There are not enough average players for 12 clubs never mind 14

The sport isnt doing badly with different teams in the finals, I think its just Wakefield who havent been to 'new' Wembley. Leigh-Rovers was a fresh final this year.

Cas, Salford and Catalans have also made the Grand Final in recent years, Its getting a different Grand Final winner that is proving a challenge.

I find it hard to believe that there are not enough talented sportsman in the UK to fill 14 squads. The problem is that they are not being brought into the sport of Rugby League.

Brian Carney (who played his first Super League game within a year of playing his first ever game of rugby league) stated in a recent podcast interview that the talent in this country is not being tapped into by lazy scouts. Too many are relying on 'the system' of bringing young players through academy systems, and not reaching out to talented sportsmen playing other sports, such as rugby union, at amateur level but are capable of better things.

I've definitely seen natural gifted sportsman playing amateur union who could be better than the likes of Olpherts if given the proper coaching and full time training. There is no reason we can't be converting these into professional rugby league players.

I've said before, this whole "there aren't enough players" thing is a self fulfilling prophecy. Every time we shrink our top flight we diminish the popular appeal, we harm players pathways. We should never have dropped from 14 and we are a poorer sport for having done so.

Totally agree, 14 teams should always be the target. It might not be instant but the other two teams will be full time and will bring with them more reach for the professional youth game through academies. You keep cutting and you’ll shrink down to size.

agreed, unfortunately its the same people who moan about the game going stale but then shoot down any idea with the same old excuses of not enough money and talent pool !!!!

the fans of rugby league will be it's death !!!

The fans don't make the decisions. It'd be naive to think that the RFL and the chairmen of the clubs even listen to the fans.

The lack of forward thinking and constant band-aid decisions is what is killing the sport. Take the voting to keep the league at 10 teams as an example - everyone knows it is ultimately the wrong decision, but everyone votes for it to make a quick buck. No matter how loudly the fans oppose it.

But in majority of other sports teams dominate

Barcelona/Real Spain
Bayern Germany
Man city last few years premiership

Djokovic dominating tennis pretty much now

The games dying. The Aussies have their little jizz fest in NSW and Queensland but apart from there the game is ant.

Fans who hate on Rugby League just for being Rugby League and for still having the essential characteristics and challenges its always had are so tedious.

Nail on head.
Just like the negotiations for the previous TV deal, BT sports (now TNT sports) were mentioned to try and persuade Sky to increase their offer, clearly, it didn't have much effect.
The real concern is that Sky now know that they can keep on repeating the deal at an ever lower rate.
Maybe we should see if Beaumont's mates have the funds to do what he threatened the other week, although it's very unlikely.

We could do worse than take advice from The NRL.

Should we take Degsey seriously enough? He did say that his 2 mates had more money falling out their ar$3 pockets than what Sly put in the whole 3 years.

It seems the draft gradings will be released this week

This thread is the typical attitude of it’s always someone else’s fault. It’s up to the clubs to build relationships with the communities they sit it, to market, to encourage fans to attend, to make it entertaining. As much as I don’t really like the bloke what DB has done with Leigh is the blue print.

We need the clubs to grab the sport by the balls and send it on an upward trajectory. What we have instead is a load of self perpetuating flat cappers with a few quid holding the game back.

This thread is the typical attitude of it’s always someone else’s fault. It’s up to the clubs to build relationships with the communities they sit it, to market, to encourage fans to attend, to make it entertaining. As much as I don’t really like the bloke what DB has done with Leigh is the blue print.

We need the clubs to grab the sport by the balls and send it on an upward trajectory. What we have instead is a load of self perpetuating flat cappers with a few quid holding the game back.

This I can agree with. But it all boils down to money, or lack of it. Marketing is expensive.



But being part of the community doesn't always guarantee everything else will be rosy. Take Castleford as an example - if you go to Cas, you'll see how widespread the support is, and how important it is the people of the town. Yet they are in financial trouble, leaking players, and have a ground that is falling apart around them.



I can't agree with that, though. Yes, he has bought success the past two years and gained some short term interest, but is it sustainable?

The more successful clubs in the competition, both on and off the pitch - think Wigan, Saints, and Leeds, don't follow his blue print of novelty cabaret acts, flamboyant owners hogging the limelight, or relying on spending a fortune building a team from 'mercenary' type players.

Other clubs that have in the past, such as Bradford Bulls, have found out the money suddenly dries up, the players and novelty acts go, and the fans follow. It just isn't a sustainable plan, nor original.

Cas are seeking to avoid financial trouble rather than being in it. They typically spend what they can afford, they don't have a particularly rich owner and they cut their cloth accordingly.

Time will tell. We are 2 years inside a 5 year plan, which to me, looks like we are on the right path. You should be worrying about when Leeds will ever find success again.

Lol. Leigh have won their first real bit of silverware in 50 years and they think their fans thibk they are a big succesful club. Bless.

Leeds have been $hit for a while now, and their fans still think they will be challenging for honours, and being a big club again. LOL. Bless!!

I don't think there is any Leeds fan that wouldn't agree we have been $hit for several years now. But even in those years of being $hit we have won a CC and got to a GF.

Give it a couple of years until your double glazing salesman owner will pull his money out again, and you'll be dropping back down the leagues. We won't be.

Leigh needed to do something to differentiate their image from Wigan, its odd that two rivals so close play in the same colour with Roman/Warrior themes, so its worked for them in a way it wouldent for most other teams in the league

But that isn't going to secure the long term future of the club, or even bring anymore success. When the wins stop coming, the fanbase will drop, unless other strategies are brought into place to stop that.

'Hull Sharks' and 'Wakefield Wildcats' saw a brief uptake in interest after their rebrands, but went back to their traditional names after the novelty wore off.

Once the expensive pre-match entertainment I'd dropped, will that affect the footfall? Possibly not, as I can't see many of target demographic of 18-35 year olds being big into bands like T'Pau.

I've no issue with what Leigh have done this year, but I don't see it as future-proofing the club, or having the long term impact people think it will.

Hull Sharks was never popular, not helped by us being completely skint and bottom of the league. But in Hull a name wasnt needed, if you say you are off to watch Hull its assumed you mean FC (with Football being City) and the black and white irregular hoops was already a strong design.

Newcastle Thunder about to go under it seems, wont be many clubs left to give a grading to at this rate