggested to 'get them in' with their current squad. That is ridiculous. 

[DEANO]

Don’t forget that Leigh as good as thy are aren’t allowed in sl with their current squad

[phiggins]

1 hour ago, The Future is League said:

14 team Super league with the 12 who are in it now, plus the 2 teams who reach the championship grand final. A condition of Super League for me is though all Super League clubs must have academies.

I’d agree. But that would involve the RFL allowing clubs to have academies to start with 

[Hemi4561]

1 hour ago, Ragingbull said:

What do you class as  'continuing  to be a basket case', what the criteria?

Loosing to Whitehaven at Odsal? 

[GUBRATS]

21 minutes ago, phiggins said:

I’d agree. But that would involve the RFL allowing clubs to have academies to start with 

For 8 years to actually start to bear ' fruit ' 

[Dallas Mead]

Get wire in SL.

 

Everywhere we go……..

[phiggins]

16 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

For 8 years to actually start to bear ' fruit ' 

True

[Guest]

Leigh won't save the game either so I guess we should just stick with the current 12 including Toulouse.

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, The Future is League said:

14 team Super league with the 12 who are in it now, plus the 2 teams who reach the championship grand final. A condition of Super League for me is though all Super League clubs must have academies.

Fine if the RFL grants it, otherwise we will be waiting for a very very long time for London and Newcastle to become Gf'ists.

[Number 16]

Leigh will be a fantastic addition to SL.

A well run, if small, club. 

They'll add to SL's footprint across the UK.

Excellent Academy system.

Strengthen the attraction of SL to national broadcasters and sponsors.

What's not to love.

[Jughead]

Toulouse walked the division in 2020, Toronto did in 2019 and 2018, Hull KR did in 2017, Leigh did in 2016, 2015 and 2014. Hull KR are the anomaly to that list of teams. 

Leigh are clearly a sensational Championship side, history suggests that dominance at that level doesn’t always stand you in good stead moving into Super League. When you consider the barriers newly promoted teams face and the self imposed barrier of having 12+ Antipodeans in the side, it will be very tough in Super League should this Leigh side win the play-offs. 

Featherstone are some way off Leigh’s Championship side, can you imagine how far they’d be off against the vast majority of Super League sides? Great for their fans to be at the top, I’m sure, but the disparity would be huge.

Leigh winning against a heavily depleted York side, a top six side, who had an eighteen year old winger on debut on the bench, who were down to their last seventeen players shouldn’t be used to advocate promoting teams. I think, if anything, it’s missing the point entirely. 

York are down to the bare bones in the Championship, I dare say others probably are getting that way too but I don’t know enough about the teams at that level. At Super League level, Saints have suffered an injury hit season, Hull KR’s squad numbers added together is ticking closer to 500 with every passing week, Cas have made it clear that they’re struggling for fit bodies, Hull FC were without eleven first teamers this weekend and I’m probably doing a disservice to others by not mentioning them as we head towards a Bank Holiday weekend that sees Super League teams, for the second time this year, playing two games in four days, whilst the largely part-time Championship teams had their own farcical double game weekend to then have a weekend off merely a few weeks later. 

A heavily backloaded Super League in 2020 (understandably) into a short turnaround for 2021, into a short turnaround for 2022 with a World Cup at the end of this year and, most likely, an early February start again in 2023 is likely, going, to cause the same problems in the second half of the season as we’ve seen this year. 

I’m not saying we should heavily reduce the amount of games played but surely as a sport we must look at games played but also player registration, transfer and loan rules moving forward? 

[Mr Frisky]

27 minutes ago, Number 16 said:

Leigh will be a fantastic addition to SL.

A well run, if small, club. 

They'll add to SL's footprint across the UK.

Excellent Academy system.

Strengthen the attraction of SL to national broadcasters and sponsors.

What's not to love.

Away fans who go to matches by train?

[Niels]

28 minutes ago, Number 16 said:

Leigh will be a fantastic addition to SL.

A well run, if small, club. 

They'll add to SL's footprint across the UK.

Excellent Academy system.

Strengthen the attraction of SL to national broadcasters and sponsors.

What's not to love.

I think they will be, and become a similar club to Salford are now. 

There is a resolve about them to succeed.

They are definitely a team on the way up.

[Mr Frisky]

1 hour ago, Hemi4561 said:

Loosing to Whitehaven at Odsal? 

If he does - shock, horror! A championship club that reached the playoffs last season beat Bradford  - a fellow Championship club by a few points... hardly big news or a crisis. 

[AB Knight]

6 hours ago, Jughead said:

Leigh winning against a heavily depleted York side, a top six side, who had an eighteen year old winger on debut on the bench,

Good post overall however I’ll have to pull you up on this point - if you’re referring to Myles Harrison he’s played at least 10 Championship games for York. 

[Eddie]

10 hours ago, The Future is League said:

14 team Super league with the 12 who are in it now, plus the 2 teams who reach the championship grand final. A condition of Super League for me is though all Super League clubs must have academies.

What about the clubs who the RFL won’t allow to have academies, because only a certain number are apparent allowed. 

[Fevrover]

8 hours ago, NW10LDN said:

Leigh won't save the game either so I guess we should just stick with the current 12 including Toulouse.

May as well do away with rest of RL then,crazy.

[GUBRATS]

11 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

May as well do away with rest of RL then,crazy.

Bonkers isn't it , this constant search for a ' club ' to ' save ' RL ?

Let's just play the game and enjoy it

[Harry Stottle]

10 hours ago, Number 16 said:

Leigh will be a fantastic addition to SL.

A well run, if small, club. 

They'll add to SL's footprint across the UK.

Excellent Academy system.

Strengthen the attraction of SL to national broadcasters and sponsors.

What's not to love.

I couldn't give two hoots what people think about the Leigh club's  size, or if it doesn't add to the footprint, I'm not in the least bothered if it puts off the armchair fans or any broadcasters. I don't care who gets relegated, they have only their own management and coaching to blame, and if it is a club who people believe should be cosseted and protected well tough they are all playing for the same points finish bottom and your gone.

I and a few other folk from the small ex mining and cotton town, with no rail transport will relish being in Super League (if we get there) and to anyone who wants to object, stamp their feet and throw their toys out of the pram will gladly get the two fingered salute, and we shall do our utmost to maintain our membership at the top level just to prolong the aggravation we cause.

Edited August 22, 2022 by Harry Stottle

[steve oates]

11 hours ago, The Future is League said:

14 team Super league with the 12 who are in it now, plus the 2 teams who reach the championship grand final. A condition of Super League for me is though all Super League clubs must have academies.

No No No No No..........

Only one in well over 100 lads will ever make it, academies cost money for not a great return unless it's a big club where top lads from small towns will go to so they can get in with the big clubs.

Your advocating with three "Like this" emogies that clubs waste thousands of ££££££s. If it was as easy as that why do we therefore have to stuff out SL teams with failed Antipodeans.

Not only that you want more lads into academies when less lads are playing the game, and your probably supportive of academies in London and Newcastle who cannot even compete in the current league 

There is no logical link between who is in SL and who has an academy, far far too simplistic......

[gingerjon]

48 minutes ago, Eddie said:

What about the clubs who the RFL won’t allow to have academies, because only a certain number are apparent allowed. 

That doesn't include Leigh who don't have a top tier academy because they failed the criteria.

[Harry Stottle]

9 hours ago, Jughead said:

Toulouse walked the division in 2020, Toronto did in 2019 and 2018, Hull KR did in 2017, Leigh did in 2016, 2015 and 2014. Hull KR are the anomaly to that list of teams. 

Leigh are clearly a sensational Championship side, history suggests that dominance at that level doesn’t always stand you in good stead moving into Super League. When you consider the barriers newly promoted teams face and the self imposed barrier of having 12+ Antipodeans in the side, it will be very tough in Super League should this Leigh side win the play-offs. 

Featherstone are some way off Leigh’s Championship side, can you imagine how far they’d be off against the vast majority of Super League sides? Great for their fans to be at the top, I’m sure, but the disparity would be huge.

Leigh winning against a heavily depleted York side, a top six side, who had an eighteen year old winger on debut on the bench, who were down to their last seventeen players shouldn’t be used to advocate promoting teams. I think, if anything, it’s missing the point entirely. 

York are down to the bare bones in the Championship, I dare say others probably are getting that way too but I don’t know enough about the teams at that level. At Super League level, Saints have suffered an injury hit season, Hull KR’s squad numbers added together is ticking closer to 500 with every passing week, Cas have made it clear that they’re struggling for fit bodies, Hull FC were without eleven first teamers this weekend and I’m probably doing a disservice to others by not mentioning them as we head towards a Bank Holiday weekend that sees Super League teams, for the second time this year, playing two games in four days, whilst the largely part-time Championship teams had their own farcical double game weekend to then have a weekend off merely a few weeks later. 

A heavily backloaded Super League in 2020 (understandably) into a short turnaround for 2021, into a short turnaround for 2022 with a World Cup at the end of this year and, most likely, an early February start again in 2023 is likely, going, to cause the same problems in the second half of the season as we’ve seen this year. 

I’m not saying we should heavily reduce the amount of games played but surely as a sport we must look at games played but also player registration, transfer and loan rules moving forward? 

Great post!

But what are you actually saying, you start with the recent history of promoted teams, then onto to many fixtures, finishing with player reg, transfers and loans, please give us your solutions to these problems you see.