Again - nothing wrong with worthy SL clubs taking a stand but it boils my pi55 that there are clubs in there that are a downright disgrace - that have effectively brought the game into disrepute with their financial mismanagement. Yet they are still there. They will be voting on various things which will favour members of that elite club, including themsves whilst abandoning clubs that are run better than them in a far harsher environment.

There is another cup we can take back as well , the one the RFL gave away to Wigan when Super League started just because they won it 3 times what a load of tosh , lets have it back.

Full story, this has been coming:- www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/24443290

Full story, this has been coming:- www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/24443290

Can't help but feel a breakaway is the only solution - leaving the other clubs high n dry like Chris said.

Yes, it'll be easy to get a sponsor for what will in effect be a competition of second rate clubs. No Sky money, no Government money either.

Come on - who are we kidding here ? Championship chairmen are smarter than that. There'll be no breakaway.

Quote ="Fax4Life"Full story, this has been coming:- www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/24443290'" As I said the timing was premeditated to cause the maximum disruption, the next will be a rift in the game as the greed of some SL clubs becomes apparent and they will want more and more control of the game only aimed at their own competiton. Even within SL there will be back stabbing as the "big" clubs fight it out for control and it will end up with a "UN" type situation where you have 4 permanent members that can vito everything that doesn't sit with their own clubs agenda. That will lead to the comp going to 10 clubs with Toulouse one of the 10 meaning 3 more current clubs will drop out and the same thing will happen to the money, the remaining 10 will divide it amongst themselves. Once they have control it will be like a monoply grip on the sport and it will be game over for the rest as they will never vote for the well being of anything not their own. They talk about the threat to the game from the NRL and Union, the biggest threat is from within the ranks of the selfish SL clubs and we now clearly know who they are. Since the bulk of the funding in this country comes from SKY monies to Super League they have us all by the short and curlies and they know it.

Quote ="Fax4Life"Full story, this has been coming:- www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/24443290'" As I said the timing was premeditated to cause the maximum disruption, the next will be a rift in the game as the greed of some SL clubs becomes apparent and they will want more and more control of the game only aimed at their own competiton. Even within SL there will be back stabbing as the "big" clubs fight it out for control and it will end up with a "UN" type situation where you have 4 permanent members that can vito everything that doesn't sit with their own clubs agenda. That will lead to the comp going to 10 clubs with Toulouse one of the 10 meaning 3 more current clubs will drop out and the same thing will happen to the money, the remaining 10 will divide it amongst themselves. Once they have control it will be like a monoply grip on the sport and it will be game over for the rest as they will never vote for the well being of anything not their own. They talk about the threat to the game from the NRL and Union, the biggest threat is from within the ranks of the selfish SL clubs and we now clearly know who they are. Since the bulk of the funding in this country comes from SKY monies to Super League they have us all by the short and curlies and they know it.

www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/h ... Ls.twitter Well done mr steele.It always seems to be the same chairman trying to galvanise the other clubs against the bullys

www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/h ... Ls.twitter Well done mr steele.It always seems to be the same chairman trying to galvanise the other clubs against the bullys

If there is it will be by the SL clubs.

The Championship clubs should now be getting there heads together to make as much noise about this as possible even if only to try and show the big boys that they are bringing the game further into disrepute when it's on it's knees allready.
At least try put some pressure small as it maybe to make a stand.

Apart from the Championship clubs.

What some of the current SL clubs need to think about is what they vote for or go along with today it could well apply to them in a couple of years time when they get the boot when SL runs out of money again and it goes to a ten club SL comp.

A meeting ? And what's going to be on the agenda ?



There can be no outcome without the $uperleague clubs.

first thing they can all agree on and make clear to the wider public is, they will not accept the likes of lenighan and macmannus running the sport for there own personal ends

Eh dear. Everyone loves confrontation, don't they ?

Well at least it is trying to do something rather than just doing nothing and waiting for the axe to fall.
How each club feels about the situation and some agreement on what if anything they can do as a group would be included so they could work together, any sign of dissagreement within the Champ clubs would only weaken an allready weak enough hand.

As you say the outcome will need to be agreed predominately by the SL clubs and the RFL with the Championship clubs a very distant 3rd in the pecking order.

As bullish as some of the SL clubs are they will not risk a total breakaway at this time, it's down to the current members of RFL to stand their ground behind the Watkins report for a whole game solution and use that as the benchmark, afterall that is what the new proposals are based on.

If they do anything else that departs significantly from that then it's down to guesswork and flipping a coin.

Unfortunately we all know very well who the RFL members are and a triple or quadruple U turn is well within their capability.

It will be some sort of compromise (with the Champ clubs bearing the bulk of the compromising) the SL clubs gets most of what they want and the RFL boys all keeping their jobs.

Well, as I posted on the VT, this is my view:

I used to be a RL supporter, now I am a Halifax RLFC supporter. I used to go to all the internationals, Challenge Cup finals, Premiership Finals and, if Fax didn't have a game, I would choose what looked like the best game available to attend for my RL fix. Now, if Fax aren't involved, I'm simply not interested. When Sky dropped Championship RL I cancelled not only Sky Sports but my entire Sky package and subscribed to Premier Sports. This may seem pathetic to some, for that I make no apology, but I no longer feel a part of a RL "Family".

I now feel that crunch time has come. The SL clubs are holding the game to ransom as they have had plenty of time to voice their concerns without leaving their rebellion until the last minute. The top-end Championship teams have already invested heavily in next season's squad as the death of licensing and the return of P&R was already supposedly agreed. The only issue was 2x12 or 2x12 going to 3x8. If we are now back to "as you were" it could have a serious financial effect as the climbdown is bound to further reduce attendances.

I believe that the time has come for SL to break away entirely. Let them run SL as a circus if they wish. I have asked the question on these forums several times: "If SLE is a separate company run by it's members and responsible for sharing out the Sky money why is it left to the RFL to bail out their member clubs when they are in financial trouble?" The question has been met with a deathly silence. If they wish to break away then so be it but they can then do their own bailing out although I suspect that if a club gets into difficulties they will not take a cut in their money to help one of their members but will rub their hands with glee as the club goes bust and then split their share of the Sky money between the remaining members. So it begins until the next one and the next and so on.....

The problem im having with this'apart from the timing',is lenaghan has thrown a massive hissy fit and released a statement that he's not happy with the potential new format but he's conveniantly given no alternative.Typical behaviour of a t stirrer.

I feel exactly like this and now I have just lost total interest in Rugby League in general ,I will play no part in puting money into an organisation where I am made to feel not part of it . A few years back I told Rimmer how I felt and that I hadn`t attended Challenge Cup games etc for years , he just spluttered .I havn`t as yet bought my World Cup tickets and probably will not bother although I wouldn`t have minded going to watch Ireland and Tonga . We still have Sky because my hubby watches the SL but I don`t I didn`t even watch the final .
At one time I used to be proud of being part of the "family of rugby League " following League set you apart from the dog eat dog world of soccer .I think the Champ` Clubs really should stick together and start to shout out about the way they are treated in this " Family " as people are walking away from the game in droves . Using the carrot and the stick on Champ Clubs who don`t tow the line should now be a thing of the past no longer can they tell us to take a look at SL for us to aspire to,who would want to be like some of them .
Now I feel embarrassed to be quite honest and just wish the Champ Clubs had not swallowed the scare stories from Red Hall to keep them all in line I `d rather they all stood together and speak out for what is right .

Same here. The last non-Champs' game I bothered with was the Exiles game which was DULLLLLL!

Speaking of 'exiles', that's exactly what we are, along with Sheff, Leigh and Fev. I used to HATE how Leeds and Bulls fans have no idea who Fax are anymore - and for Hudds fans to have the same opinion naturally makes my blood boil (for obvious reasons).

They have to go with the reforms and hopefully us top Champs' clubs can claw our way slowly back to the top table.

The RFL goons are an utter disgrace.

I meant to add, NOW I just get on with it, listening to SL fans talking about THEIR big games. Now I am numb to it.

5 years ago when they introdued licencing was the time to start to take control of our own destiny, the time was prime to start working together on building our own income streams that could ultimatley have put us in a real position of power

But would anybody listen?

I am the same I am only a Halifax RLFC fan now not RL any more and won't be going to any World Cup games other than the one at The Shay. I don't agree that SL should break away as that would spell the end for Fax and all the clubs below SL come on where would we get the money from and what would be the point as there will never be any chance to play in the top league of 'our' sport

I might not even follow professional RL much longer, I admire people like Mr.Steele for the enthusiasm & eandeavour and their passion for the game generally. It sickens me that genuine RL people such as Mr.Steele are been treat in this way by their fellow chairmen and the game's hierachy.


I hate the history of the SL era.

Same here,really exhausted with it all now.

I'll Probably take in a few of the WC games then sit back and watch the mess unfold from the the Lenaghan/Macmannus vs RFL fight,then i'll just slink away from the pro game and hope i dont have to work to many saturdays so i can take in a few leigh miners games

Super league clubs running Super league???

Which clubs would run it.

All of them or just some, if it's all of them that would include the ones that have proved they can't even run themselves.

Would anyone want them involved in handling their finances when there is a shortage of dosh anyway



If it's just a select few it would include the big four, how would it sit with the rest if the big boys were involved in making decisions for the little fry?

I can just picture it the little club gets into difficulty and is summoned before the king of the jungle, like a tethered goat it stands in the middle waiting for the hungry lion to say it's not hungry.



How would it work out when even within the big four there is a tangible dislike of each other, I mean the Lancashire clubs hate Leeds and GH and GH hates just about everybody not associated with Leeds.



At the same time as saying the RFL has failed to get sponsership for THEM and only them like the rest of us many of them can't even maintain there own fan base from within their own community yet alone get new interest.

They say that there are not enough quality players about to make up 14 teams yet alone 24, it's probably true.
Aren't they admitting that they can't produce enough players on their own to meet the grade at the same time as trying to be more isolated.

They say they don't need the RFL involved in the financial side of things yet who do they turn to when they need bailing out.

They say there is a threat to the game from the NRL and Union competing for players, well there is a threat when it comes to having sponsership and investment there is competition from every other sport as well and some sponsers like some players choose another sport.

Many potential sponser were approached concerning SL but decided not to come on board.
Some took one look at the product, the SL clubs not the RFL and said no thanks.

What has changed with the product since then, well a few selfish back stabbers have popped their heads up which i'm sure will tip the balance to get more investers involved.

Ironically in their quest to get more of the central funding, by voting to go to twelve clubs and wanting the new system to only include the twelve they are cutting the gates receits even more by having less number of games, who will pick up the shortfall for that or will they arrange a new lets play everybody 3 times a season scenario with the third game in the Outer Hebrides to see if the Islanders like it.

Well if I was a Championship Chairman, I'd now be using this as an opportunity to lobby the rank and file SL club, and see if a future that is inclusive for the whole of RL cannot be sorted.

I'd also lobby Leeds weren't they reportedly happy to go along with the new changes? Regardless I'd be trying my utmost to isolate four or five clubs and more or less say ok go it alone.

The problem is to do this, to get the rank and file SL club onside it might be necessary to accept no change in the near future whilst the direction and format of the leagues is set out. A breakaway from the bottom down, could look to exploit the BT Sports opportunity, they badly need more content.

Rugby League needs to work out what it's niche/angle is and with RU hurtling towards the football model of big clubs dominating through huge european paychecks and never a change in the order, RL should be looking to set itself up as a genuine open competition with a genuine meritocracy.

RL's problem for a long time has been the obsession with catching Australia, the game has been run to achieve this, when the game should have been run to produce the best product it could. That isn't necessarily the SL style of rugby, 48-24 sort of scores turned me away from the game and I only returned through work.

Now they are panicking because they are going to lose players to Australia, there is no way they can compete, look at their TV contract it's huge. It's the natural order of things and they have to live with it, not destroy the game in a futile pursuit of the impossible.

Step back, review, start again and build a competition that places competition above all else.

Easy to say, but to make that work, you need to somehow even out the clubs finances so that clubs can compete when they're promoted and can copewhen they're relegated.

P+R isn't a panacea in itself. It has to be linked with the cash.

Absolutely Griff. But, do you not think, that the years "licencing" have made the gap far too wide - the Championship clubs need loads of cash and the SL clubs cant afford a reduction? What a mess has been made just to get Crusaders into SL.

As an aside, Smokey is suggesting on the VT that championship clubs run as a competition involving 18-20 year olds that cant get a game in SL and as clubs developing the youth until ready for SL. I'm sure we all agree, our crowds would rocket with people wanting to pay £16-18 to watch that. Only a massive, clueless d!!k would suggest that!

I only hope my interest in RL dies before I have to suffer the fate of my club being destroyed so Wigan can play Saints 6 times a year