Why? Are Leigh gonna reach Super League in 2 years? That's where Fax are aiming for in 2 years time.

Totally agree with you. The RFL are a joke. My point being is we all knew the rules before we played a single game so to complain now is futile, just like us and the bonus point after the way Barrow played.

Leigh missed the play offs by the value of a win and a draw.
Leigh are relegated.

How scary is that?

Only in RL could a team win more than half the points they played for and still get relegated.

Only Adebisi, was missing, of those four players.

Just as a side note. If we had stayed with the two points for a win and 1 for draw this is how the table would look:

1. Barrow 26 271
2. Halifax 26 242
3. Fev 24 95
4. Haven 24 -2
5. Widnes 22 211
6. Sheffield 22 188
7. Toulouse 18 -30
8. Gateshead 18 -47
9. Batley 18 -78
=red10. Leigh 18 -146
11. Donny -7 -704

The bonus point system does make a lot difference to positioning.

ask fev fans how they feel about that 1

I must admit, I have NO idea why some of you guys, in particular Littlerich, are so up Leigh's asss, you may as well wear cherry & white! I remember them coming to the Shay a few year back and beating us with Rowley hooker, their fans really took the pizz .... they were extremely ungraceful winners. I don't give a tos that they've been relegated.

Dont sit on the fence Tony

Widnes have had our fair share of run ins with the Leythers but they're a good bunch at heart and they love the club with a passion. The one problem with Leigh is that they're run by amateurs.

Exactly.

Walking out of the LSV and Leigh fans were talking to us as if we wanted them to stay up?
Why presume this?

They havnt been good enough and therefore deserve to go down.

Bye!

Heart of Gold. You're a big softie Tone

Feel sorry for Leigh as Toulouse are confident that they will get into SL 'cos they are French yet they should be in Championship 1 now.
From a Fax point of view it would have been better if Toulouse had been relegated but like I said before Leigh are now out of the equation, its between us, Widnes, Barrow and Toulouse now for SL.
Widnes must be strongest and the RL's obsession with expansion means that Toulouse will be a threat yet they are blatantly not ready and I don't think French RL will ever be strong enough for 2 SL teams, the one there now Catalans aint doing that great are they even with 8 Aussies?
Maybe if Celtic Crusaders go belly up then Widnes will get in now and then its between us and the other two?
Barrow are only where they are now through Mr Ego the ground is miles off being SL standard and while Cumbria is a RL outpost there are not enough people up thre to ever get big crowds on a REGULAR basis, as for Toulouse its a RU stronghold just like Celtic Crusaders and will never work.
So we MUST get to the GF this year as it would take the pressure off us, come on lads.

Do you not see Gateshead as a threat? I'm hearing stories that they are not out of the equation.

No come on it did not work last time round, even the RFL would not be that stupid surely??

Or maybe they would, but again the ground is not fit and it just is not RL territory, its like Sheffield its footy mad.

If Celtic Crusaders went belly up today I `m sure the RFL would want them replaced by another expansion club , I think Widnes would lose out again as it is not in an expansion area and it would be Gateshead who gets the nod as Barrows ground is no good.Now in two years time that of course could be differant but it would seem the Celts have had an awful lot of help these last few weeks.

If it did happen - do you really think the RFL would replace Celtic with Gateshead? Really? I don't. Yes, the fashion is to believe the RFL are crazy buffoons but even they wouldn't bring Gateshead in at this stage.

Does it REALLY matter if RL is played in Wales anyway? Why are the RFL so bluddy obsessed with expansion? I watched an Aussie Rules match in the pub before last night's match ... a full house, they don't give a monkies why aussies rules ain't played in bluddy France so why the hell should we be bothered about RL being played there? Oh .. tis SKY innit? You've gotta laugh, you really have ...

Yes, it is Sky's wish. Sky own the game so it's their "grand plan" unfortunately.

But could Leigh yet survive in our division?

Might the RFL, to try to minimize the embarassment of Toulouse not being relegated despite finishing in a relegation position, see now as the ideal opportunity to increase the size of the division to 12 clubs by just relegating Doncaster and promoting Dewsbury and the winner of the Championship 1 grand final, as has been suggested elsewhere?

I know that they would be breaking their own rules by making such an alteration at this stage, but I'd put nothing past the RFL.

If I was a betting man I'd be putting money on this happening......but, there again, my record with the lottery is not too hot.

But does everyone reckon SKY have been the saviour of RL in general? Maybe this should be a separate thread. SKY do give excellent coverage for both soccer and RL, but whether they should take the credit for the respective boom in attendances I must admit I don't really know. I can't say their coverage has affected Fax's attendances though .... I suppose if anything you could say their coverage is detramental cos SKY seem to suggest Super League is the be all and end all and nowt else matters!

I just think back to pre-1995 or whenever Sky interevened. All we had for TV exposure of the game was Ray French (BBC) and John Helm/David Watkins (Yorkshire TV) and their respective programmes. Amateurish to say the least. Have Sky actually raised the profile of our game? Maybe. What they have done however, is pumped massive great wads of cash into the game. Most has gone to the top players who may have defected to the money-bags Union game had Sky not pumped in the cash. It's a classic "selling of the soul". The RFL are "madams" and Murdoch is the punter.

Dont be fooled by the AFL Tony they have huge expansion plans, not just here in Aus but other countries (including the UK) also. I met AFL legendary coach Kevin Sheedy a couple of months ago and I have to say he was inspirational. He works for the AFL on expanding the game and he has some very basic, but fantastic ideas. Plus they are not trying to grow the game overnight like the t!ts in Red Hall are.

As for Leigh, I suppose I have sympathies for them because they are a heartland club and seem to be going through a lot of the pains we did over the past few years. Also, they bring a decent following to games, something I am not confident Dewsbury (no distrespect) will match.

Think that's the first time I've ever seen sense in any of your posts on here.

If you search my post history it's a whole goldmine of sensible posts!!

Speaking personally with absolutely NO inside information, I think Gateshead are certainly in the mix for the Super League franchise when its time

Their Chief Exec Rod Findlay went there from a key job the RL i think he was the RFLs chief legal eagle AND he set up the Super League franchise rules before he left the RFL. .

And who's to say they will still be Gateshead when the frachise comes around . . . they could be Newcastle or even Glasgow/Edinburgh??

Mike