Going to put the stick into the hornets nest here, but are we seeing this year the beginning of the benefits of franchising?

We're a long way from challenging the Aussies, but this year could be the first year where anyone from the top five could win it (that being Huddersfield, Warrington, Wigan, Leeds and Saints), and the only reason perhaps some of the other hopefuls are out of the mix is because of just a bad season (Hull FC and Hull KR). You don't have to go back too far to see when it was only ever between two clubs.

I'm discounting Cas at this stage, because they've only had one tough game, Huddersfield, and that was at home. I don't expect to have to revise that forecast.

We all slate it, but are we seeing the beginning of a more even competition, particularly if Hull eventually get a decent a coach and Bradford pull the fans in again?

I think it's more to do with the salary cap and import/home-grown limitations than franchising per se. Franchising may allow a longer-term view to allow development of local talent, but a single 3 year period is probably not long enough to do this.

To me the only positive effect of franchising is the improvement of spectator facilities, which is essential to attract the next generation of fans, but has probably cost Trinity their place at the top table .

The negatives are the reduction in importance of on-field exploits and allowing the RFL take a lazy and ineffective route to their expansionist policies.

no it isn't. You mentioned 5 clubs wigan leeds and Saints are still up there and always have been over the last decade.
I agree they have now been joined by wire and shudds. The reason has nothing to do with franchising but all to do with the very deep pockets of messers Davey and Moran.

It will be shown to be working if/when Salford/Widnes/Quins/Crusaders/Wakey are up there challenging the 'big boys'.

We did in 2009

All the 'lesser' clubs are capable of troubling/beating the top sides on the day, look at Catalans in the last six days.

No we weren't we had a very good season and finished 5th we never looked like finishing top or winning the play offs. We had a much better chance in 2004. Maybe I should have added on a consistent basis.

It isn't franchising that has seen this season play out as it has so far this year. It is as said before purely and simply down to salary cap and teams having sugar daddies with deep pockets, to pay out decent wages on good players. If it was franchising surely the likes of Hull KR and Crusaders would be fairing so much better this season.

It is also crazily enough down to Rugby League being a sport and as with all sports franchised or not you still can't predict what will happen on the field. Hull KR have the money as well but losing Dobson has left a big gap in their team.

Nice of you to discount Cas,I hope all other SL teams do the same.

What really......you don't say.

Nobody is questioning the sporting aspect, the thread is about the improvement due to franchising.

As far as not being able to predict what it is going to happen on the field has always been the case and is not exclusive to now. It is true in a season there will be results that will be eye openers, but ultimately over the season of any team sport (franchised or not) the more 'powerful & financially stable' clubs will win out.

All very true. The point I was trying to make/question I was asking, admittedly very badly, was how will we know when franchising has improved things? Some clubs will always be more powerful and have better finances than others. As has already been said the salary cap, quota restrictions and sugar daddies have shaped this season more than franchising has. We've been waiting 20 years for expansion to take off could be an even longer haul for franchising.

It was more than a pleasure. And I wouldn't get too carried away. You have had a string of very winnable games. Granted, you had to win them, but you've only had one tough game, and that was at home. You are going to hit a glut of really tough games and slide down the table pretty quickly. You'll finish above us, but at least it will remove that unbearable smugness knocking around Cas at the moment.

I'm not sure what I think about franchising sometimes. For me, it is one up, one down, but then sometimes I wonder whether the RFL are right, and clubs do need some stability to grow. The issue is then whether expansion clubs deserve the special breaks when no one goes to watch them. But then I think of Widnes, who I think of as a top flight club, but who have done nothing on the pitch since they went down to justify coming up.

I'm a hudds town fan and have been for years,if it wasn't for town giants would have gone under as davey nearly ruined the football to keep rugby afloat.Franchise is soley about money and nothing else,don't let anybody kid you.

Salary cap works, franchising supposedly makes clubs more stable, yet still you have clubs going into admin or rellying on a wealthy benefactor.
Leeds and Saints have slipped back in my opinion making Warrington and Huddersfield etc appear to be far better than what they are.
We are still light years away from a strong international games and eddie explaining about Brough switching nationality on sky last night makes it look ridiculous!
A healthy league needs a strong salary cap, as for franchises? it's just a smokescreen for the RFL to shoe horn in who they want and remove those they no longer care for IMHO.

every team as improved apart from you lot in the 3 years thats why you will be giving your marching orders in july and love the discounting cas bit lol like i said hopefully only club to be discounted will be you lot in july

Really? Salford, Hull, Catalan, Quins, Crusaders, Hull KR, Saints, Bradford and Leeds have all improved over the last 3 years? Seems to me that the sides who have really improved are Wire, Wigan and Hudds and that is down to them now having coaches in charge who are spending the money wisely. It helps that they have the money in the first place of course.

who invited the idiot?

Let's see if he's still as cocky in September

Cas have had a 'string' of easy games?

If they're "easy" games then why didn't we finish top eight last season with only losses against Wigan, Wire, Saints and Leeds?

No game in SL is easy (and to think so is absolutely bloody ridiculous) and we lost to Hull KR twice, Hull once, Bradford once last season.

I think you discounted us purely out of spite (or jealousy), whichever, and whether you like it or not, we are where we are because we've played well and deserve to be there.

Easy for a team like Wigan, perhaps. For a team like Cas, they're big games that we need to win to push on and progress.

But to answer the original question, yes we are seeing the benefits of franchising and although I know many on here don't like it and want P+R back, we are seeing what stability can bring.

More young players are being brought through, clubs are starting to take notice of the areas they need to improve, whether it be stadia, youth development, marketing.

It makes clubs really look at themselves and allows them the freedom to invest. Although Wakey have had their recent problems, I have no doubt that over the course of the next three years, whether it be SL or Championship, they'll be a much stronger side than they were 5 years ago.

By ruining Town, do you mean getting them outta administration and saving them?

Putting them in a decent position before selling out to Dean Hoyle.

Boths clubs were/are run from 2 separate companies so im not sure how either clubs finances could have ruined the other, i wish he aint come in and bailed you out, you'd have something to bitch about then.

As for the Sluggers OP, its beginning to work, ourselves for instance can plan a few years in advance and can blood the youngsters now,(Jermaine,Leroy,Michael etc) whereas in the past it would probably have been an aussie coming in, you could argue Wire have kicked on from having the HJ built, which has increased finances/crowds for them giving them better players, Saints will benefit enormously from their new stadium financially.

Without franchising would saints and salford to an extent even be considering new stadia.

Goes without saying having a Davy/Moran certainly helps but ultimately they are trying to get their clubs to break even annually without having to dip into their own pockets.

Id go as far as to say a stadium for yourselves could easily double your attendances which can be only good for revenue, supporter base, without franchising, would you even have considered moving?

I didn't say they were easy. I said you've had no tough fixtures, apart from Huddersfield. There's a difference. For instance, there's a fair chance you'll win the next three games, and ought to win at least two of them, but you'll probably lose at least four of the following six.

Same difference.

I'm sorry but I'd say Hull KR, Huddersfield, Bradford and Hull ARE all tough games, given the fact that all of them have the ability to spend the salary cap, have the ability to build bigger squads and we don't.

There's a fair chance of that yes, but even in that instance, on the basis we we win 5 out of the next 9 that's still 11 wins, 5 losses = 22 points.

That's the same as last year with another 10 games to play.

And I would reckon 5 out of the following ten would be in your favour. On last years table, that would have put you at 6th, although the stuttering form of some of the bigger clubs might get you higher. However, I haven't factored a slump into that, most clubs have them, and the big clubs with new coaches will have found their feet by then. Think you might scrape the top eight.

If you do it on the pitch, fair play to you. Don't begrudge a winning team a win. That's what the game is all about.