If that's so, then what would be the point of a play offseries and a grand final?

Personally I would not want us to be in the Top 2. 500,000 is good but is it enough? And the odds are well stacked against the 2 Championship clubs. And I remain to be convinced if this system will last longer than a couple of seasons and I think the top 2 will not really benefit that much as I see this all as short term thinking from clubs and the RFL without really addressing any of the problems in the Pro game. I would not be surprised to see Sheffield and Fax not chasing a top 2 place but more a Grand Final win

That's a relief then , I don't think you have grasped the plan for the Future , next season will see the bottom 2 in SL relegated probably London and Bradford they will be given parachute payments along with the payments the Top 2 in our League will get , making the 4 teams Full time with a big advantage over the rest , then it will be "Hey Boys Hey ",for the Top 4 the season after for the Middle 8 places ,meaning this years 3rd downwards would need Dynamo , David Blane , and Divine intervention to get them to challenge the others above then , not to mention attracting better players .

But as you don't want to finish in the Top 2 it wont trouble you

.

I am slightly mystified by the attitude of the majority of Fax fans on here, what more do you actually expect or want?

The door is open, no matter how small the gap is, the opportunity to build your club and compete if you work hard enough is available

This fixation with either central/SKY money or director input is strange and unhealthy IMO, while not being completely in tune with what Leigh are doing, they are attempting to build, hopefully without extending themselves too much

It will be interesting when it comes to who goes full time. The SL clubs and the two relegated this season will have the pick of the full time players leaving anyone else going full time picking up the scraps. Obviously you cant run a full time team if only half your team is full time so its not like you could have 10 or so full time players and the rest part time which then leaves the other top teams say Sheffield and Fax to claim all the best part time players with their inflated salary caps(or the max they are working to).

At the moment the top teams in the Championship can give the worse teams in SL a run for their money so basically what I am asking is the very worst full time players operating a 1m cap going to be much better that the very best part time players?

Either way in my opinion it leaves the teams in either situation quite a way behind the SL teams and leaving the 5th place team to try and get a bit lucky in the big playoff game.

One thing I would say is that it seems to me either the Fax board or some Fax fans do not realize that at the moment the club is looking at playing 3rd tier rugby once the split happens and they don't finish in the top 4 and I'm not sure the club can afford to do that.

Plan for the future? There is not one and hasnt been one for years. Every other year we see changes and goalposts moved. I dont trust either the clubs or the RFL. Would you put say 500 Pounds on this system being the same in 5 years? I wouldnt going on the past and the instability within the game. And there are cases of players in SL saying that its not worth them being fulltime in SL as they can earn more elsewhere.

Bryn Hargreaves said ""Being a rugby league player is not a very sustainable and secure future as it is but then you see what happened at Bradford and you think 'wow, the carpet can really be pulled from beneath me here'," he said. There are players in the Championship that could easily play in SL but dont want to be Fulltime as they can earn and have better futures with a day job.

And the record of clubs being fulltime and having money problems is a very poor one. Its OK having an extra 500k but is it enough? And having money doesnt mean it will be used in the right areas. Sorry for being negative but I remain very sceptical of the way things are "planned" and what will actually happen

Revenue? The chance for either of the teams involved to be Championis, Championis, if we are not in the top two then I would still enjoy a Grand Final day.
If we are in the top two I would still enjoy a Grand Final day.
Ps that's assuming we were in the Grand Final.

I get that, and of course I would love to be there and to be classed as Championship champions, but if that is from 3rd, or lower, it will be like Widnes getting promoted from lower down the league, just plain daft. But then again it is rugby league we are talking about.

FW,

I see where you are coming from, but don't totally see it this way.

I think that unless London totally restructure they are likely to totally implode (I feel sorry for the real core of the London fan base if this happens).

The funding next year will mean that London can compete at our level, however unless they can maximise their income streams they will struggle and certainly will the following year. For example at best they will average 1000 in SL2 which compared to a current Championship team averaging 2000 will be a mean income that is £165,000 less that their rivals (Leigh/Fax/Fev) (so could be £2000k down after you consider other income streams). The parachute payment will help, but I think Leigh/Fax/Fev willl be better placed to compete than London over the next few years.

Bradford will have a big advantage next year (assuming they get relagated) but I see this leveling out over the next few years, this will mean that in the none too distant future the liked of Fax, Leigh and Fev will have a chance of getting to SL by winning the 4v5 middle teir decider. I can't wait to see Fex, Leigh and Fev competing in SL (I "beleighve" in the "Fevolution" including Fax)

I can't believe we wouldn't want to be in the top 2, although we seem to settle for mediocre in most things we do at Fax these days.

Getting back to the topic header,i went to the game and even though Donny were 16 points down at h/t i still felt if they had enough possession they could win.With not going to Owlerton since 1989 i had forgotten how small&narrow the pitch was,this had a big bearing on tactics,Paul Cooke was superb.
The viewing is truly awful one tiny bit of terracing in one corner the rest just a slope,no good news for real ale lovers one pub near the ground selling rubbish freeflow,same inside beer at £3-10 a pint
When we play there i will have a decent drink in Sheffield

Wot! No John Smiths smooth?

Commercial Inn, Sowerby Bridge. Hawkshead El Dorado 5.0 % Mmm!

Mick there is a great view from the Panoramic Bar .Charlie knows .

I think there are quite a few current part-time players who would go full time if there was a) enough of a financial carrot and b) the prospect of Super League. The eventual top 2 in Championship this year might be able to offer both. For instance, both Leigh and Fev, who at this stage look amongst the leading candidates to finish in the top two, have a handful of players who are already working full time for the clubs (albeit partly with the community department in each case). The likes of Anthony England and Liam Finn have given up their jobs to have a crack at SL and I'm sure there will be more to come. Also, I don't agree that the two relegated teams, even with parachute payments, will have the pick of the full-time players next season, I'm not sure the likes of London and even Bradford (if they get relegated) are going to be a more attractive proposition for players than such as Leigh and Fev next season.

What evidence do you have of this ?

If you like watching a game behind glass,not sure if us plebs could get in though

Mick you are amongst the Aristocracy of Yorkshire and would get in anywhere , even the Wren .

What will the team who finish top of the third tier of 8 get in terms of finance?

I can see SL2 ie the group of 12 becoming very fixed in it's order because of the financial advantages of being in the 2nd group of 8 when SL2 splits.

Some of the better players in the Championship will be tempted by a crack at full-time rugby and will be mopped up by Leigh and Fev. The rest of the clubs are going to get left behind.

Sheffield away is the only game I will miss this year due to holiday commitment. I didn't plan it that way but it does prove there is a God.

Bradford Bulls you perlonker!!!!

I think he means are you sure Halifax lost a benefactor because of the bent licensing.

Oh, I see. Well, if that's the case then I'm a perlonker. I didn't even mean to say it was bent really - just extremely flawed. I mean, the RFL shelling out £750k for a licenced club's lease!! Complete joke.

You didnt plan it that we but we did

Then thank you very much.