The RFL needs to do some serious advertising on TV, internet, radio...everywhere, really. One massive campaign a year would be great for the game and can only raise awareness.

I wouldn't mind England losing the first game at all. Will make the game the year after a lot more competitive with a lot more pride at stake from both sides.

It's good experience for the England team even if they do lose.

I like the sound of the Lancs/Yorks cups coming back but I would do it this way:

Scrap the NR Cup and have the Lancs/Yorks cups instead with Championship sides entering with SL U20 teams. The two winners then meet in Blackpool (trophy name TBC). Maybe even have it as a double header before a Lancs v Yorks first team game.

So our already relatively tired player should play in another cup comp?
No thanks. Not for me.

Don't mind the exiles game just for the competitive element.

Aus refs won't even entertain the idea of coming here.

Agree with the hub cap as a material point. But does it really matter?
It isn't the trophy that's the issue. It's the occasion made out of winning the title

I don't think 1 or 3 more games will really make that much of a difference imo. If the Aussie refs don't come over here then send our refs over there one at a time and promote a junior ref in their absence.

With regard to the "hub cap", I think that was what the OP was saying that there should be more of a deal made about finishing top. A bigger trophy would be nice, but it's not the be all and end all.

The question is, can clubs AFFORD to pay players more? Many don't appear to make much of a profit as it is.

No thats the problem!

Although I do agree players clubs bring through the junior set up should only count half their wage under the cap, otherwise more players are going to go to union or the NRL.

Not too concerned about them going to the NRL as it is the better league. It's them going to Union that we need to try and stop.

Some excellent ponts there.
I think local should be on more like 80% counting on the salary cap. With ten locals that's an equivaqlent of 120% of X thousand pounds.
I love the grand final but the hub cap does look inferior.
The 'Can't go to the video ref for a forward pass' rule is stupid. Go to the VR and if it's a pass like the Leeds' one against Sai nts , then rule it forward. If it's not certain, then give benefit of the doubt. I just wonder about the intelligence of Stuart Cumming sometimes. Game after game we see forward passes when watching it on TV. We are all 100% certain and yet it can't go to the video ref. Why? Oh yes, it's an exception. Why oh why?

Leave our NRC alone!! It's one of the few RFL events that has shown a pretty consistent growth.

I think the NR Cup should stay I agree with you. It wouldnt exactly be the end of the world for the top Lancashire teams to play 1-3 more games in a Lancashire cup and likewise Yorkshire without cutting the NR Cup would it?

I also think that the meeting between Yorkshire and Lancashire at the end would probably be better than the challenge cup too just we have to win the challenge cup again first ey?

Only 48,000 actually, but whatever. I'm not sure COMS would be that good for Magic weekend. There aren't many pubs & bars near it so you wouldn't get the atmosphere you do in the pubs around the Millenium stadium in Cardiff. It's a fair old walk from the city centre too.

i think if the exiles prove to be a force, and beat england i think they should be introduced as a proper international team.
keep them going, they will push england to be better.

firstly id put the magic weekend back to mid season on bank holiday weekend time with hopefully great weather and hold it in nottingham, now the football season would be over and that woundt be a problem and also you could use the forest ground on 1 day then use pride park giving fans the oppitunity to got to 2 grounds and both holding about 32k which is about right and the use of using 2 grounds would mean less damage to pitches . now the midlands area is improving alot and hopefully a championsip 1 team will be here next season and this would be great for there deveolpment. also its alot closer for the heartlands fans taking 1-2 hours for most fans and going by the magic weekend crowds the days would certainly sell out which would look great on tv. i really do hope the rfl keep the magic weekend fantastic concept but i do hope the rfl keep it around the heartlands and host at places like midlands,sheffield, liverpool and manchester all big cites and areas where rugby league isnt big.
i also like the idea of young players that come through your system that say 25% of there wages dont count on the salary cap for example giving more intention for clubs to bring players through and rewarding those who do.
id also like to see clubs send 2-4 players every season on loan to nrl clubs for 1 or 2 years from players aged 16-21 to really help there deelopment.

The forward pass thing is ridiculous, it could easily be shown, 100% accurately by using something similair to Paul Cullen's analysis on Boots n All. Take the point of which the ball is released from the mans hands and freeze the frame, draw a virtual line across the pitch from that point (like Cullen did with Joel Tomkins try last week, where the debate was if he was offside. Then run the play on with the line still there, at the point the man catches the ball freeze the frame. If he's infront of the line its forward, if he's behind its not. Simple.

I would agree that we need more silverware (not that us Wakefield fans know what that is).
I would have a start of season competition where the teams are split into 4 groups based on finishing position the previous season (clearly better with 16 clubs which, coincidently, could avoid relegating Trinity). These would also be regular fixtures for SL with 2 points at stake. The top four teams would then play in the semi-finals while the other teams would play cross-group games based on their finishing position. The final could then be held in isolation for attendance or TV rights purposes, giving others a week off, or as part of another cross-group round if the season cannot be extended by a week. The semi-finals and cross-group games could be played as the magic weekend round.

On the forward pass issue, some common sense needs to be applied and the use the VR for obvious infringements in the lead-up to tries. However, the use of lines would be deceiving as the laws of physics dictate that a ball released at 5mph will continue to move forward after release, it won't just stop dead. There is also the perenial problem of fairness as not all games are televised/ have VR.

PS go gently with us this afternoon, you don't need more then 50 points.

They dont play only that type of forward rule though thats the problem. Its also (unofficially) based basically on being behind the passer when you receive it assuming he is still moving forward (aka the momeuntum rule) this is why Charnley's try seemed forward because whoever passed it out to him is tackled after he has passed it (penalty btw for all those moaning about wheeler!) and so doesn't continue to move forward however the ball does and so does charnley.

If they only played to the rule you state for checking then I can guarantee that about 90% of tries sent to VR would need to be chalked off.

Fair enough, not so simple after all then

get rid of the salary cap...the game has gone from having top teams with star players in to a mediorcre league...

Exactly. It is the angle that the balls travels relative to the players (who are running forward), not relative to the pitch, that governs whether it is a forward pass or not.

That doesn't preclude the point BackrowSaint was making though. On a VR you can still draw a line from the passer to where the catcher was when the pass was started, and if the angle is forward, it's a forward pass. It wouldn't take any longer to do than making a decision about players being offside at a kick for example.

Ahh I see what you're saying so draw a line that moves with the passing player?

That could work actually. I suspect they just cant be bothered to make the software to do so tbh.

Forget the Yorkshire Lancashire Cups/Origin. Exactly the image the game needs to shed.

Reduce the Number of substitutions per game.
I would plump for 8 maximum.

We could try an Islanders side like they have on occasions in RU. That would give you: England, Australia, NZ, France, PNG and The Islanders. We could also maybe put Wales, Scotland and Ireland together to make a Celtic side.