The official version www.leighcenturions.com/news/178 The key bits for me are "4. All Players will be under the age of 23 on 31st August 2012." "What the Partnership is not About 1. Removing the identity or credibility of either club. 2. A one sided approach to the allocation of Super League players within the championship environment 3. The De Registration of Contracted Players to enable competitive opportunities for designated players. 4. Providing a short term environment for returning Super League Players." All in all I am happy with how it has turned out.

The official version www.leighcenturions.com/news/178 The key bits for me are "4. All Players will be under the age of 23 on 31st August 2012." "What the Partnership is not About 1. Removing the identity or credibility of either club. 2. A one sided approach to the allocation of Super League players within the championship environment 3. The De Registration of Contracted Players to enable competitive opportunities for designated players. 4. Providing a short term environment for returning Super League Players." All in all I am happy with how it has turned out.

I will wait and see how this develops, it may be the drip approach.

No different to what we have done for last 3/4 seasons imo, and I fully expect Fev, Fax & Sheff to sign up to this version of partnership with a super league club as it exactly as the proposal these clubs are trying to get all championship clubs to sign upto.

I agree - it appears that this agreement was directly modeled on the memorandum of understanding we produced with Fev, Fax and Sheff to show what can be achieved whilst still keeping an independent identity.

This is how dual reg should be used, and I don't think anyone really has any issues with it in this capacity.

I still don't think we'll join up with one SL club in particular, Tubbs has already made it clear he only intends on making loan signings rather than dual reg ones (subtle differences) as with Ben Gledhill who has just joined from Salford.

I'll wait and see how it pans out.

If Fax signed up to a partnership with a SL club I wouldn stop going to the games.

In addition to that, I can't imagine Fax doing it as there aren't any more clubs to link up with are they?

Its now official

"We are a small town in Wigan, their bitches and feeder club"

This is the small end of the wedge, I thought the ever Truthful we are transparent Mr Trevor Barton said this would not happen?

Well done Trev I am sure this is going to encourage even more fans like your Fantastic Friday Night Games to come and watch Leigh, opps sorry my mistake Wigan A Team!

IMO This is the worst thing the club has ever done especially with the history between the clubs and towns we must be out of our minds signing up to this!

What happened to our own identity and bringing on our own young talent why the hell do we need Wigan to help us do this? It makes no sense at all!!!!

So you don't think that Jake Emmitt, Matty Blythe, James Laithwaite etc played their hearts out for this club despite being D/C?

Should we refuse to have Tom Spencer in the team?

Are Bob Beswick, Martin Aspinwall and Andy Thornley not welcome here because they originally came from the Wigan set up?

The dual contract concept has proven very good for us in the past and my concern was the use of the new system to give game time to established SL pros.

As written I am happy with the structure. If it appears to be abused in future I can reconsider.

It keeps referring to mutual benefits - can someone please tell me what the benefits are to Leigh Centurions RLFC?

Its cheap for players

On Premier Sports last night Paul Rowley stated that Leigh had been in a partnership with Wigan for about 18 months. And to think there were some slagging off other clubs long before any memorandum of association was thought of!!!!

It clearly is another step towards becoming a feeder club. No matter how much spin some want to attach to it.

We simply do not need to jump into bed with Wigan or any other club at all as the club is sitting on a hot bed of local junior talent.

We have a current pathway for the likes of Hopkins and Ridyard to prosper to first team Leigh RL and beyond (As Hill and countless others have done) and for the like's of Josh Ward to continue to do so via our under 20's.

This type of formal partnership is not only fully loaded in the SL clubs favour it is also potentially damaging to the long term future of this club IMO.

It has possibly knocked another 200 off the gate for Workington on Easter Monday. (Congratulations on that. Please do not ask the current fans for any more money)

I sincerely hope the current custodians are fully aware of the implications of what they are doing here and that there will actually still be a Leigh RLFC in existence for future custodians to restore to an independant, stand alone and PROUD club.

I'm really not sure I can be bothered with the game anymore.

Good grief folks get a grip !why do some always see the worst in what the club do ,they have stated it is NOT for SL players to gain match fitness.

Surely the thing to do is see if we suddenly start to load the team with Wigan players and react accordingly, rather than assuming this will be the case.

If that happens I will join you in walking away but if in fact it works just like last year and the year before then I am happy to go with it for now.

We have also been in a partnership with LSV, Council, sponsors, fans, bin men etc Wigan too one of our young prospects last year into their academy because we were not allowed to run a 18/19's, Widnes took one also

U23 DC players......something we have done for the last two years, nobody said it was the start of becoming a feeder club then. Still each to their own.

I was the same, I have now seen the official site (which is where it should have been before the reporter came out) and as far as I can see it stays within the agreement signed by the Fab Four the other week. It'll only knock people off the gate if people play chinese whispers with their mates and give them incorrect information

Agreed Dexy, time will indeed tell. So it needs us fans to correct the doom mongers by stating that under the current system we can't have DC's but we need them, so we have entered a partnership that allows us to do as we have done for 3 years now except only from the one club because that is how the RFL want it to be.

If we see Prescott have a run out soon then the club is foouuuoooked

Quote ="itsatry!"Good grief folks get a grip !why do some always see the worst in what the club do ,they have stated it is NOT for SL players to gain match fitness.'" 4.bp.blogspot.com/_kGyLFX1BSck/S ... lasses.jpg

Quote ="itsatry!"Good grief folks get a grip !why do some always see the worst in what the club do ,they have stated it is NOT for SL players to gain match fitness.'" 4.bp.blogspot.com/_kGyLFX1BSck/S ... lasses.jpg

Ill see how it goes, but it kind of worries me a bit.
Ill give us chance to prove it isnt a "twinning"

And you must live yours through grey ones

We are quietly heading towards a super league and chamionship-feeder/reserve league and nobody gives a sh** what the fans want. The sport is being killed off in front of our eyes.

I still believe we can't ignore what this is really about - the youngsters in the Borough. Recently, the RFL stopped funding Community coaches, because of the huge reduction in Sport England grants to the game. This is all about setting a pathway to ensure that all the kids who want to play the game are properly looked after and encouraged, right from junior level, to the top tiers of the game.

There ISN'T going to be a flood of recuperating SL players heading our way. Nor is there going to be a massive influx of D/C youngsters into our team. PR will ensure that. Does anybody seriously think that he is going to overlook contracted players, to whom we are paying money, in favour of somebody else's players? He is not bound to play these D/C's unless he wants them, Wigan are willing to release them, and the kids in question want to come to us. He will be well aware that any D/C's can only play in the play-offs, if they have been regulars during the Championship season - that's another 'rule' we have signed up to.

OK, so Wigan will probably get the pick of the youngsters, but that's no different to what's been happening for years. Many kids (& parents) will want them to go where the money is - but some may just think, "What if Wigan don't want me, after a couple of years?" Some of them (& their parents) may just see that those kids may get a better opportunity of first team rugby at Leigh - and then making progress.

Just to nail my colours to the mast - I am not in favour of D/C's/loans. I would rather use our contracted players, as I believe would PR. However, am I in favour of the youngsters in our Borough getting better opportunities to play RL than they currently do? You bet I am! They are the future of RL and we must do everything in our power to ensure that is just what they become.

Quits right Alan ! but no matter what statement comes out of the club some will still choose to think the worst and because that is what they prefer to see .

At the end of the day, some on here would still go if it was £50 a ticket to watch , no matter how many players were parachuted in from other clubs.....and your loyalty and dedication is to be applauded!
However, the average "Joe" can see where this is heading, and i suspect the crowds are going to get even worse as the season unfolds.