Aren't you spectacularly missing the point?

MMis arranged as an EXTRA round of matches, specifically to have a big showcase weekend at a prestigious location, with saturated TV coverage.

If they didn't arrange it at such a place in such a way, there wouldn't be a game. At all. So you're not missing anything if you don't want to go, are you? You're not being "deprived" of a game?

And it's not as if you can't wacth your team - and all the others too - all weekend if you don't want to go, or can't afford it?

Oh dear what an idiot. The classic flat cappers uneducated 'time and money' comment that completely misses the point of it all.

I think its the RFL who are clueless. They promote a welsh team into superleague and move the "magic" weekend to Scotland.

They schedule the games at the time when football is coming to its final phase and cricket starts.

The supporters pump in reportingly 9-10 millionquid into the Edinburgh poulation economy where there is no prescence of rugby league.
The local people propbably get subsidised tickets while the real supports pay full price.

The matches are only available to the "sky" viewers.
If it rains over the weekend then the last 2 matches on the Sunday could be a farce if the pitch doesn't hold up.

Why can,t we just play teams home and away or maybe the RFL are thinking next magic weekend in Dubai = Clueless.

My sentiments exactly.

Here's your choice James:

Play 28 games like before MM (and then whinge about fatigue)

or

Play 26 games and take a pay cut (and then whinge about money)

or

Play MM and keep your wage.



Unjustified moans should be banned from the media. He's talking about investing money into Cumbria instead of the Magic Weekend. I don't think he realises that it's not the RFL investing money in this, it's the Tourist Boards of the successful applicants. Why would the Welsh Tourist Board invest in Cumbria?!

Idiot.

Exactly it saves money, saves games, allows an extra international window and an expansion opportunity to boot. It aint perfect, but his reasoning is really wide of the mark. You can see why he's a prop.

James Graham is spot on. The eater fixtures are a joke now - a relic of the bygone era when players clocked off from down't pit, jogged to the match, and trundled around for 80 minutes. Oh and had a good smook on't pipe after the match.

The game has moved on, but RL wants lacks the foresight or gumption to protect it's players.

All the more galling is it's lame and silly efforts to create 'magic' weekends. We know the RL isn't the best promoter of the game and is still struggling to reestablish it's credibility following the catastrophe of World Cups. Immediately springing to mind are Lebanon vs New Zealand in Reading on a cold Tuesday evening and one of the worst whitewashes in sport in recent history.

Granted the RFL have improved their efforts over the last years, but they are clearly inept when it comes to accounting for the needs of players and spreading the game in the first place.

Quite. It makes me cringe when players from Saints do this. As for complaining about travelling for 5 hours, I guess he'd better thank his stars he doesn't play soccer, where they occasionally have to leave the M62.

Graham's a very good player with the potential to become a great prop for GB, but he needs to shut up on this. After all, if we had never tried to take the game to new areas, then would any big ginger scousers find themselves playing professional rugby league and earning a nice mint out of it ?

Think on, James.

hold the world club challenge as the last match of the weekend. that way the aussies cant moan about it bein a trial game and the weekend has a real important match headlining it.

that would leave 13 sl clubs to play each other. the odd one out could play the national league grand final winner just for fun.

So the Aussies are going to send a team over here in the middle of their season? Get real.

So last years champions play 2 games over the weekend or does the team set to play the champions have the week off?

The RFL for all their faults have continued to show on a regular baiss that they embrace change and lead where other follow, your arguement is flawed. The game is spread far and wide. The armchair supporters across the UK prove what a great product we have.

Because Easter is so close to MM I can understand the overkill, but we'd all be moaning if Sky showed one game a week.

The only issue I have with MM is that it's not derbies as I think that is what gives the magic weekend its magic. I'll go this year and enjoy it the same as every other time I've been to big RL events.

The answer is in the post you have just quoted.

undoubtedly the aussies would need A LOT of convincing. but if the nrl champions could start their season a week early like the sl champions do at the minute, then it could be worked out.

whatever happens tho, the magic weekend needs to have some added importance than just being a regular round of games.

nope. no one needs to have a week off. E.g. this season say st helens and brisbane are each league's respective champions. then those two would face off in the world club challenge as the last game of the magic weekend.

that leaves 13 super league clubs. 12 of those clubs would then make up 6 fixtures for the weekend with a random draw deciding who plays who. the 13th club, say for arguments sake is the celtic crusaders. they would then play the national league grand final winners in a special challenge match. this then gives some national league representation at the magic weekend.

I am still waiting for these subsidised tickets to appear. i live in hope.

If the ticket sales reports are correct, they'll be handing them out for nothing shortly!

Based on what? I'm pretty sure the reports I've read is that we've sold more than Cardiff.

yep, the Times is reporting that 4k have been sold to the Jockos which is more than the number sold to Taffies last year.

a full 4k? well i won't get too excited then

Yes. It makes sense. They already have SL down there, so move on somewhere that doesn't.


When else could they schedule it? The tourist boards that bid for the event will want it on a bank holiday weekend as to get people down for the event and stay (hence them making money, and us making money off them). The only other bank holiday weekend would coincide with the play-offs in football, wouldn't it? Summer BH is CCF. Easter is filled. So when?


Full price? Season ticket holders get 50% off at most clubs don't they? Yeah, full price.




What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Do you want it on BBC or something? Do they have the rights to SL? Er... no.


I'm pretty sure they have plans for this, otherwise they wouldn't hold it there, surely? A lot of work will need to be done on the pitch during every interval, that's for sure. But you never know until it's tried, and they're confident it can be pulled off obviously otherwise they wouldn't have scheduled it.


If you want teams to play each other home and away, that means dropping TMW, no? Dropping the extra game that you can't or don't want to go to. What difference does that make to you?

Unless you mean you want it to be like it was before with the extra home and away game to make 28 rounds? Still odd fixtures, and extra games for the players who we should think about...

Or maybe you ARE thinking of the players, and think they are playing too many games. Well that's fine, but unless they're willing to take a pay cut due to loss of revenue (as this is worth one home game's revenue to each club) then they should stop whinging.


A bit of advice to the persistent moaners out there: if you don't like something, think about a decent alternative before whinging about it. By doing this, you might understand more WHY what is happening is happening. Whinging achieves nothing. And James Graham's alternatives are flawed and should be scrutinised by the media that publishes them, not highlighted. Only then will players learn to keep their stupid mouths shut on ill-thought plans that isn't their job to do!

What did you expect compared to last year? Or are you just ripping into something for the sake of it?

I think they are doing an Edinburgh Marathon on the Sunday....great planning by the RFL.
Another thing the RFL have organised some coaching for the kids in Scotland and the location is in Glasgow not Edinburgh where the action is the RFL are absolutley clueless.
If they get less than 60 000 over the magic weekend can we regard it as a failure.

Who the hell are WE?
The RFL are a business and unless you have a better idea that you can sell them, I would suggest you zip it. If the RFL make money or not, you are not a share holder so it really has SFA to do with you. Just because a player has said something, doesn't make it right.
If this is simple another "it wasn't done in 1901, so why do it now" knuckle dragging post...then it explains why the RFL want to expand the game.
It's supposed to be a fun weekend with 60,000 odd fans enjoying a fun atmosphere. I take it from your posts that you won't be attending, which should make it more enjoyable for everyone else

Yes he does ,yes they will

But I do have a free speech opinion and most of my observations are factual. My rant is that we have some fantastic home grown players that are flogged to death by RFL mis planning.
We have coaches that complain about refs the past 2 seasons but the RFL do not allow any pathway to compromise.
We have die hard supporters who are taken for a ride by the RFL.

When the likes of Peacock, Graham and Gleeson say theres to many games then the RFL have got to listen.
We had thw world cup fiasco thats been swept under the carpet.

Rugby League is a great professional sport run by amateurs or at best part time so be professionals.

If you ask if I could do any better, my answer would be I couldn,t do any worse.