So last years champions play 2 games over the weekend or does the team set to play the champions have the week off?

The RFL for all their faults have continued to show on a regular baiss that they embrace change and lead where other follow, your arguement is flawed. The game is spread far and wide. The armchair supporters across the UK prove what a great product we have.

Because Easter is so close to MM I can understand the overkill, but we'd all be moaning if Sky showed one game a week.

The only issue I have with MM is that it's not derbies as I think that is what gives the magic weekend its magic. I'll go this year and enjoy it the same as every other time I've been to big RL events.

The answer is in the post you have just quoted.

undoubtedly the aussies would need A LOT of convincing. but if the nrl champions could start their season a week early like the sl champions do at the minute, then it could be worked out.

whatever happens tho, the magic weekend needs to have some added importance than just being a regular round of games.

nope. no one needs to have a week off. E.g. this season say st helens and brisbane are each league's respective champions. then those two would face off in the world club challenge as the last game of the magic weekend.

that leaves 13 super league clubs. 12 of those clubs would then make up 6 fixtures for the weekend with a random draw deciding who plays who. the 13th club, say for arguments sake is the celtic crusaders. they would then play the national league grand final winners in a special challenge match. this then gives some national league representation at the magic weekend.

I am still waiting for these subsidised tickets to appear. i live in hope.

If the ticket sales reports are correct, they'll be handing them out for nothing shortly!

Based on what? I'm pretty sure the reports I've read is that we've sold more than Cardiff.

yep, the Times is reporting that 4k have been sold to the Jockos which is more than the number sold to Taffies last year.

a full 4k? well i won't get too excited then

Yes. It makes sense. They already have SL down there, so move on somewhere that doesn't.


When else could they schedule it? The tourist boards that bid for the event will want it on a bank holiday weekend as to get people down for the event and stay (hence them making money, and us making money off them). The only other bank holiday weekend would coincide with the play-offs in football, wouldn't it? Summer BH is CCF. Easter is filled. So when?


Full price? Season ticket holders get 50% off at most clubs don't they? Yeah, full price.




What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Do you want it on BBC or something? Do they have the rights to SL? Er... no.


I'm pretty sure they have plans for this, otherwise they wouldn't hold it there, surely? A lot of work will need to be done on the pitch during every interval, that's for sure. But you never know until it's tried, and they're confident it can be pulled off obviously otherwise they wouldn't have scheduled it.


If you want teams to play each other home and away, that means dropping TMW, no? Dropping the extra game that you can't or don't want to go to. What difference does that make to you?

Unless you mean you want it to be like it was before with the extra home and away game to make 28 rounds? Still odd fixtures, and extra games for the players who we should think about...

Or maybe you ARE thinking of the players, and think they are playing too many games. Well that's fine, but unless they're willing to take a pay cut due to loss of revenue (as this is worth one home game's revenue to each club) then they should stop whinging.


A bit of advice to the persistent moaners out there: if you don't like something, think about a decent alternative before whinging about it. By doing this, you might understand more WHY what is happening is happening. Whinging achieves nothing. And James Graham's alternatives are flawed and should be scrutinised by the media that publishes them, not highlighted. Only then will players learn to keep their stupid mouths shut on ill-thought plans that isn't their job to do!

What did you expect compared to last year? Or are you just ripping into something for the sake of it?

I think they are doing an Edinburgh Marathon on the Sunday....great planning by the RFL.
Another thing the RFL have organised some coaching for the kids in Scotland and the location is in Glasgow not Edinburgh where the action is the RFL are absolutley clueless.
If they get less than 60 000 over the magic weekend can we regard it as a failure.

Who the hell are WE?
The RFL are a business and unless you have a better idea that you can sell them, I would suggest you zip it. If the RFL make money or not, you are not a share holder so it really has SFA to do with you. Just because a player has said something, doesn't make it right.
If this is simple another "it wasn't done in 1901, so why do it now" knuckle dragging post...then it explains why the RFL want to expand the game.
It's supposed to be a fun weekend with 60,000 odd fans enjoying a fun atmosphere. I take it from your posts that you won't be attending, which should make it more enjoyable for everyone else

Yes he does ,yes they will

But I do have a free speech opinion and most of my observations are factual. My rant is that we have some fantastic home grown players that are flogged to death by RFL mis planning.
We have coaches that complain about refs the past 2 seasons but the RFL do not allow any pathway to compromise.
We have die hard supporters who are taken for a ride by the RFL.

When the likes of Peacock, Graham and Gleeson say theres to many games then the RFL have got to listen.
We had thw world cup fiasco thats been swept under the carpet.

Rugby League is a great professional sport run by amateurs or at best part time so be professionals.

If you ask if I could do any better, my answer would be I couldn,t do any worse.

Got out of the wrong side of the bed did we?

celtic were hardly pullin up trees!!!! They came from somewhat obscurity to SL in absolutely no time!!!! given the time and chance to build a side, like le catalan and celtic, cumbra could put together a SL side. It always seems like that area has been out of favor with the RFL - which is a shame. Dont forget, SL has been played in cumbria before....!



If a cumbrian set up was considered, perhaps it should be a 'Cumbria and North East'...to include the cumbrian areas, Newcastle, Boro etc....whilst soccer is on the downturn up there it could be a fantastic chance for the RFL have another go with RL....ok, the gatehead thing fell on its backside, but so did PSG all those years ago...and French RL is now stronger than ever! There are plenty of stadia in the area where games can be played

I think some people are a little blinkered when it comes to Cumbria and the north east in general. Im not saying the game shouldnt be promoted in scotland, but in cumbria and the north east, the foundations are already there.

They could have a team in the next lot of franchises, they won't though. They will never get it together unless the three teams agree on a combined team playing in SL, there isn't enough support for a single team as Workington found out.




And name me a soccer team that will allow seven games of RL to be played on their pitch over the space of two days at the pointy end of their season...

I think you have got some good points there, Cumbria already have the seeds planted there and the North East is sports mad. Also they are not all that far away from the superleague heartland.
It took 21 years for "London" to get into professional status, Cumbria and the North East would probably only take about 5 years with the correct marketing and development.
The RFL should also look at the midland areas, Im sure there are are 2 amateur leagues operating there around the Dudley-Wolverhampton areas.

Graham's concern over player burnout is very fair. English test players are all overburdened by an excessive schedule list where they play on average 5 more games a season than NRL players, and then get blamed when they lose test series and tournaments. Unfortunately the players get the blame icon_rolleyes.gif , yet the major flaws in the schedule list remain.

One solution is this - hold next year's Magic Weekend in Paris. Play the England/France test then - i.e. not in a Mediterranean summer, nor in France's off season icon_idea.gif . As a curtain raiser, hold a Nines weekend featuring the SL clubs (minus their test players) and some emerging nations.

It's a myth that one. The North East is football mad.

Sir John Hall failed with his 'Newcastle United Sporting Club' idea...while the barcode fans come across as muppets, he couldn't convince them that ice hockey, basketball and union was worth their time and money.

So, putting aside that the time spent on the Magic weekend makes money, what exactly in Cumbria should we be spending time and money on?



So no problem then. It is a spectator sport and they are paid to entertain us. If playing in Edinburgh was dangerous they would have a point, but if f they just want to be able to play the game at their own convenience then I am sure they are many amateur clubs who would be happy to let them.



Crikey. When you put it like that, it really does put it into stark contrast. And I thought soccer fans had it tough when every year they hope that their teams will fail to qualify to play in Europe.

Michael.

There was some crazy talk of a soccer European Champions League at one point, but I believe it was rightly laughed out of court when the players' rep expertly advised that if you added such a comp on to the Premier League, FA Cup, internationals etc. all the poor loves would "burn out".

As for the risible plan of travelling for games in places as far afield as France, there and back in mid-week, well, you only have to say it to know how absurd a plan it was.

And apart from all that, if (say) Chelsea were to play (say) Barcelona on some random wet Tuesday, it is stating the obvious that not a single fan would travel, the game would be playd in an empty stadium.

You have to wonder at the mentality of the people who come up with these weird plans. No, a maximum of 5 games a year, against teams no more than 20 miles away, [ithat's[/i how you'll get quality.

I think he is on to something you know.

I mean, why would you want to take the game to a new area? Why would you want to promote the competition in a place that hopefully one day will have its own team?


I say we stop this rubbish and get back to the way it should be! Play St Helens vs Wigan 15 times a year, don't take the game to new areas, we want more Castleford vs Wakefield damn it!


Sure, sure, the growing profile of the game and the money that flows through the sport from these new areas pays for the wages of players like Graham, who would probably be digging ditches of he couldn't play footy, but all that is beside the point!


What we need to is contract the sport entirely. I have to say, I'm a bit annoyed that we went beyond the limits of Huddersfield 113 years ago. What was wrong with just playing exhibition games in the field next to the George Hotel, thats all we really need.


So yeah, Graham is right. Stuff Magic Weekend. Its all just a waste of time that generates money, exposure, that opens doors and helps the game grow.


I for one want all that to end!