Each team has an important game.

Salford, Widnes and HULL K R must win to avoid bottom 4.
If Hull win the above teams will be in the bottom 4.
Catalans must win to ensure top 8 position.
Warrington, Huddersfield and Castleford need to win in battle for fourth spot.
Leeds, Wigan and St Helens must win to continue fight for top three spots.
Wakefield playing for pride.

David - if you don't have the money, and it's not economically viable to borrow the money, what are you supposed to do? Go ahead and build it anyway like Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, and pray the magic pixies in the sky will make it work?

It's alright throwing terms like "opportunity cost" around, but this is the real world with people's livelihoods, not some strategy meeting somewhere. It is not economically viable for Cas to go seven figures into the red to build themselves a new stadium. Ditto Wakefield. Ditto just about every other club in SL.

If Leeds wanted to build a new stadium, or Wigan, they would be reliant on either a sugar daddy funding it or having to borrow substantial sums to do so. RL is not a cash rich sport in the same way that Premier League football is, particularly not in the lower reaches of SL where clubs are just about turning over enough to keep their heads above water let alone invest in major infrastructure projects.

Can make light of it but you can't sit and bemoan Widnes getting the same "reward" for finishing 9th as Wakey will for 12th and then downplay a team not being rewarded promotion.



So because YOU personally don't think Leigh are any better than Wakey they shouldn't have a clearer path to getting promoted?



Me definitive statements? You keep telling us that Leigh are the exact same as Wakey like its fact when it's only your opinion. I asked for details of who were these youngsters the likes of Wakey played under franchising.....not hearing any names mentioned.



No they wouldn't be out of the bottom 4, doesn't mean they won't be well set to successfully navigate the middle 8's. Again you make it sound like finishing bottom 4 is certain relegation. The smartest odds would on the 4 SL clubs returning up.



It's what happened during franchising for the usual suspects even with no threat of relegation. If you can list me those many Wakey and HKR youngsters given runs in the team? Shouldn't they have a chunk of academy prospects in their first team from the last several years of non relegation comfort? Reality is the best youngsters will come from the usual suspects and I see the likes of Stevie Ward, Greenwood, George Williams and Bateman playing week in week out pushing for England call ups.



But you're comparing a team trying to make a splash to gain promotion against a side who apparently should've filled their team with academy lads by now.



Leigh aren't struggling to become a SL club, the system has denied them the chance. And again Leigh being a "struggling" club isn't fact, just your opinion.



If I said that we should never have had liscensing then you'd have a point. I actually agreed with liscensing and thought it was exactly what we needed. But that was then. For me it was never a permanent solution....just one we needed for a period of time. The sport has suffered because of it, you can't ignore the threads on this site with people becoming bored of the regular season. Should we let that continue just so we can carry on holding Wakefield's hand?

Opportunity cost is the real world - because all that is happening is a race to extinction. Look at Bradford they have a stadium that is eating up all their money. When do say this uneconomic to repair. Monies spent on repairing a relic that is no longer suitable for purpose and have no long term future could be invested much more wisely on a new infrastructure. That is the real not some fantasy boardroom game - businesses make these choices every day. Money is very cheap now plus the tax breaks are in place via capital allowances for SME's. The RL needs to get involved and find ways of accessing suitable funding for these projects.

This isn't just about revenue stream this is about having business premises that are fit for purpose.

RL doesn't generate the money it should because it is run by amateurs with a complete lack of vision for the sport. If it is so difficult to build a new - so impossible how come new stadium have been built at Warrington, Leigh, St Helens and Doncaster. Are you seriously suggesting Leeds would be incapable of sorting out a slightly bigger version of any of those grounds? They are owned by a builder for goodness sake.

One of the reasons that RL doesn't generate the revenue it does is because of the shabby way it presents itself. Yes it may be a chicken an egg but if something doesn't change and an appropriate vision adopted and implemented then the sport will cease to exist as we know it.

Will Widnes not get more home fixtures for finishing higher and home fixtures against their nearest rivals in terms of strength? I bet you weren't complaining when Leeds coasted through two seasons finishing fifth and still won the GF?

P+R didn't work in terms of developing the strength of junior development - more quality players young players have come through since franchising than did before.

You will always get the usual suspects bringing through the greater volume of young talent. They have access to a greater pool of talent to begin with. Law of averages suggests they have greater chances of developing talent in to first team players. You are a young kid you have a choice Wigan or Leigh? or Leeds or Wakefield?

One of the issues of franchising was the need to restrict the numbers of overseas players - forcing clubs to play home grown players - whilst ever there is a get out clubs will use it. Leeds have too many overseas players 6 of the forwards are overseas - Leeds could field a pack of overseas players. 7 overseas is to many for a side that prides itself on developing youth.

I can because 'reward' wasn't my argument. It was yours. It is your dissonance you are highlighting. Not mine.

No, I think if Leigh are better than Wakefield, they SHOULD be promoted and given a chance to actually make a good stab at it.

Again, another strawman. Im not holding up Wakefield as a club who did well under franchising but as one who has previously and is again struggling under P+R. Like many other clubs. Clubs who have done what was necessary under franchising, like Castleford, Les Catalans, Widnes, who finished bottom, who blooded players instead of panic buying have a long list of players who were given a shot. Not least last years man of steel.

Because they aren't going to take the risk. Because they aren't going to risk blooding players and giving them a shot, and going in to that season without experienced back up. That's why those sides have more overseas players and why the number as a whole has grown.

Do your own research. The number of overseas players at both clubs has gone up since the return to P+R
Yes, and this team team trying to get promoted are still lesser than a team which FAILING. What Wakefield have isn't good enough but it is better than where Leigh are right now. It will take time for Leigh to get where Wakefield are and even more time to overtake them. They don't have that time and their priority wont be to get there. That's why we will see them bring in players like Dayne Weston.

No, its fact. They don't have an academy. They don't have big crowds, they don't even have a big stadium, they have a side filled with players who have already failed at SL level.

Again, another straw man argument, Im not arguing Wakefield need to stay in, but if Wakefield or any other side want to grow in SL they need stability. Leigh will not become a true SL club under this system. Neither will any other club and we are losing some of the improvements made by clubs who were moving towards it.