Magic Weekend

[Gooleboy]

3 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

The WC semi final last year was absolutely epic

The best game of RL for years.

[sam4731]

4 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

No.

IMG have been brought in in desperation because we now have about 15 years of failure to reverse - and, as shown by thie exact decision, their recommendations are being ignored.

You can do a little stirring post about IMG if you want but the issues that exist pre-date them and are being exacerbated by the same small-time, directionless thinking within the game that has afflicted it for far too long.

Obviously IMG aren't going to solve all of this, it was a running joke on the forum.

[muckymunksy]

Cas to save the weekend as usual i expect. 

[hunsletgreenandgold]

Yeah this isn't the best decision. I slightly defended ER for the CC semis double header the other year, but it's not the right stadium or location for a magic crowd. Headingley would genuinely be better. 

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Headingley would genuinely be better. 

Play it on the cricket ground side for a bit of variety?

[Gerrumonside ref]

How about Mystery Weekend?

We could all clamber aboard coaches not knowing destination or fixtures.

Probably end up in Skegness!

[Eddie]

16 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

The best game of RL for years.

The best game in any sport for years. 

[Gav Wilson]

1 minute ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

How about Mystery Weekend?

We could all clamber aboard coaches not knowing destination or fixtures.

Probably end up in Skegness!

If done in conjunction with my royal rumble idea from a few years ago then my interest could be revived... 

[muckymunksy]

Should of been played at Wakefield iv been hearing their stadium holds about 35k these days. 

[Ragingbull]

RFL claiming Elland Road is one of the best stadiums in the North of England. 

Its shouldnt be hosting any level of pro sport in todays day and age let alone 2 full days back to back 

 

[Chrispmartha]

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

The best game in any sport for years. 

And for that Elland Road was a great venue

[StandOffHalf]

Very bad news for Magic Round.

You'd have to think it's odds-on that it won't be held in 2025.

[JohnM]

26 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

The WC semi final last year was absolutely epic

That may well be so. Makes no difference.

[Gav Wilson]

2 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

And for that Elland Road was a great venue

For a one off game under lights with a big crowd it was fine (if very dated and cramped).

For six games in two days it is a terrible choice for a wide variety of reasons. 

[Tommygilf]

5 minutes ago, Ragingbull said:

RFL claiming Elland Road is one of the best stadiums in the North of England. 

Its shouldnt be hosting any level of pro sport in todays day and age let alone 2 full days back to back 

 

It shouldn't be hosting magic but that comment is ridiculous

[whatmichaelsays]

45 minutes ago, Dave T said:

It's all rather depressing this. 

I remember at the start of SL, it was exciting. We had London and Paris coming in, there was talk about other French and Welsh clubs joining. 

We staged a huge WCC - which failed, but instead of tweaking, we scrapped.

We took games on the road. 

We launched the Grand Final.

We launched the Tri Nations.

Gateshead & Catalans were admitted to SL.

Magic Weekend was launched in Cardiff. 

The Cup Final toured Edinburgh and Cardiff before returning home to Wembley.

We've seen two record-breaking matches staged in Barcelona.

Toronto were admitted, like a breath of fresh air (even with plenty of criticism)

Toulouse came into SL.

The 2013 World Cup was generally excellent and we had 67k at Wembley for the semis.

Even 2017, despite being behind 2013, brought Tonga to the forefront, who could forget the classic semi final?

And now, I can't recall the last time I was genuinely excited about something in the sport. I accept there has been some bad luck, but decisions like staging our biggest internationals at the likes of St Helens, Magic to Leeds, the decline of the Cup, no future England games on the horizon. No promised rebrand, expansion looking dead. 

I wonder where all the ambition and aspiration went.

Completely agree. 

I don't doubt that there are some ambitious and aspirational people within the sport - they're just not in places of influence. 

The sport just seems to be run by accountants who want to manage the decline, with no effort whatsoever going into increasing our audience, our market share and with it, the revenue from sponsors and broadcasters. It's all about just trying to serve the same, declining pool of people over and over again as cheaply as possible. 

You can't be angry that Sky don't want to pay more for that, or that the only businessman wanting to get seriously involved with the sport is Fred Done. 

It's just sad. 

[RoyBoy295]

18 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Play it on the cricket ground side for a bit of variety?

And use a cricket ball, just for devilment

[gingerjon]

Just now, RoyBoy295 said:

And use a cricket ball, just for devilment

Top marks for use of the word 'devilment'.

We don't see that often enough.

[graveyard johnny]

is it gonna clash with the rockabilly weekender at the drysalters pub - is it the same weekend?

[Eddie]

Unless I’ve missed it in the previous 10 pages of uplifting positivity, this date may well also clash with the start of the 24/25 premier league or football league season, it should be held earlier (after the World Cup, before the new football season). 

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

Unless I’ve missed it in the previous 10 pages of uplifting positivity, this date may well also clash with the start of the 24/25 premier league or football league season, it should be held earlier (after the World Cup, before the new football season). 

I did check but couldn't see anything official - a few unofficial suggestions but nothing confirmed.

[Damien]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Unless I’ve missed it in the previous 10 pages of uplifting positivity, this date may well also clash with the start of the 24/25 premier league or football league season, it should be held earlier (after the World Cup, before the new football season). 

I do find the RFL logic bizarre. We were previously told that we were trying to get a better spread of events and move events away from the Grand Final yet all we have done is swap the Challenge Cup and Magic around. Its a joke.

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

49 minutes ago, Ragingbull said:

RFL claiming Elland Road is one of the best stadiums in the North of England. 

Ignoring the location and just looking the stadium in its own right, I reckon it's the worst 30k+ capacity stadium in the country.

[Phil]

I genuinely despair, might as well play at Odsal

[marklaspalmas]

250 replies and I've not read them all, so scuse me if it's been pointed out, but......

Elland Road is obviously a decision that's been taken by IMG to ensure one of their medium term goals is met.

No more MM, no more loop matches, bin the SL name.