Looking at various points in this thread

Our 2020's side. Let's win a trophy first, before we get too tumescent. We haven't won a big one (CC/GF) , for over 6 years. I've seen many a false dawn, here.

Wigan's dominance. Couldn't give a stiff one. It finished 20 years ago. Ancient history. They've won plenty since, but so have Bradford, Saints and Leeds.

Sky deal.
The deal MUST be right for both parties.
I assume our game is cash strapped, so we need a deal that benefits us. However, Sky are haemorrhaging their portfolio, in the last few years. They've lost
Football Champions League, FA Cup to BT Sports, as well as BT getting an increased amount of Prem games. Spanish football.
Cricket Ashes tours, as well as other International games. Add to this, BBC coverage starting again.
Boxing Various fighters now appearing on BT sports, that would've been on Sky
R.U. Premiership games, and Heineken Cup.
Tennis US Open and various tour events
Golf Rumoured to be losing the PGA tour events (I. E 50% of the channel's output)

The only things they seem to [imajor on[/i are Prem League football, darts, F1 and US sports. We need a good bargainer, when the contract is up for renewal. Interesting times ahead for our sport.

I hope this post is brought up in 12 months in a positive light.

Quote ="rubber duckie"Why not charge the BBC?...they charge us through a licence.'" https://www.theguardian.com/sport/no-he ... gland-team They offer way more in attracting a new and wider audience that would be more attractive to mainstream sponsors... It would jot be free perse offer them league and championship games on a 5 year contract with payments starting for the final three years making it seam like a deal. We've a world Cup coming and a gb tour now is the time to start looking at how to capitalise on potential success in both, sky's moneys great but their exposure is not...

Quote ="rubber duckie"Why not charge the BBC?...they charge us through a licence.'" https://www.theguardian.com/sport/no-he ... gland-team They offer way more in attracting a new and wider audience that would be more attractive to mainstream sponsors... It would jot be free perse offer them league and championship games on a 5 year contract with payments starting for the final three years making it seam like a deal. We've a world Cup coming and a gb tour now is the time to start looking at how to capitalise on potential success in both, sky's moneys great but their exposure is not...

The thing I took from that report is the BBC have been asking for the final to be moved for 5 years. Soon as they remove the incompetence that is the RFL the better.

Is that moving the date of the final, or the time?

I think I'm moving the decade to the 2030s!

We might have the "arrogant fans that the rest of the league loves to hate" and "club spent too much and overextended itself" parts in common, just without the collection of trophies and world class rugby on display.

Seven?

7...people from Widnes have 7 fingers.

They were all great players but had they played for a variety of clubs we would have had a more vibrant competition. When Wigan poached Andy Gregory from Wire I still recall the report by The Guardian RL correspondent at the time when he stated [iWhat do Wigan want with Gregory as they already have Shaun Edwards? [/i In the 1980s there was still a good deal of RL on terrestrial TV which also helped to put Wigan and their players in front of a wider audience. In the long run the most important factor in any sport is competition, and dominance by anyone destroys that. Sally appears to have a passing interest in NFL and they go to great lengths with 'the draft' to even up the teams every year. I believe that most US sports still 'pool' revenue and divide most of it up evenly between the teams. That's another policy to avoid domination by one side.

Don’t underestimate the role of “Superstars “ in raising the profile!

I've skipped all but the opening post on this ridiculous thread, so apologies if this has already been said,

but to emulate Wigan of the 80's we need to go and buy the young lad at full back for Leeds, Luke Gale and Greg Eden from Cas, Mark Percival and Alex Walmsley from Saints, the prop from Huddersfield that made the dream team. Tom Johnston from Wakey, oh and David Fifita while we are at it. a couple of top Aussies maybe Inglis and Latrell Mitchell and a good kiwi maybe Marty Tapau or someone, and then Bring Dec Patten through to show we're bringing local talent through.





oh and then win the challenge cup 8 times on the bounce and other stuff....

We look good for the last 2 points.

Yes the NFL is very striking in that way. It's a paradox that America is the bastion of unregulated free-market capitalism in so many ways, but when it comes to their sports they have a real attitude of putting the needs of the sport as a whole ahead of any one club. There isn't the selfishness and greed that you see in European sports - probably because the clubs know that having the NFL as a top class product results in huge revenues for every club.

But also the US has some other advantages which enable it to support a competitive league. The huge population and massive infrastructure for development, at high school and college football, means there is an enormous amount of talent to pick from and there is no need for NFL clubs to get involved with running academies. This is the prerequisite for the draft, and why you couldn't have it in rugby league here, because you need a separation between the professional clubs and the development of juniors, so players then "graduate" from the juniors and get picked up aged 21-23 as ready made players rather than picked up as schoolboys.

In Super League, I think the league is more competitive now, but it hasn't really improved as a product as the quality has dropped. I think what you really want for a good product is having at least 3 dominant forces, that create a balance at the top. Tennis has had it, with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic plus Murray at his best. The Premier League is benefiting from having City and Liverpool and prior to that possibly the best Premier League years were the years when Arsenal were strong but United were also at their peak. In Super League, we probably peaked mid 2000s when Bradford, Saints and Leeds were all top sides.

Your pack is no where near good enough

The pack was good enough to get us into two finals...where the halfback's wasn't good enough to get us over the line...
This has since been addressed.

At the moment we have ourselves, Wigan, St Helens, Leeds, Hull FC, Catalan, Castleford, Huddersfield? Spending I assume full cap (or close to). The only difference in salaries paid out to players will be from teh Marquee allowances that some clubs have.

How many clubs spent the same amount on players as Wigan in the 80's?

In short, It cant be done, and wont be repeated I feel in a salary capped sport.

is that what their saying in the lake district?

Once Ben Currie is back it will be.

Be like a new signing near marquee BC

Did Wigan dominate the sport in the 80's?. not sure they did. 90's pre super league they did 6 CC 6 Titles all in a row, yes there record 8 CC in a row started in 88 but they only won 1 title in the 80's Widnes where the most dominant side of the 80's followed by the glory days of both Hull clubs, Widnes where nick named the Cup kings as they won so many trophies, couple CC 3 titles 1 WCC and numerous Lc regal /JPs premierships. No doubt Wigan rise to domination started back end of the 80's but there real dominance was 90-96

oh and Leeds Golden generation is at least the equal of any Wigan side from that era 8 titles in 13 seasons (plus others silverware) in a salary caped era.
Warrington will do well to win one Super league title first, never mid 3-4 or get anywere near 8, before any comparisons, and despite the ludicrous posters cockiness, if Leeds don't win it (which seems a long shot this year) i really hope its Warrington who do get finally over the line.

Well it was the 80s team.
If I'd have put 90s, you or someone else would have said 'wasn't that a 80s team'.

There was some overlap but the late 80's team say 88 cup team and say the 91-92 cup and league team was very difffernt squads, and really a very young Betts Edwards, Dean Bell around still, Ellery and Gregory and even shaun wane gone to Leeds. Itw was like 91-92 onwards when they went in to sign anything that moves overdrive, Connoly offiah Botica Tuigamala Henry Paul Skerret Andy platt world record teenage signing Nigel wright gene miles and plenty of others. ultimately that's what bankrupt them i suppose.