Could it / would it stand up to an appeal?? or in court??

How could a court of law be involved in a sporting organisations operational rules ?

The RFL decision is final wether one agrees with it or not.

Why have criteria and rules if they don't stick to them? I prefer promotion and relegation, makes the bottom of Super League more competative whilst giving more incentives to Championship clubs to gain promotion

Is our recent "breach of the rules" (albeit a "technical breach"icon_wink.gif going to impact on the right to apply for the next round of licences?.......or will that be another one of those fuzzy areas were the RFL will apply their own interpretation - based on what SKY's demands are at the time??

I want to shot down on this so feel free, i'll ask a question to see if i'm coming at his completely wrong.

If by having franchising it makes the clubs develop their academy in a way they haven't been doing in the old P&R days and it brings through more kids, too many in fact so that we have more 'good' players than positions would this lead to more teams eventually in SL, if we could genuinely find another 2 teams worth of talent to put in to say Halifax and Leigh so that they could compete in SL and not just get smashed every week would franchising eventually lead to the improvement of the game and inable a 16 team SL?

Edited to reflect the school of thought in 1996.....

Well it is a nice thought and reminds me of why Superleague was introduced all those years ago. Well we are now a long way behind Oz and NZ and the idea that the current CARTEL would agree to an approx 11% reduction in their TV money is fanciable at the very least.

Maybe the way forward would be to limit the amount of overseas players a team is allowed to sign then home grown talent would have to fill that gap.

Look at footie. Premiership Clubs are able to sign who they like. They never have visa problems with players registrations and our National side cannot compete with Moldova.

I don't think there's enough talent to justify 14 teams to be honest, never mind 16. If kids are good enough then they will get their chance regardless of franchising, but there needs to be a much tighter quota, something that has certainly played a part in our league losing a lot of imports without any less in quality or competition.

If there is so much talent then why are SL teams still signing expensive Aussie and Kiwi's?

And kill of what would be left of the Championships , sorry but you cannot just keep increasing the number of teams in your premier competition , 14 is the optimum number , any more and you have to start messing about with the fixtures which removes credibility , you'd get away with two less , but no more

At the end of the day the closing of the gap is what is needed , then a return to P and r

Why does everyone keep saying that there is a lack of tallent in the lower leagues and in the amature game to sustain so many top flight teams. The reason that SL teams buy overseas is because SL and to some extent our leagues have grown the football fan mentality of "we need to buy in transfere window or we are knackered". This is partly to appease the fans and investors which bring money into the clubs. It is also presumed a safe bet that signing a player who has played in the NRL is going to be a super star over here. As we have seen not always true. There are only so many places in the SL academies and reserves. There is not a single person who can say who or how a player will perform under full time training and coaching. There isn't a chance or a very slim chance for any young player getting to their full potential because our leagues have been restricted with lack of investment from the top. Que the SL fans, " why should we pay for you lot to catch up?". Well I'll tell you why. Because there won't be an SL without the lower leagues thats why. Take the blinkers off.

I have said on our messageboard that I have serious doubts (I always did) that the RFL have the bottle to demote a SL club, Crusaders got Fat Controller Nigel and tennis elbow Lewis off the hook.
You need two things to oil the greasy wheels of the RFL and get into SL, one is money and lots of in the form of a sugar daddy and the other is having a face that fits.
I fear you are like us not blessed with either and even if you did get a money bags in they will still look at you as a heartland club and that will go against you.

Put it this way you may dot every i and cross every t but come judgement day they will have changed the rules to out manouevre you, so it is a waste of time.
I thought the Soviet Union was broken up years ago, this lot are just like them.

Good post.

there's a rumour going the rounds that Harry Gration has been disciplined for giving Ralph Rimmer a 'hard time' when interviewing him last week on Yorky Look North West.

I've heard that too. We will soon be issued with little red books with Chairman Lewis on the front. To be fawned over Maoist stylee.

Also, regarding Leigh and Super League. They will let you in if you denounce all assocoations to Lobby and all things Lobby. What would you do Fred? Would you abandon Lobby for Super league?

Behave Fred surely the RFL are not going down the Sir Alex road? Having said that I think putting Mr Rimmer out to do interviews is intimidatory in itself.

Would you abandon Stockport Rich?

In a heartbeat

Only if it was the pseudo kind that with carots.

Cheat.

You'll fit in well with the SL mob

Jeez Shandy Bass would ve given Rimmer a hard time..............At least SB could survive in a deeper puddle.

No too much of a traditionalist, so I definitely wouldn't (Carrots in lobby is a new fangled thing brought in after the first world war so far too contemporary for me

)

Heard the same about Gration but can't see how the RFL can have such an effect on the BBC. Hope Robbie follows Harry's lead!

Robbie follow Harry`s lead no way , I was at a meeting several months ago and Ralph Rimmer , Robbie and the Colne Valley MP were on the platform and Rimmer came out with how expansion was working in Wales and how he believed in the franchise system he blamed Sheffield fans for the demise of Sheffield because they would not go to Huddersfield to watch their team play.
Robbie kept jumping in agreeing with him behaving like some love sick puppy and even made the remark about championship clubs paying oversees players too much money instead of geting their houses in order.
The whole room was embarrased by them , until the MP waded in on them one of his remarks was "yes when you have finished throwing money at Crusaders ,France and London you will be back at Wakey , Cass and Leigh" .
Robbie Watsits Paul went down in a room full of peoples estimations on that day ( we knew Rimmer was rubish as he sold his own club down the river) but Robbie was an eye opener.
So why you think he`s going to be giving anybody a hard time Heaven only knows.

Gration discipilined?By whom?Did he ask awkward questions such as ''If licencing is about improving standards then why has a club recently in administration and playing out of a scrap yard been awarded a new licence'' or ''Wasn't it foolhardy to give the Crusaders a licence back in 2008 instead of seeing how they went for three more years in the lower league''?