Alternative brilliant ideas doing the rounds are that the game is actually rumoured to be considering, is for Super League to be taken over by the NRL giving IMG the boot and bypassing and breaking ties with the RFL leaving them and the rest of the clubs to sort the rest of it out. Which if it transpires. That should really be fun.

At the same time the RFL have received applications from 3 other clubs to join Championship 1 which they are now considering which in itself might come as a surprise to learn the RFL are capable of thinking.

I don't know what the NRL would gain from taking over SL.

As for SKY maybe pulling the plug, now that wouldn't surprise me. SKY are feeling the squeeze in general, their subs are way too high and other streamers are gaining market share. If they don't pull the plug then I reckon they'll significantly reduce funding, because they know no other broadcaster is interested. I bet the Beeb are paying nak all for broadcasting SL games. Quite hilarious I say!

Maybe the NRL taking over would be a great thing as the Aussies know how to look after their No1 sport and make it THRIVE?

If the NRL do actually do become involved in 'UK' RL it'll be to cherry pick a small number of the 'top' clubs to take part in a trans world competition.

The big question would be how they would going on looking after a sport that was maybe 7th or 8th rank in the nation.

That’s what I was thinking when I first heard it and did a quick check.
In Aussie land it’s in the top 1 or 2 but here depending on if it’s based on those who participate or those who watch, it goes down to 12th or 13th behind sports such as hockey and rounders!!

As a fan of a SL Club, I don't understand the struggles that Championship and League 1 Clubs go through. We've never had to worry about finances or attendance, attracting quality players etc. But I am curious about something...

At what point do clubs and fans have to concede that merging with other Teams might just be the only way to go?

Of course the Halifax fans here don't want to start calling themselves Huddersfield Giants fans, but what about West Yorkshire for example. A new name that includes both of you. And maybe that could even extend to Batley and Dewsbury (if they'd even be classed as 'West', I don't know). But if those 4 clubs merged into something new, you could be looking at a potential average attendance of 8,558, whilst still having something to believe in that unites all of those fans.

It does sound horrible, I know. I just don't know at what point a clubs own fanbase has to concede that there aren't enough fans to sustain a club anymore.

I'm more than happy to be educated on anything. I encourage all opinions and perspectives on the life of a Championship club. Always eager to learn and understand.

How's about you taking a degree at the university of Outer Robin Hoods Bay in The conversion of pigs to bacon sandwiches?

Well thank you so much for offering such overwhelming insight. It's greatly appreciated!

You really need to listen him on the subject of food, his better half is a dinner lady you know.

I think that could be a way to go and suggested the merger could have been with the Bulls with the name as just "Wests" but I'm not that fussy and would just as easily welcome the Huddersfield club and fans down to the Shay and call it home.

Mergers in sport cannot work. RL is not the be all and end all and if Fax "move" to Hudds then I doubt very much the fans will follow and will choose alternative Sunday entertainment like they do the other 26 non rugby sundays during the year (unless you're a partial armchair fan like me who attends about 10 home games so I'm probably not worthy of an opinion anyway!).

It never worked with Huddersfield-Sheffield and I'd bet there are zero Gareshead fans who watch Hull after the most shameless sham of a merger in the history of sport.

The decisions taken in 2003 killed this club and despite a couple of jumpstarts since then we are virtually flatliners now..With this in mind I was thinking could I support a super league side playing at the Shay with money called the west riding Panthers or similar ? The answer was a massive no,the history wouldnt allow me and I couldnt watch a home match with 50 goons shouting Fartown throughout.It's a new Gartland or nothing now....

Scenario 1. We stay in the town with a new board with some real financial clout that sorts everything out ground, on / off the field etc. No problem i’d still be going.

Scenario 2. As long as the team was Halifax based I wouldn’t care what it was called, how it had been formed or which division it was in i’d still be going. As above i’m in save me a seat.

Scenario 3. Could I follow a side still called Halifax Panthers if the home ground was outside the town. Bit of a problem with this one, probably go to start with if meant that or nothing but it would never feel the same.

Scenario 4. Could I follow a side because of a merger that was called anything else, that played anywhere else, that was winning everything going that was outside the town. No under any circumstances.

Utopia 1 please..

Merger with Giants , never ..... but .....

Buy Shay with sponsorship by Calderdale Kirklees NHS trust. Rename it the :

"NEW CALDERDALE KIRKLEES NHS TRUST SHAY STADIUM"

Bring Ken Davy in as chairman and play in dooper league with crowds of 12000.

Wayne Bennett to coach 12 Aussies and 5 fax lads.

Oh I woke up.

Not too far from the truth with Hudds looking to have their own stadium as Ken Davy’s legacy. Makes sense

Ken Davy will be limited on where in Huddersfield he can build a new stadium. Planning these days will take into account access for people, usually by means of public transport, so the only place near the town centre with enough space would be the Old Gas Works, and no one has ever been in a hurry to develop that site.

Laund Hill and Huddersfield RU have both been mentioned, Can't see the RU club wanting to have someone come into their profitable operation and want a slice of the pie, and Laund Hill is a poor location.

As sentimental as a return to Fartown would be, parking and access would be a nightmare.

Final option would be the old Police Training Ground as it was known (Woodvale Park?) which again is a long way out of town, I believe Ken Davy purchased this years ago when the police disposed of it as an asset but could be wrong.

So imagine a scenario where, having confirmed they are leaving the John McGalpharm, they then say they cannot find a suitable site, so are looking at exploring the lease at The Shay, it's not impossible

Perhaps Fax, Hudders and Bradford should all share a new ground in the CleckHuddersFax area? Three councils could share the costs.

Well the Giants are actively looking for a new ground. https://tbrrugbyleague.com/news/hudders ... ium-plans/

Well the Giants are actively looking for a new ground. https://tbrrugbyleague.com/news/hudders ... ium-plans/

Quote ="faxcar"Well the Giants are actively looking for a new ground. https://tbrrugbyleague.com/news/hudders ... ium-plans/'" Looking for a NEW ground not buying into one that needs taking over and will costs tons of money to bring up to date.

Quote ="faxcar"Well the Giants are actively looking for a new ground. https://tbrrugbyleague.com/news/hudders ... ium-plans/'" Looking for a NEW ground not buying into one that needs taking over and will costs tons of money to bring up to date.

Yes that's what the link and caption said and as I posted before to avoid paying for the maintenance costs currently estimated to be around the £10 million mark for where they are now.

You have to take your hat off to Davy, he really loves the Giants. After ploughing in going on £20 million for nak all return with a fragile fan base of barely 3k, one wonders why he bothers.

It will be interesting to see what crowd turns up for their meaningless last match against Castleford on Thursday. The irony about the "self preservation" ethos in SL is that if there was relegation then the lower teams would have something to play for which might stoke up some spectator interest, even though admittedly the Giants and Cas would currently be safe as it stands.

Looking at the recent results for the likes of Hull, Hudders and Cas it looks as if the players have as much interest as the fans. It's all meaningless. How is this meant to attract crowds and sponsors? It'll be the same - possibly worse - next year if there's no standout candidate for SL. Would Toulouse be able to replace say Cas on their IMG score? If not then it's a closed shop until a club attracts a backer willing to spend to get the IMG score higher than the lowest rated SL side. That may never happen.

What's the point?

It makes my ground share idea less likely. Nobody will want to share their ground with another club as it could allow them to gain IMG points and possibly threaten their place in SL.