This time next week, bottoms will be twitching up and down Rugby League land as the RFL announces who has been successful in securing a Super League licence for 2009-2011. Looking at other teams boards, and, in particular, those who are close but not certain to either getting one or not, paranoia is setting in as the date moves closer.

Assuming the incumbents get in:

Wire - Saints - Wigan - Leeds - Bradford - Catalan - Huddersfield - Quins - Hull FC - Hull KR - Wakefield - Castleford

Who do you reckon will get the other spots? Surely 2 from 3:

Salford - widnes - Celtic

I'd go for Salford and widnes. Just. But I could be swayed. I'd be interested to hear from some of our more famous forumistas

Wire 71 - will his egalitarian tendencies affect his judgment?
WOTT - is it all just bandwagon jumping?
Sally - can he give a straight answer or do we have to believe the opposite of what he posts?
Cockney - will his 30k a year IT mean he plumps for the rich french team?
St Maca - is he gay?*

What do people reckon?

*probably. And fair play to him for that.

A week ago I'd have said Celtic and Salford. I now think Widnes will force out Celtic. I'd like it to be Fax and Fev.

Wire
Leeds
Saints
Wigan
Bulls
Hull
HKR
Cats
Quins
Huddersfield
Wakey
Widnes
Celtic
Salfrod

Cas to miss out on basis of (a) poor ground with no redevlopment plans concrete & (b) what they have brought to the comp in recent years - think Wakey just edge above them in stakes of being competitive in last 5 years.

Great stuff

I'd like to find a way to get Celtic in but I can't justify leaving Salford or widnes out to let them in. Yet.

Having said that, widnes' insolvency will count against them and the apparent uncertainty surrounding Salford's ground (real or imagined, but there are some confusing messages knocking about) may hamper them.

Who's in then? Colours to the mast time.*

*about franchises, not St Maca

i dont care aslong as celtic dont get in that would just prove what a joke the rfl are

The one's we have at the moment plus Widnes and Salford.

That's what the neanderthals said about Catalan.

Everyone already in Super League will get a franchise and it's most likely to be Salford and Widnes.

true but still it shouldnt happen

its a bad decision to go to 14 teams, if we are going to beat the Aussies we need a higher quality competition, not diluting the comp by adding two extra teams to lounge around the bottom of the table, but I could be wrong maybe Salford and Widnes coming back will give us the extra edge we need to make SL like the NRL

I don't think all twelve current SL clubs are secure in their bids, and I expect at least one (if I had to bet my money would be on Cas) to miss out. This would leave three spare places, one of which I believe will go to South Wales leaving two places up for grabs.

IMO Edinburgh Magic Fixtures to be...

Wigan - Saints
Hull - Hull KR
Leeds - Bradford
Wire - Wierdness
Huddersfield - Wakefield
London - Catalan
Salford - Celtic Crusaders

Change of structure to fixtures next year ... no derbies ... 7 teams seeded and then the other 7 drawn out of a hat to see who plays them.

It's highly unlikely that any current SL club will be dropped and the Magic fixtures aren't going to be derbies but based on final league position.

Salford and Widnes would be the best for Warrington. Therefore they get my vote.

I would prefer it to be Salford and Widnes, Celtic in 2012.

I have a funny feeling HKR may miss out. wakey and cas will scrape through i think. wakey have been ok on the field recently, and i think this will drag them thru. cas have some of the brightest young talent coming thru, and they are in line to sort the stadium out, so this will drag them thru. HKR have done neither of these. they do get big crowds but they need to sort the ground out big time. will be interesting to see the results of why, if some super league clubs don't get a licence, as there could be a lot of very disgruntled fans if it doesn't go their way

Think your pretty much spot on there


And hopefully got next seasons league positions right as well

Correct



Wires71 - He will take apart any franchise application and pick out the incorrect bits

WOTT - He'll know the franchisees weeks before anyone else, he probably already does

Sally - He'll claim that he has no idea what a franchise is and Warrior Girl will fall for it

Cockney - As with my own future plans, I'm going with the non-traditional route and saying Celtic will get in over Cas

St Maca - If he isn't, he should be.

I think he just likes to pleasure himself

Didn't Cas get the green light to build a new stadium?

Bit of a Catch-22 the applications for mine.

Salford appear to have all the right ingredients for mine, sitting pretty league wise, stadium on the go, a sound business.

Widnes, ditto with one massive difference, two insolvencies in three years. Granted, people will cite different ownership, but I imagine it is the same management team.


The fortunate thing for Widnes is, it has come a little too soon for Celtic, if this was two or three years in the future, it would be the Crusaders making up the fourteen.

St Maca and Frank Lampard are one and the same. Draw your own conclusion.....................................

I think it is going to be Salford and Celtic that end up joining the party.

As a few people have eluded to, I think that Widnes' past troubles with insolvency might see them miss out.

I would love to see all three back up in the big time, at the expense of someone like Wakefield, but I can't see the RFL saying to one of the current SL teams, "You're out. Bye."

Whoever doesn't get one, will surely be the front runners to get one in 2012 however.

We want our derby back!

I reckon Cas will be dropped, from a selfish point of view I would then like Salford Widnes and Leigh to get the 3 spots, but reckon 1 will lose out to Celtic.