I'd hazard a guess that they do community development work

too true, apart from the sheff game where we were never gonna get anywhere near winning, we have just run out of time,
if that game yesterday had gone on another 5 mins, i honestly think wed have had a draw at the least, and we all know the semi could have gone either way!
even Man utd lose games!!

=red[size=150note to all negative fans, get off the teams back and cheer the boys on to the GF!![/size

Whilst I dont think it is fair that certain clubs have an expanded quota, I dont think it is completely accurate to dismiss expansion teams development of local players. For example, take Catalans, much vilified for their saturation of Antipodean players - yet compare the number of local players they have in their squad compared to others in Superleague, and indeed ourselves - we have three local players, 2 of which are bit part players; I feel Catalans would fare favourably. Whilst I acknowledge that their french contingent won't be all perpignan based, I feel they are doing more for french players than some do for their catchment area...of course, this is just a generalisation.

Rod Mckinlay (Or whatever his name is) was at the RFL and is now at Gateshead. No doubt "friends" have helped Gateshead and they have had very few problems yet Keighley had to fight tooth and nail to get an Aussie back across here who has played for them and done community work for the past couple of seasons. Leigh have had an almighty battle and lost in bringing an Aussie over. To me it just looks like Gateshead have contacts at the RFL who will help them alot more than other clubs. Why should people at the RFL help Gateshead more than others? Why do Gateshead need 4 Qouta places? The RFL should be neutral which for me they are not!

As far as I know there is only Blackpool Scorpions, Blackpool Stanley and then in summer Blackpool Sea Eagles. There are no clubs in Fylde, Fleetwood, Kirkham etc. Think the next clubs are south of Preston at Leyland or across at Blackburn

We have missed out on 2

Reece Blaney and Joe Williams

But how many Halifax based or born players are elsewhere usually at SL Clubs? And that is another problem a team outside the heartlands doesnt have. Any good local Geordie( Whitey Bay, Gateshead Storm, Sunderland, Newcastle, Peterlee etc) player will go to Gateshead Thunder as there are no SL clubs in the near. Whilst any top Youngster from Halifax, Leigh, Widnes is often just 1 15-20 minute drive away from 2 or 3 SL teams. It would be good to see more Halifax guys playing and a bigger effort is finally being made but sometimes we have no chance of getting a youngster due to SL Clubs offering very good money.
Catalans again are the only SL Club in France and so the Top Players will end up their generally speaking

Matt was totally right in saying we'd like to sign 3 players with NRL experience, so would the other teams in our league (apart from Thunder & no doubt Toulouse who manage to do it!)

For far too long coaches have been afraid to say what they think by the RFL bigwigs, all RL fans know that it's no longer an even playing field, initially it was Catalans, then Celtic, now Thunder & Toulouse. All fair & decent supporters/coaches/players want is a fair chance, something sadly the RFL did away with years ago!!

Paid by whom???
In Halifax the Calderdale community coaching trust pay for the community players, not the club.

Exactly, the sad thing is we get slated for telling the truth and painted as dinosaurs.
Hey I know that the clubs outside the 'heartlands' need an allowance so they can get any RL players but how do they manage to get all these Aussies whether they are EU passport holders or not when other clubs can't???

Oh they do do they , so thats how you do it

I'd guess the N,East are similar to South Wales , ie there will be considerable RFL central funding for community development officers

These conspiracy theories make great reading, we get the additional quota and nothing else - everybody has their views on the rights and wrongs of this, so not really worth going over old ground.

I fully respect that everybody has an opinion, but if you are going to enter the debate at least get your facts right.

As has been stated, a lot of the Aussies are on EU passports and these players are available to all to sign - we just happened to get in first - there is nothing to stop any other club doing the same.

We have also suffered with the UKBA rules - we have been blocked from signing 3 players who played in this country last year (two for us and one at Skolars) - no bending of the criteria.

The cost of these players is also often misunderstood - quite simply, it is cheaper and easier to get overseas players to base themselves in the North East, than it is to get UK players to uproot homes and jobs.

Since receiving the additional quota, Thunder have always made enquiries about UK based players, but some of the figures they ask for are ridiculous.

We had the same quota earlier in the season when you stuck 70 on us and nobody said a word.

Unless people can back up their conspiracy claims - the claims have no credence.

It is a shame that a great game yesterday is ignored because losing fans can not take defeat at the hands of "the likes of Gateshead".

Gateshead fans will continue to hold their heads up at every game and wish fans of opposition clubs the best for the future in the greatest game - even if that clearly not reciprocated.

Therin lies the problem , much easier to get Aussies on a holiday for a few months who can be employed cheaply quite often on community work than getting people to give up hard to find real jobs and then start again up in the North East

other clubs can. Fax and Fev can sign as many aussies on Kolpak ruling as they like. So long as they have a current Eu passport, they qualify to play in this country. Fax, should they wish and finances available, can have 17 Aussies playing for them next sunday!

The fact that this is not the norm in the championship would suggest that they'd come at a premium.

I thought the ruling had been changed as of this season to players being 'federation trained' so they couldn't just be signed on an EU passport?

Thought that was the reason Henderson had to leave Cas & Rinaldi Quinns

Having an EU passport makes you exempt from the Federation trained ruling as does coming from a Kolpak nation or if a player has played for a team for 6 years..

Still not answered how can you on 200 or 300 fans afford them?

Backers.

How do you think Harlequins haven't sunk without trace?

Nowt wrong with backers.

Indeed , even councils

Indeed. From the Council, to yer Steve O'Connors to yer £40 contributing Leigh Businessmen. Every penny counts in this game and good on 'em. Keeps the game alive.

Er WRONG the Calderdale Community Coaching Trust is nowt to do with Calderdale Council its an independent trust and Halifax RLFC buy their services like other organisations such as the schools, thats what puzzles me how a club like Gateshead can afford these players???
Is there some special RFL rule in 'development areas' that means the 'expansion clubs' get the services of 'community players' for free???
I dunno but you need very deep pockets to pay for ex NRL palyers and on the evidence of last Sunday if they have 300 fans its on the top side tbh

Backers. Money men. Yer Steve O'Connors and yer man from Wales - what's he called? Leighton Samuels. That type of person. A backer. How hard is that to comprehend?

It would appear that the RFL will pay for community staff, who conveniently double up as players for the club. I have no idea if its true, but it certainly sounds possible that Gateshead are profiting 1st by getting players paid for them, but also the quota sitiuation i.e. access to more funding and more players than the rest of the clubs.

It kind of reminds me of what was going on at Celtic - I'm not if it was a joke but someone did say last year that the address for the RFL community development in Wales was: The Brewery Field, Bridgend - Wouldn't surprise me one bit if it was true. I wonder just how many past and present Celtic players have been paid for by RFL money in the name of community development? Could be zero, might be a lot, I don't think you'd get a straight answer if you asked the RFL would you?

Not brewery field

But it is based at at the same address as a co called Dekor uk , which as I'm sure many people know is Leighton Samuels company , Mr Samuels being the owner of Celtic Crusaders

I stand corrected and apologise for my insinuation

Who funds the trust ?