Quote ="guess who"Keighley had good crowds because of Cougar mania and the thought of promotion.
As soon as that was taken away the game was doomed.
We are no nearer beating the Aussies, in fact you could include the Kiwis in that now. So we have gone backwards on the international front.
The game below SL is a mess. As people have pointed out the fixtures are crap. Not enough teams and not enough home games. Games spread to far apart. No wonder fans are walking away from the game.
SL is made out to be the top level of our game. Take out the overseas players and it would fall apart.
Teams in SL were struggling for money, before SL and its the same now.'"
Flipping heck, I actually find myself agreeing with GW !!!!!!
Having said that, something did need to be done, the game was imploding. But the initial concept was forced through so fast in a money grabbing exercise that too many mixed agendas of powerful and influential people at the time led to a second rate compromise.
- The RFL want well run, financially stable clubs in nice stadia with good youth systems - a noble ideal.
- However, SL clubs are just plain greedy and don't give a monkeys about anything outside superleague. As long as they get their share of the sky cash they will break and bend rules to suit themselves and sod the consequences. They don't care if the current shambolic system is a catalyst for the decline of small clubs - it just gives them a bigger catchment area. It's been very interesting to watch the sudden change in attitude of some SL clubs now they realise they are in the firing line for the oblivion of life in the lower leagues.
I bet there will be no promise of promotion for a Championship club in the next round of franchises.
