Wilkin's column for The Times timesonline.typepad.com/rugby_le ... olumn.html

Wilkin's column for The Times timesonline.typepad.com/rugby_le ... olumn.html

Another excellent article from Wilkin......

Excellent article. Well done John for being truthful, which is what this game of ours needs. What more could you ask for.

[iEveryone is dispensable and being injured highlights that. It's quite shocking at how quick players are replaced with the new younger, leaner and improved models.

I suppose people would move on and slowly forget your contributions, occasionally stopping to reflect on a good try you scored or a memory they have of when you played.[/i

Is this aimed at a certain Mr Long?!

Quite possibly

Another good article by Mr W.

However, while I agree that honesty is good and that players shouldn't feel overly constrained by a pressure to sit on the fence, if they are going to be honest then they also have to be prepared to take the consequences of their honesty. Honesty brings reaction. Sometimes that will be positive, sometimes not, sometimes in line with the intended original comment, sometimes not. Honesty is a great thing but it rarely goes without notice!

I don't think anyone objects to players being honest - but I also think players have a duty to promote the sport and Graham's comments just before an event the RFL are trying to push was what got people's backs up. Especially with some nonsense assertion that the event was costing the sport money that could be spent in Cumbria?

RL has a hard enough time promoting itself without players doing down showpiece events in the press - I'm sure there were plenty of other avenues for his grievance, even just wait until AFTER the event!

Players can be as honest as they like - but they should expect the public to be equally honest back and if they think his comments were out of line, they have as much right to say so as he has to make them in the first place.

I don't think that's a nonsense comment; it's a perfectly true one: the money spent on Edinburgh could actually have been spent on supporting and developing the sport in Cumbria, a much neglected heartland. That isn't the RFL's priority at present so it was a 'wasting your breath' kind of comment really, but not a nonsense one. Besides, he's part Cumbrian so chances are he's going to be supportive of the game there isn't he? (And good on him - go for it James!)

Dont want to rehash the same old argument again, but he is wrong and you are wrong. MM brings money into the game, it doesnt cost anything, nothing is diverted from anywhere else.

erm its cost me about £300 !!



he should done the propper manly thing.

Question: "Does this dress look nice"
Answer: "Yes"

Question "is the MM a great idea"
Answer "Yes"

Well, it brings money into the local economy, that much I know. I'd like to know how much it brings into RL coffers though. Who pays for renting the stadium, the security, the hours looking after the ground, the players' hotels, etc, etc? All those costs come out of heavily discounted tickets?

I'd imagine that comes out of the money that the RFL are paid to host the event in that venue.

we discussed all this weeks ago, im sure the thread is still there for full details......BUT:

Edinburgh pay the RFL to host the event;
SKY pay the RFL extra for a 27 game season;
Sponsors pay extra for a 27 game season;

That money funds the costs of hosting the event.

You wonder how wilkin fits training and playing rugby with all his media work.

Yea, must have took him all week to write those couple of paragraphs.

Actually, I would have thought the RFL paid the Scottish RFU to host the event. The Scottish RFU would have put in a bid, same as other venues, and the RFL would have paid rental same as at Wembley and Old Trafford. How much Sky and sponsors contributed I don't know. It's not as if the thing was broadcast on the BBC. One match was on the red button so how many people would have watched that, as opposed to the RU shown in its place, is anyone's guess. Not exactly the hottest shot for promoting your brand.

That's not how it worked. The RL got a load of money from Edinburgh, the Scottish Tourist board etc. They then doled out some to the clubs, and kept the rest for themselves (for the development of the game). Some of the clubs who would normally expect a big gate for such a fixture at home felt a little hard done to as the money the RL gave them was less than they could have got.

Overall the RL community made a profit on the weekend. But some clubs felt they lost out in the deal. I'm sure it's easy to work out which ones.