But... But we're the RFLs favourites. How could this happen.

Leigh the right choice for me. This isn't a 3 year license like before. Whoever got in had to be competitive from minute 1. Leigh best placed for that and have facilities to back it up.

Yeah, I can't see this choice shifting many more Sky subs. York or Toulouse yeah, Leigh? Not so much...

Bit boring though isn't it haha. I feel for the Toulouse club, in different circumstances they might have got the nod.
Having said that, this opens things up for them to have a good crack at gaining promotion the traditional way. Leigh clearly spent big on that squad and would have been up at the top of the championship table come season end.

They finished behind York and Toulouse last year?

York have had one good year in the championship, they played 4 lost 4 at the beginning of this year. They weren't ready.

Toulouse I agree, I think they were unlucky with timing with covid.

Could actually be last chance saloon for Leigh. This coming season is last one theirs guaranteed promotion. Leigh have to stay up against SL opposition to get a SL spot for 2022. Us and other championship clubs have to go against easer opposition and go up normal way. BUT there could be no promotion after this year leaving Leigh out in gold if they don’t stay up.

Guess this will shut conspiracy theorist up for a while, or they will move onto moaning about who’s paying for odsal repairs.

Are we better staying at Dewsbury for another year and saving a bit of cash?

Not the choice I'd have made, but a safe enough one, congrats to Leigh. But I'm just really glad its not us, we have a decent shot at the playoffs next season and hopefully a competitive season, Leigh are now removed from the championship so one less really good team to go against.....just need to sort out playing in Bradford now....

Lets not go back to Odsal. It has been a dump of a money pit and I don't see how things have changed.
Lets have that season at Dewsbury as we didn't get it this year.

Not the end of the world by any means. It will be an entertaining comp next year. Let's just hope supporters get to watch it in person.

Concerns remain for beyond 2021 but a year is a long time in Rugby League!!

Well, that’s put to bed now. Onwards upwards, looking forward to a good crack at championship next season.

I think that is unlikely as things stand.

For one thing, although we agreed a two year term with Dewsbury, the RFL only gave permission for one season, which we've had (sort of..) so it would need their approval, Which, given the recent developments (in the situation, that is, not the ground, as yet) would be unlikely as we seem to be a key part of the move by Startrax and the RFL.

No-one could ever say that being a Bulls' fan was boring.

Congratulations to Leigh. Looks the strongest squad on paper to have gone up and just signed Flower and Sidlow.

Whilst we weren't successful has this just energised our pre-season, got the club back to Bradford and significantly weakened the Championship?

Don't really see what benefit of staying at Dewsbury another year would be.

We need to be in Bradford or our support is going to drift away. One year at Dewsbury was borderline palatable but its not a a long-term solution. Not saying Odsal is either but if we can get costs down to a manageable level then its best option we have at moment. Horsfall's too small and VP's too expensive plus we miss out on corporate takings entirely..

Big expenses at Odsal were maintenance and business rates which will both be split with stock cars now. From memory of figures bandied around there wasn't a massive difference in rent between Odsal and Dewsbury. At least at Odsal we get to keep all the bar and corporate takings, whereas we had to give Dewsbury a split this year. I'd guess with those factors taken into consideration financially there isn't much difference between Odsal and Dewsbury.

I wonder too. All the bile and jibes aimed at us, I wonder how much it will galvanise the squad. We've the best motivator in charge too. I think we've a good squad, not the best, but a good squad who looked impressive before this season was cut short. If JK can get an "us against the world" type attitude, and aiming to shut up some of the twitter gob$h1t3 cowards, I think we can have a real crack next year.

Despite dodging a bullet in the SL beauty contest. The pantomime season has started with the ongoing Odsal saga, The way forward to getting the Bulls back to Odsal is looking decidedly amateurish and rushed, still despite that there is a modicum of hope that Odsal can become a reasonably functioning stadium again even if there will be an atmosphere of burnt oil and petrol in the air!

My take on things is this: by missing out on SL we have been given a years grace to get Odsal (together with our partners) into some sort of shape ready for 2022 franchise application.

Our 'problem' has always been the lack of any serious money behind us. Until that problem has a solution I don't think we have any chance of SL. As things stand, the money we actually have is likely disappear down the 'Odsal plughole' which, IIRC was the reason we left for Dewsbury in the first place.

I really don't want to be pessimistic but I really can't understand just how things are stacking up for SL right now. For sure we will have some help in plugging the Odsal moneyhole but the costs of attracting an SL side are going to be down to us and without some semi serious finance behind us I can't quite square that particular circle on that right now.

You are correct about the money. Is there a club in SL that doesn't have a sugar-daddy. I don't think Salford do but they had all their debts written off by Koukash

This.

With Leigh going up (Congratulations to them) and the addition of Newcastle IMHO the Championship will be the division to watch on the basis that it is likely be more competitive than SL. Toulouse look particularly strong but anyone turning up not switched on has a decent chance of being turned over, really looking forward to it.

Their last set of accounts (to end Jan 2020) show them to have £3.8m of debt despite MK writing off that owed to him (£5.4m) during the year ending Jan 2019.

Wakefield don't. Not sure what the deal is with Hull KR now once Hudgell is gone.
Salford don't either. Koukash didn't pay them all off either btw. Instead, the club avoided any punishment for entering administration (like we did) by agreeing to pay off all creditors via a CVA. Except they never actually bothered to pay them all back, which is why super league then decided to dish out their punishment in this season just gone. Once Salford's season was effectively over and so the punishment had absolutely zero effect on the club whatsoever.

But, you know. I'm not bitter or anything

The stability of Wakefield doesn't make any sense to me. Congratulations to them for it but they have no sugar-daddy and are playing in a crumbling stadium so it would be good if Mr Carter and his colleagues ran a seminar for the rest of us on how the hell they are doing it.

yep it baffles me too, when I was down there helping out with the stadium barrier repairs and then using the unit in the corner brewing there was times when I sat with Chris and we discussed areas of saving, one of the biggest was the utilities saving on electric and water, staff wages does help and there's a little army of workers pecking away and repairs too all volentary but given tickets for the game and they do earn them too.
at the time emley football club was playing there and used to leave power on so they they got kicked out.
evening games the floodlights lights bar a couple near the changing rooms was turned off when it was seen that the stadium was empty, many a time I got caught out bringing casks back from the north stand
he always said you look after your pennies the pounds will come later.
when he was interested in bradford a few yrs back you missed out on someone who would of shown you the thrifty way to do it.

Yup, respect where it's due mate.