Well done to Leigh for winning at a SL ground today by beating Hull KR 25-18, they only need one more win and they will be up automatic.
Surely they will get that win at home to either Huddersfield or Batley, this would be good for our league to prove the doubters wrong and give hope to the rest of us, it also leaves Salford in big trouble.

Whilst I agree with you the only worry I have is that it might push others too far to try and gain promotion, I have no idea how much Degsy has spent to get Leigh where they are I do not believe that we have any where that amount of available cash. What will be interesting to see is how the relegated club are affected and indeed, who it will be.

Probably Wakey or Salford so a team without a ground and another possibly in the position of losing their financial backer, I don't think Koucash deserves this for what he has put in but that's sport for ya.

Not taking anything away from Leigh, who have proved to be the best team in the Championship by 'a country mile' over the last three years, does it really prove the doubters wrong and give hope to other teams? Could a team without a financial backer who is willing to pump in x amount of lots of £s be able to sign cast off/unwanted/unloved super league/NRL standard players and compete above and beyond others both on and off the field in the Championship? I'm fairly sure that if Leigh do promote, the whole concept will be seen as a massive resounding success by the rfl and the line from them will be "well Leigh have done it, so can you". Hope -meh. For most teams, including ours at the minute, it is an 'impossible dream with a dangled carrot'

Exactly how does a team not in the middle eights get relegated?

Workington and Whitehaven look like managing it.

Yes I know, will teach me not to say things when I've just got up after a night shifts. Must be my perception that Wakey are e I guess.

But I suppose it is a success as without it would anyone have ever been promoted without a SL team folding?

The fact is if no one goes up the rfl will likely scrap promotion again and say its not going to work. I personaly would like to see leigh up autonaticaly and london to win the mpg

That would mean salford and possibky hull kr to join us next season along with bradford making the championship fixtures better than ever.

All we will need is a team who can compete

The acid test will be whether this happens on a regular basis and not merely the result of a megalomaniac chucking money at a project.

But, good luck to Leigh - if they make it - it's a step forward. Of course, if we hadn't got rid of the old system, they'd probably have been there three years earlier.

"Probably" being the operative word. It depends if the moon has aligned with Saturn or not. That's the point Griff. It wouldn't have been down to Leigh - it would have been at the whim of a group of "superior" clubs pontificating like Pilate.

Under this new system - Leigh knew EXACTLY what they had to do and they've done it. Much to the dismay of franchisees like yourself and a few worried SL clubs.

Old system - one team guaranteed to go up every three years.

New system - no guarantees at all. Reliant on backers with deep pockets who may change their minds at the drop of a hat - as we've found out this year.

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Maybe they changed the system from licensing so as to not guarantee a club would go up its just that leigh have thown a big spanner in the works now

Oh, you cynic.

Yes the fox is now living it large in the hen coop, not to too fine a term on it the SL clubs must now be ting it.

It's great to watch.

Agree. IMO the mpg will be Salford v Hull KR and I think Salford could go down.

i find it quite easy to be cynical. Were. Sl is concerned

Personally, I think the MPG will be Hull KR v London with Salford automatically relegated. It will depend on the outcome of Salford v London on the 17th.

I think London win struggle to get 5th but this weekend will show what they've got with them entertaining KR. If they bring Kelly back I think they'll have enough firepower then the Leigh-Giants match becomes even more interesting.

Whilst our season has dwindled away there is at least some interest in the Qualifiers.

New system - one team guaranteed a chance at promotion in a one off match every year!

Sounds like hkr took a hell of a beating vs leigh so could have a few players out and with Kelly possibly not being in the right frame of mind "if he's picked " then that for me gives London a great chance. Big upset coming up I think

Really hope Leigh go up, it validates the only route we currently have to better ourselves, or anyone else at our level for that matter. I'm no fan of Des, or The Leythers, but if a small town with nothing going for it other than sounding like a boys name can go up, then we should all be encouraged

and I don't mean our occasional poster of Chips notoriety

Missing Blair as well, going home for his brothers funeral and played this weekend after finding out the news. Respect to him and best wishes at this sad time.

You sure the Franchise system would allow one of us plebs up every 3 years? Really??? No way do we ever want to go back to that system it is not what sport is all about give me P&R any day whether a team achieves it or not just look at the interest it creates!

Errm, Widnes went up when the Crusaders collapsed, but I can't remember anyone else being promoted under the "old system"? Licensing started in 2009, and no-one ever replaced a SL team that was still solvent.

The new system is far from perfect, and may need some serious financial backing of a Championship team to make it, but it's far better than the closed shop that we had under franchising.

Yeah, great.

Started in 2009, one club goes bust in 2012 which makes things easy, by 2015, we've got a new system. We hardly gave it much of a trial, did we ?

That's one of the problems with the game, we decide something, decide it's carp and change it at the next meeting. All the RFL (and by that I mean the clubs) are proving is that they don't know what they're doing.