By junior development I wouldn’t really expect the ‘results’ to be evident. As you say, nigh on impossible for non SL clubs to produce SL players. But I think they could and should have their pathways in place, their links with amateur clubs, coaches, facilities etc, to be ready to go.

But what do you want it to be?

' Pathways ' , links to clubs, facilities, again if they are developing any of their own players, they already have them, so irrelivant

Its all down to finances . Nothing else matters

Alright then.

Hull KR gets to be the feeder of Hull FC. Yes? No?

"Should be able" isn't the same as "Should be". You're the one that wrote-off the prospect of them *ever* being capable of playing in SL.

So the Crusaders debacle is not an argument in favour of anything to do with Dewsbury, although it would have been a good argument to support the thesis that the RFL is run by the hopelessly bewildered.

Yes, I wrote off the prospect of Dewsbury, in their current form, ever being admitted to SL. I also pointed out to you a little while ago, when you couldn’t finish reading a whole sentence, . If Dewsbury change then they may be capable of being in SL, but they havent changed, and they havent started to change, put in place plans to change, havent even any kind of real will to change to get to that level. Frankly it would be idiotic of me, to take into account a possibility that hasnt happened, isnt likely to happen, isnt being attempted, has no real will behind it happening, or a plan for it happening. You seem to be quite hung up on it though, which is telling!

hunslet yet again another knock back

Guess what the common denominator is? the fans said whats the point we can't go up and the game lost them forever.

Just be honset and say we only want these teams in and let the rest die in 4 years and then the great game is reduced to 14 teams,great stuff

So Leigh won 2 games,sounds similar to catalans first years and several others

Take away the hope and the leagues die

Like I said show me which teams are growing?

.....HULL FC would be better going straight to Australia themselves and cutting out the middle man

If that happened I would understand the reasons but I'd never support Hull FC and would probably not watch Hull KR. I can see the pros and cons of both ways but i'm sitting on the fence on this one

No, make your mind up, is it P and R or licencing ? ( with of course the potential for HKR to lose theirs )

You're not. You're taking sides except when faced with a very difficult reality.

Not a judgment on Hull KR, just thoose playing politics with the "small" clubs being treated like poker chips and dismissing concerns as "for the good of the game" would all change their tune if the situations were reversed.

Forcing independent, ancient, decent, loyal clubs to become feeder clubs for old rivals is offensive.

'til I die ...."

It must be a good idea, I mean the RFL wouldn't come up with something not thought through by intelligent people would it now?

Tbf, nobody can force an independent club to do something against its will or it has ceased to be independent.

I wouldn't follow an out and out feeder/reserve grade club, and I think that the extent of the current dual-reg system massively undermines the credibility of the Championship, as we have known it. I'm hoping it at very least is saving them a good deal of money to balance things a bit.

If SL wants feeder teams, it will have to pay for them - they won't (can't) do it as independent entities.

Greater fluidity or more stability, tbh thinking selfishly as a Hull KR fan, the main thing is knowing which it'll be so we can adapt accordingly. If we don't offer the Championship clubs anything more tangible than a wave goodbye, at least we should be honest about it. They'd well advised to take fuller control of their own affairs then, IMO.
We need to reconcile or have a divorce, it can't be put off much longer and needs to be settled one way or t'other.

May be slated for this idea but Rugby league has been known to try new formats to competitions...

How about a combination of P+R and Licensing?

Promoted team is immune from relegation for a year mean if they finish bottom the team above is relegated. Allows the team to try and establish a foothold in the league.

In terms or promotion teams submit for a license much in the current system (from championship and French league). Which the most viable team on preset criteria decided at the beginning of the previous season is promoted. In theory the potential relegated team could apply too or maybe not (few bits need sorting out)

Probably many holes in this idea but it has just come off the top of my head!

That is kind of what I was saying earlier. The clubs that make the standard can get a licence and are exempt from relegation. The rest play on a year by year basis. This would allow a team to get promoted and stake their claim for a licence. Which is a lot better than a team trying to prove they can play in Super League without being able to play in Super League. This could be applied to all levels of the sport.

To me that is effectively just a re-election system. Wigan or Leeds, for example, in the unlikely event of them finishing bottom would be re-elected, but a smelly failing club could be binned and another given as much of a chance as was deemed appropriate.
The value of licences as an objective and useful tool turned out to be minimal. it basically came down to a vote on newco Bradford, and then nobody wanted to then dignify the pretence of a mini-licensing round. A vote would be quicker, simpler and more honest than all this messing about with assessments and applications.

Quite simply there are no Championship clubs anywhere near a viable SL level , and there wont be any in the foreseeable future [ 10 years so the answer is ?

It certainly isn't giving clubs a year excemption as then you just damage another club , there is no ' fair ' way of doing it , the only option is to spend money on the Championships , but we dont have the money , so basically SL will continue much as it has done , possibly slow laborious growth , while the feeder league slowly declines

The support numbers will remain static as SL gains new fans , but Championship clubs lose them , all the while the sport loses ground to other entertainment industries

How exciting

Now that I've managed to resist the urge to slit my wrists, what would you propose to help fix things? Or are we totally doomed?

RL? , no we'll have SL to watch, but it'll never get any bigger/better and will always struggle

Wasn't a superleague club beating by a championship club recently? I.e. Featherstone and Castleford

Wasn't a superleague club beating by a championship club recently? I.e. Featherstone and Castleford

8 pages in and no mention of the fact that there is a probable reduction in the number of SL clubs next time around and the criteria for clubs to be culled/ relegated will be to say the least contentuous.
The game as a whole is struggling for investment and while the state of the ecconomy is well doccumented it is disappointing that our Aussie counterparts can secure a staggering sponsorship deal and yet we haven't even got a sponsor for our premier competition.
Many of the games commentators, including some club chairmen/ chief execs. are brokering the idea of a 2 division (each with 10 clubs) SL and allowing promotion/relegation between the 2 tiers.
The question is how to decide the make up of the leagues.
Obviously the likes of Featherstone, Halifax etc would move into the second tier but who would you drop.
Would this be performance based, or use some different criteria ie finance, facilities, community etc.
FWIW SL does seem a little more competetive this season, in so far as, there have been plenty of unexpected results and many close games, plus of course a number of blow out results and at the moment (assuming Salford continue to make progress), all of the teams in SL have a chance of making the top 8.

The success of the sport hinges, not on the playing field, but on the ability to attract investment and if the current big wigs are not up to the task, then we need to find some people who are.

No i didnt



and as i pointed out to you, only 3 clubs in the lower league are actually affected by the change to franchising. Dewsbury arent because Dewsbury wouldnt be promoted through any system.

Keighley were getting low crowds long before SL was even thought of, lower than now. They were getting low crowds long before franchising.

Les Catalans won 8 games in their first year. Not 2. 8. 8 is a lot bigger than 2.

Ill point this out to you again, very few clubs in the lower leagues are actually effected in any way by franchising, even fewer negatively. Barrow, Batley, Dewsbury, Featherstone, Hunslet, Keighley, Whitehaven, Swinton and York, even under P+R, even had they won the GF, wouldn’t have been promoted So whether we have franchising or P+R doesn’t effect them.

Ah, so it's not the RFL's fault then if it's inevitable? Thanks for clearing that up.

Proper ray of sunshine.

The thing about SL2 is are you spreading the Sky money among 20 full-time teams or just having a smaller 'real' SL and re-branding the (still semi-pro) second tier?