Spot on. And I think we all know the answer to the last question. Then we can all go back to bitching about over the hill Aussie imports, and the whole debate about whether 14 teams should go back to 12 teams can start again.

This rumour has been doing the rounds for a while now possibly a year.

I see were you are coming from and kind of agree, 14 teams home away, no magic weekend straight 26 games 6 team playoff for me, one up one down, but promotion is based on licensing, you must bring something to the top table, and any side in super league regardless of league position can be relegated if they are not ticking the 3 main boxes, attendance, stadium, player development. all super league clubs should also me able to demonstrate self funding, tv revenue should be icing on the cake not reliant on this.

Can someone let me know when this fake idiot is off here...Bye

So as a club you've failed miserably throughout your history to be a genuine top side so now your only option is to play the franchise card. You really are a sad little pretender club with delusions of grandure.

You want our spot in SL win it like men in the pitch rather than being a cowardly sneak thief.

In fairness though you are a mirror to the game - totally lacking in morals and flushed with self interest.

Please don't come on here bleating like you lot always do when your spot goes to some club in the good old USA because their franchise was better than yours and that the Wigan area already has a much bigger and better club in SL - think on.

Maybe I should have added decision imminent.

It is just a wind up pr1ck, IT should be banned from RLFANS.....

Might be missing something here but you ask a question and I provide a polite reply, try it someday instead of the childish abusive sheite your thick gob spouts

very constructive, I feel much wiser now

THat looks ok on a piece of paper but, ultimately you will end up with clubs that cant perform on the pitch being protected because they have shiney seats.Remember Sheffield or, is that Huddersfield ?
Apart from Wigan, Hull FC, Wire Leeds and Saints, the rest of SL would have to go, as they all fail to tick one of your boxes.
Just like in football, TV funding is the bread and butter of most clubs income and a long way from being icing or cherries on the top of the cake and it's ok to say, let's relegate certain clubs but, who are you going to replace them with.

There would be a major issue with replacing ANY club with another club say, from the championship, that may have been getting 3/4000 fans for their home games but promising to get 10,000 if they get into SL.
Not having a pop at Leigh, as they certainly deserved their shot in SL but, due to the huge step up from the Championship, it could be argued that they offered less to the comp than the relegated club, KR.

Promotion and relegation have to be decided on the field of play and not by men in suits who can fix the criteria to progress their own agenda.

THe problem with RL is that there is no fecking plan and the sport continues to stumble along, looking for innovative ideas, which they dont stick with for anything like long enough.

Anyone with half a brain could see that cutting the numbers in SL from 14 to 12, was wrong and low and behold, 4 years later the talk is of needing 14 clubs in the top flight.



Also, IF the sport is keen to expand, the current 3 x 8 system is quite ridiculous.

Again, as Leigh found this season, getting to SL is only the start of the battle and with the current system, ANY promoted club will inevitably end up in the "qualifiers" and in real danger of facing the drop the following season.

It does look like another knee-jerk reaction from our beloved leadership team.

Has anyone ever seen a long term plan from the RFL to improve the game - I sure as hell haven't. It's time we appointed someone who could actually lead this sport forward and not just jump from one hair-brained scheme to the next every couple of years.

If 14 teams is the way forward then show us the long term plan that puts a structure in place that allows rugby league to develop and expand. Sadly I won't be holding my breath as I don't believe that it will ever appear under the current regime.

Stay on topic.

You casually consign two clubs to possible oblivion based on franchise to make way for you, yet you don't see anything wrong in that. Someone does it back and you're offended, love the hipocrisy I really do.

Wouldn't be quite so ludicrous if it weren't for tha fact that Salfords ground is every bit as good as yours. Whilst Wakefields structure and finances are some of the best around. So good in fact that we have been able to reinstate a reserve team.

Won't even mention where we ended last season compared to you. Call me old fashioned but isn't that the criteria that really count - if not then I'm out.

PS you do realise one of the clubs you mentioned doesn't exist. Also not convinced you'd win a franchise. In a world of international big city clubs do you seriously think there is a space for a small town like Leigh? You have a tidy little ground and that's it - that mate is not enough - you have been warned.

14 clubs is perfect for me it makes the top 8 more applicable, currently the split of 8 through and 4 not is a bit of a joke.

Is it another draw bridge moment or are we still keeping P&R?

Why would anyone want rid of relegation and promotion. Its sport its what happens. Fair enough 14 teams in sl but the 2 should get these places need to be top 2 of the championship not just given to Toronto and Toulouse.

We had this franchiseing crap before which as ruined the game in the uk. A straight one up one down works fine the middle 8s worked fine and was enjoyable for all in the championship to have a shot at the sl teams. On top of that brings revenue in to these teams who are trying to build. If Halifax had not made the middle 8 this year we would of been stuffed as we struggled financially and made cut backs. Halifax Are one of the few teams with a good jounir setup unlike most he sl clubs who would rather spend money on ausies etc rather than develop local talent yet complain we can not beat the ausies.

If we need to add two teams to sl then league leader should be promoted then 2nd to 5th in play offs for a final

Then after that 14th from sl relegated each year with 1st promoted followed by a playoff system for the next spot with 13th 2nd 3rd 4th 5th and 6th

again a final at a neutral venue

Not hard to make it more attractive at all and plenty to play for each season

There must be an open an honest P&R system between the leagues. At the very least it should be one up one down.

Open and honest, a concept not even on the radar of those at HQ.
The best we could do is to set minimum criteria and then let our SPORT decide the winners and losers on the field of play.
Once the "suits" get involved, it just looks grubby and verging on corrupt.

The fact that the RFL still hold the lease at Odsal, means that the starting point is already clouded.

And there does need to be some scope for either promotion /relegation or, adding to the numbers in the top flight, something that was ill thought out last time.
Although the current structure has plenty of flaws, at least P/R is decided on a game of RL and not in some smoke filled room (metaphor only).

Agree 100%.

I agree there needs to be a mechanism for on field performance to see a team promoted to SL, but think we need to protect clubs who are currently integral to the sport, given how fragile we are. I don't think it is in our best interests to allow Leeds/Warrington/Catalans (all of which have appeared in the qualifiers) to be relegated on the back of one bad season. We are too fragile to be blaze about the success of our few strong clubs.

My proposal would be to go to 14 and offer protection to clubs who are integral to the success/development of the sport (for me that's currently Catalans, Hull FC, Leeds, St Helens, Toronto, Toulouse, Warrington and Wigan) on the basis they maintain good crowds, run an academy, play in a good stadium etc. Then have a million pound game (or two legs) between the lowest placed non-protected club and the winner of the Championship. I know non-protected teams would moan, but I think that is a good system to protect our best assets whilst rewarding success on the field. We also get a Championship final that way, which may bring in a quid or two.

I don't like the idea of "protected" teams as that suddenly leaves yourself open to accusations of bias. The only protection if there has to be any should be for 1 year for the club just promoted.

The rest shouldn't get an excuse to coast. Development sides shouldn't just be in SL on the back of work done in other areas either. For example I wouldn't admit Toronto until they have a proper junior set up or they are just going to use the existing player pool. Same applies to any SL club without an academy.

Hence the conditions I proposed in terms of having an academy, good crowds etc. There is no bias, as all teams could be allowed to take advantage of protection if they can meet the set criteria. Every three years, review the criteria in order to hopefully push up standards. Agree regarding Toronto having an academy, they need to at least be incentivised to do that, if not forced. If a club is 'coasting' on the pitch but is getting good crowds, developing players, has a good ground etc. I'm OK with them staying in SL to be honest.

Your obsession with the Leigh Centurions is pathetic....is your ex boyfriend a Leigh fan by any chance ?

On the subject of a Toronto academy, where would you want this to be based ?
If it were in Toronto, everyone would moan that the costs of playing over there would be too much (and they probably would).
However, if it were based in England (which would probably be sensible) the very same people would moan that they weren't a Canadian club.
THey do need to find a way of developing their own talent, which would be key for any long term strategy.
However, this really does need thinking through.
The cries of expansion clubs "must start in league 1" have been made to look stupid, as any full time outfit regardless of their geographic location and with money in their pocket, will make a mockery of that league and it could be argued that their inclusion actually robbed Whitehaven or Barrow of a place in the Championship.

Toronto u20 team could play in the USARL. It's not a great standard I know, but it may help to raise the standards with a team being coached full time.