Doesn't mean we give up though. Soccer could be bankrupt any day now. TV deals could fall through, sponsors pull out. Nothing is in concrete.

Armchair spectators who want expansion everywhere will be the death of the game.

Do you realise just how contradictory and ridiculous your statement is ?

Every pro sport in the world, with the possible exception of American Football, has bigger clubs and "minnows" and some of the great sporting moments are made up of "David v Goliath", with the small guy/team prevailing.
Thankfully every club is different, which is just how it should be.
Whether we like it or not, in RL there are 4/5 "big clubs" and the rest, like it or not, make up the numbers.
In recent seasons, we have seen Caslteford, in spite of their "traditional" ground, break into the top 4 and in some style as well.
Should we jettison them from the top flight because of their facilities or, sit back and enjoy the "product" they are serving up on the field of play ?
We have a salary cap in RL to try and level the playing field, which, rather ironically, came about due to the massive overspending by Wigan (and one or two others) and without Maurice. Lindsay brokering the plan for summer rugby, with investment from Sky TV, the game could have disappeared as a pro sport and whilst "we" have tried to pretend RL is a mainstream sport, the reality is somewhat different.
The sport blighted by the play station generation (just as many other sports are at junior level), is struggling like hell to encourage youngsters to want to get off their backsides and participate and yet, rather than invest more heavily in the grassroots of the game, those at the helm believe that we are better placed, chasing rainbows in a non RL playing nation.
IF we were doing this from a position of strength, maybe, it would make sense but, what we are actually doing is spreading what little resource and energy we have ever more thinly
The domestic game is dying on it's backside and yet it seems that may "fans" of the sport would be happy to see Salford, Leigh, Widnes or Wakefield go to the wall, as long as we have Toronto, a club without any RL roots whatsoever, playing in SL.
If JK Rowling had scripted this, we would say she was bonkers.

If any business is failing, usually the first course of action is to consolidate your asserts, control spending and work out the best way forward.
Has anyone noticed this happening within our sport, not on your life

Quite possibly. The problem is our minnows are swimming in the same pond as the bigger clubs! Leeds, Wigan, Saints, Hull FC, Warrington and to a lesser extent Catalans and Castleford are being held back by the likes of Wakey, Salford and Widnes who between them have fewer fans than Leeds on their own.......the romance of the cup is fine, but the top tier is no place for sides limping along surviving hand to mouth.

You must explain how clubs "like Wakefield" are holding the others back.
Apart from taking a slice of the Sky cake, I would suggest that "clubs like Wakefield" actually help the bigger clubs.

Cant compete for the bigger names, easy points every season

, the bigger clubs plundering their best talent (both at junior and senior level), I really wish we could hold them back.

One of the many reasons why the smaller clubs cant grow, is because they cant compete monetarily and the likes of Leeds and Wigan mop up all the young talent

Perhaps you are advocating a 6 club SL where the sky cash is shared between just a few clubs and they can play with themselves every other week, now, that would make great TV.

Do Man City, Man United etc ever suggest that Burnley or Huddersfield are holding them back.

Wakey v Huddersfield version 5.0 is soon to be upon us......the 2 regular season games and the cup tie averaged 4,127 in attendance per game.
By Contrast, Wigan Wire averaged 11,824......just 557 fewer than 3 games in their entirety.

Wakey, Widnes, Salford.......they treat survival as a victory and I'd rather take a punt on some dodgy mancanadians getting the sky cash than carry on feeding the needy and pointless clubs.

As I say. I have no idea of Toronto or any other pipe-dream club is the answer, but I'd prefer not to die wondering.

Do you know what I wish us "needy and pointless clubs" would fu*k off then we can have the other 5/6 clubs play each other 10 times a season, and the other positive is we wouldn't have to listen to your constant drivel.

Bless.....did I hit a nerve?

I know discussing "fans" is a sore point given your team's lack of any supporters, but it is the point of this thread. 30,236 paying customers at 11 games the AJB this year,. That's only 7k more than Leeds got for 1 game v Castleford....are you London in disguise?
There is an irony in a London supporter being able to call into question the existence of clubs based purely on their lack of support......I mean it's not like we were ever subjected to 2 decades of "what do you bring" or "did you come in a taxi". London had averages better than those posted by Wakey, Salford and Widnes in their time in SL......and we're now at the right level playing with local players and with a youth set-up delivering the goods. The whining from certain quarters in this thread reminds me of a drug addict explaining why they take drugs.........and why they need to keep taking them. The reality is that London "kicked the SKY cash" habit in 2014 and we're better for it........sooner the week and needy clubs do the same the competition will be better....

Yes statto you did your constant drivel is beyond boring, wtf did New Zealand do to deserve you. BTW your not an RL fan your constant misery is unbearable all you want to do is knock the sport.

I believe that the bits in Bold are prerequisites to being a fan of Rugby League

I thought your beloved London Broncos are a Rugby League club Barnaby. therefore you must suffer the angst too?

is english not your first language?

QUE?

The poor chap from Salford pointed out that I wasn't a RL fan because of my misery and downer on the sport.......I simply implied that my misery and downer made me the normal RL fan.
London Broncos are still the first result I look for on a Monday morning here, but I'm usually already depressed by the previous days shenanigans from the Auckland Warriors, who currently have the consistency of water......

We all have our crosses to bear. I thought the Warriors were being bought out?

Oh dear......seems like the semi-final may have sold out......oooops

oooooops.....

The double header would be an even better event with another English based side their IMO. Would create some atmosphere it does seem like Warrington will be the best supported there. Leeds haven't sold as many as previous semis have they?

Im pleased that it has "sold" out, really.
Weather looks set fair, some decent rugby on show (hopefully) and tickets for next to nowt

So the thread is pretty pointless now then.......but at least you've received an answer to your original question....


...you're missing something.

Perhaps the RFL should open a Pound Shop....

Where everything is 50p?

Haha yes.

Catalans will be the best supported there as they’ll have three sets of fans!