There is more discontent surrounding the Rugby Football League and their handling of Bradford Bulls after the governing body decided against conducting a poll into support for an independent inquiry over the matter at Tuesday’s Council meeting.
League Express revealed earlier this month how the topic of Bradford was on the agenda for the meeting at Headingley on Tuesday, with several clubs still keen for answers about the decision-making process behind the RFL’s dealings with Bradford dating back to 2012.
But when the matter came to being discussed on Tuesday, it was again shot down by the RFL, who insisted any inquiry would be a ‘waste of time’: citing the fact the governing body’s board of directors is itself independent, a point Ralph Rimmer tried to make clear last month at a media briefing.
One high-profile owner of a club called on RFL chairman Simon Johnson to at least go around the room and determine whether there was support into launching an inquiry via a straw poll – but that request was shot down.
Another owner told TotalRL: “It was made clear that this wasn’t about the substance behind the scenes, but more about the perception of the governing body as things stand. So many people outside of Council have been calling for an inquiry.. so if there’s nothing to hide, why don’t we just give them it? The matter was shut down very quickly.”
Wigan’s Ian Lenagan last week called the issue a ‘festering sore’, and other Super League chairman have made their feelings clear on the matter on social media in recent weeks too. But it seems that after the RFL again played down the issue this week, there is now almost no chance of those owners getting what they want: a public inquiry.