Quote: vikingsmurf "which has no bearing upon the point i was responding to or the point i made.
franchising does not equal a non competative league or a crap international team.'"
I agree a little with what you say but the Aussies merged and tinkered with their set up to make it a stronger proposition for all concerned including youth player development and fan atteraction by merging teams together. Their criteria for bringing a new franchise into their league is much more stringent too regarding turnover, salary cap etc. When they do something it's because it benefits the comp and isn't because Murdoch says do it.
Can we honestly say that expansion clubs such as Crusaders, Harlequins (20 odd years) and dare I say it Catalans bring something extra special to the game / SL that a rejuvinated Oldham, Featherstone, Barrow, Leigh or Halifax would bring to the game if they were allowed to prosper given the same resources and backing from the Rugby League?
If the Aussies do it it appears to be for the right reasons and is well thought out, we do it trying to replicate their blueprint for success and tends to end up looking like a watered down, half cocked version with little or no thought given to the execution or reasoning.
