along with 2 NRL players ! Gateshead Thunder have signed Cronulla Sharks winger Misi Taulapapa, who played for Samoa in the 2008 World Cup. The former New Zealand Warrior will be joined at the Co-operative Championship club next season by his Cronulla team-mate Bryan Norrie and 20-year-old Leeds half-back Gareth Moore. Thunder coach Steve McCormack said: "All three have excellent pedigrees. This is excellent news for the club and for rugby league in the north-east. "It shows that top quality players want to come to the club and the area." taken from www.sportinglife.com

along with 2 NRL players ! Gateshead Thunder have signed Cronulla Sharks winger Misi Taulapapa, who played for Samoa in the 2008 World Cup. The former New Zealand Warrior will be joined at the Co-operative Championship club next season by his Cronulla team-mate Bryan Norrie and 20-year-old Leeds half-back Gareth Moore. Thunder coach Steve McCormack said: "All three have excellent pedigrees. This is excellent news for the club and for rugby league in the north-east. "It shows that top quality players want to come to the club and the area." taken from www.sportinglife.com

It shows that you don't need fans to pay players!! What a joke the salary cap is based on income!! What income do they have?????

Ask the RFL, or Rod Findlay or are they still one and the same



We are just here to provide some practice for the new 2012 SL teams

Harlequins? You're right - you don't need fans to stay afloat - just big backers. Income i guess would be "sponsorship" from backers.

better manke sure they play Gareth Moore every game or he will spit his dummy out.

Ah yes, the former RFL solicitor, and current Chief Exec at Gateshead.

The clue may be in the name?!

Gateshead, however fairly or unfairly they are allowed to operate, are my dark horses for the Championship title next season.
Any side that can include six players who have played regular NRL in the last two years must be in with a shout.
Expect a few more to come on board as well.
My only quibble, and its a big one, is how are they affording them? The crowds they get are appalling (even lower than the crowd figures they actually release i.m.o.), there's a distinct lack of sponsorship evident at the ground, and they don't make any money from refreshments, bars etc...
You can't tell me the Australian guys are over here playing for peanuts! I know for a fact that the least most of them are on is £30'000 each! And before any Gateshead fans shoot me down in flames, my facts came from a certain Australian who spent most of the 2009 season at Gateshead but couldn't get a regular first team place!

Corrected

Gateshead will challenge for the title next year in the Championship.

Hardly need a crystal ball for that prediction

Bet you get good odds for it tho D as the bookies will mark up at least 4 teams as lower prices.

Next two for SL are Gateshead and Toulouse. The Championship or whatever it's called next week will be the true home of RL. I predict many SL fans will become disallusioned and either walk away from the game or drift into the lower leagues. Who wants to watch Gateshead v Birmingham etc.

Nah as long as the Leed, Saints, Bradford and Wigan are ok and in there ,the rest will be pussycats and say yeah to whatever the RFL say.

i think its these teams that dictate policy to the RFL

i always find myself thinking about how long its going to take before the RFL decide that there are no other teams they can kick out and everyone has top notch stadiums to play in.

i always think that it will come to an end this franchise thing at some point cause they can't keep extending the amount of teams in Super League until its a year round sport.

it has to end cuase they can't extend it for ever more and they will run out of clubs to throw out eventually so that means then end of the franchise and then the Promotion and Relegation will come back how long before this happens is anyones guess but it will happen eventually.

it was a stupid idea to begin with, the likes of Celtic Crusaders and Catalans should have been made to work for a place in super league put right at the bottom of the Co-op leagues and made to earn there place not just get one because there french or welsh.

Rant Over

to be fair(ish) Celtic did start in the third tier.

they didnt win the grand final in the championship, so they should have been made to earn it.

Catalans didnt even need that they just stuck straight in.

there trying to do it with a bit more disguise with Toulouse putting them in the Championship.

everyone already knows though that there gonna be put in and i suspect the RFL already knew they were going to super league in 3 years when they put them in the championship.

However wasnt these the years they "cheated" with the sigings etc, so in fairness they wouldnt have moved so quickly up intpo a position to apply for a liecense if they hadnt cheated.

exactly.

its just all one big f is this license thing.

Toulouse and Gateshead will be in SL next time around. No doubt about it.

As regards the big clubs i suspect Bradfords glory days are over. With no big backer, crowds in freefall, an ever weakening squad and a semi derelict stadium i only see them heading one way.

Both those two wont be in next time. I think Barrow and Gateshead will be the next two allowed or maybe Widnes if they have a very good two seasons. The signings that Gateshead are making smells of the Celts runnin to their inclusion to SL. I also dont think that Salford will get relegated either, only because of their geographical position. Who does that leave to come from SL. The only way to accomodate these changes and for the survival of the game I think is to make the number of teams in each league bigger. Sorry Fax fans the only reason I cant see you getting in is your map position. With Wakey, Hudds and Bradford so close I think they will opt for a team farther a field. It all points to ourselves, Fax and Widnes always being in the second tier. It is upto all these clubs to make it the top tier by having the best stadia - which we nearly already have- and the most attractively priced, entertaining game. It really bugs me that SL are always going get the best of both worlds. The best players will be brought up through the lower leagues. I know thats always been the way but with all the franchise crap it still leaves a bitter taste.

As i said the Championship will be the best league to be in with proper teams in proper RL towns.
Why bother trying to get in SL, let's make this the league to be in !

Said from the start that Toulouse would go into SL ,why else bother putting them in the Championship and getting 3 years to build.