3 good interviews [urlhttps://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleague/videos/1724535030911846/[/url https://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleagu ... 104217772/ [urlhttps://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleague/videos/1724608097571206/[/url

3 good interviews [urlhttps://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleague/videos/1724535030911846/[/url https://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleagu ... 104217772/ [urlhttps://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleague/videos/1724608097571206/[/url

Quote ="Cokey"3 good interviews [urlhttps://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleague/videos/1724535030911846/[/url https://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleagu ... 104217772/ [urlhttps://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleague/videos/1724608097571206/[/url'" Good find. Good insights. I'd also like to see Dave Parkinson regain the lead commentor role on LCTV.

Quote ="Cokey"3 good interviews [urlhttps://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleague/videos/1724535030911846/[/url https://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleagu ... 104217772/ [urlhttps://www.facebook.com/loverugbyleague/videos/1724608097571206/[/url'" Good find. Good insights. I'd also like to see Dave Parkinson regain the lead commentor role on LCTV.

Was that the same services H,that gave out free petrol..



Good times.. More good times to come..

I hope that you pull it off on Saturday but because you win/deserve to rather than because of the perceived cost or contribution to the sport. Imagine doing the trip every other week like they do?

Whilst I believe well run clubs with robust business models should be rewarded as such, For me first and foremost Sport should ALWAYS be decided on the field of play and never by paperwork.

I also firmly believe Catalans business model is currently flawed, have become complacent, reflective of their on field performances.

A season in the Championship will be good for them to perform a full root and branch review, re focus, re group and to become stronger in SL for it. One step back to take two leaps forward.

Catalans v Toulouse is a mouth watering prospect and will be massive for French RL , not just from a PR prospective and is a game I would want to watch.

100% with you Harold.

Time will tell, but I bet HKR haven't been harmed by a brief sojourn in the Championship.

So Widnes obviously are good enough for finishing bottom?

But they were good enough to stay out of relegation places after 30 games. Maybe if we had the structures in place that Widnes have, then our first team would have had more in the tank going into the play offs?

I can't believe that anyone would want to return to the bad old days of franchising - and you think it's dull now!!





There's nothing like a bit of jeopardy to get the juices flowing and even if the RFL don't keep the current structure I would hope they've learned their lessons from the past and never return to franchising ever again. Look how exciting these last two seasons have been, straight from the off there was talk about who would make which Super 8 group, remember the slogan 'Every second counts' well it really did and last years MPG proves that P & R in whatever format, is the way to go.

Anyway, I won't be at the game but there's one thing for sure - [ithe best team will win[/i - lets hope it's Leigh.

=#FF0000But 8 teams were safe after 23 games.

Yes, them 30 games should matter,But You're basing your post on maybe/If on 7 games.

in this instance yes.

in a straightforward P&R season then they deservedly would have gone down.
However , they had another bite of the SL cherry and avoided the end game of relegation or promotion.

Sorry for butting in Cokey but you did take part in the previous 23

For P&R to work well for the game, and to keep the excitement of the these games that can mean you relegated or stay up (promoted or stay down). If a SL club is relegated and has season holiday in Championship until they are back in SL season after - then that isn't damaging for the club and adds excitement of the ups and downs we like in sport (ie HKR). That doesnt mean it works using this example.
For it to work the Championship needs to be FT, to avoid contracts getting null and void when relegated (after all its players and staffs livelihoods at stake), or clubs struggling when promoted because they haven't had same time to recruit as rest of SL. The profile of the Championship, in the media especially is poor to say the least. Leigh are barely on bbc sport for example outside of SL.

Get rid of the Super 8's, and bring in play off game (home and away) between bottom and top of league below for who goes up or stays up. Work at putting together Super League 1 and 2 - 2 full time leagues. Let this competition have the franchises for entry. Any clubs inside SL1 and 2 that are failing RL and not run properly should be given notice. Keep them on their toes financially and on the field. Big sponsorship deals and more imagination in regards TV contracts.

The point i'm making is, If wire had ended up in the MPG after finishing 9th, would they deserve to go down? (for me the answer is no) BTW - I'm not one for the franchise system either,but on the other hand, i think the 8s concept is harsh. I believe in P & R and hope it's formatted/structured better than the current system.





I disagreed with this, because on Saturday one team will be relegated,and i don't believe it's right when either team didn't finish bottom after 23 rounds, So no, i don't think that either team weren't good enough to go down in that respect.

Spot on. I'm not sure what else could replace the franchise model though, seems to work in the NRL for the most part.

Looking at it from a slightly different perspective, money = results in sport. We wouldn't be watching Leigh in SL in 2017 without DB's large investment, the reported additional £700k + gave Leigh the advantage to reach the promised land. If the investment wasn't made in 2016, we'd all be bashing Jukes this year, like Rowley in 2015. The additional money resulted in a different outcome.

The franchise model would rightfully protect the benefactors of each club, if he or she is prepared to invest into the sport. Ultimately SL needs money to provide better entertainment and exposure. I reckon more clubs in SL (14-16) would offer both of these.

Even with the Promotion & Relegation model as it is today how are Batley, Featherstone, Halifax, London, etc, ever going to get back to SL without additional investment to compete with the SL side dropping down?

And if Catalans do drop down this year into the Championship, this increases travel costs considerably. Swinton for example in 2018 would have to travel to Catalans, London, Toronto and Toulouse.

I'm trying as hard as you HRJ to win the Euro on Friday, then we'll skyrocket the club to the summit for a long time.



Different perception and thats OK. Leigh liquidating and subsequently 'almost' liquidating multiple times over the last 25 years are dark days for me. Franchising would prevent this as we have a golden goose right now. And the Ian Lucas days were really dark. Flashbacks!

So, yes the million pound game is exciting, but very dangerous for reasons Leeeigh Leeeigh and Cokey articulate above. If Leigh lose on Saturday come back and honestly say it's a great concept.

I believe there has been meeting today with the RFL involving all SL clubs to discuss a different structure as to the one we have now. Be interesting to see/hear the development of that meeting.

Be very interesting. Bottom line we all want the best for the greatest game on the planet. We have to progress as the competition is gaining, especially since the internet was opened up. And I'm sure I read recently that the amateur game has shrunk massively over the last 10 years alone.

Maybe we he team that finished bottom after 23 rounds realised early doors that they would end up bottom 2 after those rounds, and planned for the M8s accordingly. Had they needed not to be bottom after the 23 rounds you may have seen better efforts within that period - we'll never know how things would have panned out

That's one aspect of the current structure that's a farce.

How do we determine who's not good enough to stay up after 23 rounds finishing 9th 10th or 11th when the bottom club has now survived? This is why neither club on Saturday should go down. I know that the structure is what it is, and now there are discussions to change it. I hope they come up with a good fair system with P & R. Personally i think there will be 14 SL teams from 2019, how P & R will work , i just don't know, but my opinion is top of Championship to replace bottom of SL.

It was a structure to create a door ajar from Championship to SL. Why has it failed? How many posts on this board in 2015 stating the system favours SL?

Leigh broke the structure/system. Hull KR have proven,you can return within a season! If Leigh lose on Saturday,then the system is no more use than straight P&R has it hasn't avoided the yoyo effect.

Now if Catalans lose,the system is/was a success.

The system is fair, look at it a different way, after 23 rounds the season carries on for the 4 SL clubs who will carry on playing each other, either at home or away, if we take the points from the first 23 games and add the results in after the 3 games in the 8's the division would now look
Warrington 26 points
Widnes 15 points
Catalan 15 points
Leigh 14 points
So in all matches played between SL clubs we have the lowest points return.
The SL opposition is replaced by what should be 4 relativley easier games against teams from a lower division to sort out their league standings at the end of the 7 matches.

But that's not the system as it stands,so on that basis,it's irrelevant. What i'm trying to say is, P & R should be determined after the regular season,bottom of SL down, and top of championship up. If you want to add some kind of play offs, for some other prize after that to add some sparkle, then fine.

it should be either 1 up 1 down or 2 up 2 down Games are won and lost over a season not something concocted by Sky and red hall.Widnes won less games than either Catalan or us in the league but are still in SL