No need as a we will go for the p**s up and the trip away anyway (well orange juice and McDonalds for Andrew Perry)

The club weren't that excited about the competition, anyone who was at the Pre Season Meet the Squad night (which may have been as long ago as the end of november) will remember Michael Steele telling the room that the club decided to offer the place in the tournament to Batley, as they had finished inside the top 4, who declined so we still had to go.

i was there Brew and had forgotton that!



im sure whoever goes will have fun in the sun with a beer or 20!

but arranging a meaningless competition (one where clubs were trying to opt out) half way through the season is just daft.

most squads by this point are down to the bare bones anyway.

if i was Rhino i would send the 23's and anyone in his 1st team squad that he may have doubts about.

i will be amazed if more than 50 fans in total from the uk travel!

I don't agree with this comp, not one bit, but can you imagine tha damage it would do to the club's reputation in the RFL's eyes if we sent a deliberately weakened team, crikey, they don't need an excuse to bag us lately.
I don't see what it would do to young lads' development either, looking at the bigger picture, some of them are not anywhere near ready for senior rugby yet but it could seriously knock them back if things went wrong.
I don't see any other way around this but to send some fringe players who haven't had much game time, an odd 23's player & maybe one as 18th man for the experience and hope we come out of it unscathed.
I notice we have also an U23's fixture on friday night at Keighley, this will severly test the club's resources I should imagine.
It's a shame the RFL think so lowly of the Championship clubs & using them as pawns in their quest to get Toulouse and their expansion dream back into super league. I can't see anyone making any money out of this pointless exercise, I would rather see a Championship version of the magic weekend, but based within the heartlands if they wish to trial new competitions.

Tubbs has said we're taking a weakened team, he's going to rotate the forwards and give some young players a chance who are on the fringe of the first team, or who are in and out of the side.

I do like the idea but I just can't map it out how you'd make it a successful event, where you'd hold it, how you'd shift fans to go and watch it etc...

Why not hold it at the brand new stadium of the Castleford Tigers, should be ready soon if the licencing award is anything to go by.

Colin, You said
=#0000FF" I would rather see a Championship version of the magic weekend, but based within the heartlands if they wish to trial new competitions"
Superb idea,
What ground tho' I didn't see any of the Super League weekend, but based on the fact that the total attendance for the 2 days was 60,000, ie average 30.000 a day and the Library that is Eastlands hold 47000 we would need a ground with a capacity of? 15000? Can't be a Championship ground, so where.






Blackpool. Hardly the heartlands, but

Blackpool has all the requirements IMO and it's certainly accessible. I'd have no qualms with it going there.

Rumours circulating that the NRC final will be one of the matches at next years Magic Weekend. People not happy about the three hour wait between two matches last Saturday.

I'll have to be honest, it wasn't ME who started that particular rumour....