Right now London are no better than Fev or Fax. But, the argument is - what can either of us offer ON TOP OF WHAT LONDON do now? But to me that's a bad question to ask in what is supposed to be a sporting competition. Results based rewards do NOT stretch to the granting of the opportunity to transfer that success into the league above because its effectively a closed shop.

Part Quote.
Right now London are no better than Fev or Fax. But, the argument is - what can either of us offer ON TOP OF WHAT LONDON do now?

I think the first thing is that London are an embarrassment to the RFL. Fax and Fev are not!!


Part of the answer has to do with funding.
Some are asking for the SL comp to be reduced from 14 to 12 or 10 teams so they can have more money to spend on players.

Some are saying the Salary cap in SL should be increased so we can compete with the Aussies in a one off world club challenge game or that this will help us to win a test series against them or the Kiwis, these aims are something that would be good to achieve.

However is this really what the game at this point in time in this country should be focussing on now to the detriment of other more urgent issues.

I honestly believe the opposite should happen, untill there is an equalising of funds then there will be no chance of closing the gulf between the Aussies or the top and bottom sides in whatever division you are in SL or Champs.

All clubs will have their own variables of sponsership and generating their own income etc and it will mean that all clubs get less Sky monies but they will all get the SAME, to spend on players for example.

If a few players can get more somewhere else in say overseas or in another sport well good look to them, let them go, the game will stand the loss and still survive.

Remember the panicking that "ALL" the best players were off to Rugby Union a few years back now, well guess what some did but we survived without a blip.

Regarding entertainment several Championship clubs are turning out good sides with very competative games that are good to watch from the pitch side and from the armchair whereas several SL clubs aren't.

From a viewer friendly sporting contest I would rather be watching Batley v Fax last week and Eagles v Fev next week than London v HKR on Saturday night or several SL games that are screened.

Premier Sports would not have signed up for 5 years of Championship rugby if it was a turn off on viewing night so we must have something to offer.

This is being achieved through substantially less bugets than the SL teams mentioned, so it can be done.
If more teams (not less) are funded eqaully then there will be more games like these taking place.

More teams will actually be in the race to win something which should attract more speccies through the turnstiles and sponership within the game.

More home grown British players will be able to play at a higher level with skills gradually increasing which in time will give the entire game a much broader, stronger player base to draw from.

Drastic, maybe but when the house is falling down a lick of glossy paint and a few glitzy light bulbs aren't going to fix the problem.
Time to knock it down back to the foundations and rebuild it, will it happen.

NO. What a waste of typing.

cant believe richard owen back in cas squad this week. plus prop walker who also played for keighley last week.
batley lost dan fleming too as making debut for cas this week.
changes to their squads again just to show farce this is.

And 2 d/r players at Doncaster recalled by Wakefield this week

It serves them right for falling into the trap set by the SL clubs. I sincerely hope that the SL clubs go so short of bodies that they don't have enough to D/R out to their little convenient partners. I've already heard of one of our former players who is regretting moving to the club he chose to better his 1st team opportunities only to be missing out somewhat because of this farcical situation. Fair play to lads like Bowman at Halifax who've chosen to stay with their home town club despite a raft of new signings & battle his way back into the 1st team recently, their isn't enough of that old fashioned loyalty knocking around.

The game is on it's but the clubs like ours who have stood up to the system & refused to enlist into the D/R charade i really admire & thank for keeping some honesty & dignity within this division, and division is more than a one-meaning word in this instance.

It's going to take something off the wall like promotion & relegation or a re-structure to keep me interested in watching professional rugby league in the near future. Am not even turning out to today's game, it's just not interesting enough, not attractive enough to draw me down to the Shay today feeling under the weather all week it's a sofa day today for me i'm afraid. If we'd have been playing one of the top sides i might have made the effort & got wrapped up warm but my interest is waning lately. Looking at the fixture list it could be april 14th before I visit the Shay again at the soonest, I've yet to work out my shift for the Dewsbury game on thursday 28th march, I've ceased booking a day holiday for tv games now in my little solitary RFL protest, and being a subscriber to Premiersports i get to playback the games when i wish. I've no intention of travelling to 'Haven ! I always enjoy my visits to Donny but probably won't make the journey there this time, it's highly likely i won't be attending the challenge cup tie v Oxford, I haven't attended one of these massacres for years, it's more likely i'd watch the Siddal v Keighley tie if they were both played in Halifax actually. If we're "in-form" or unbeaten when the Fev tie comes around i'll consider going over to that game as usual & it'll be nice to see the mates I have over there but having a mate who's involved in their re-generation of their stadium & the 'photo's he posts regularly on his Facebook account I wonder what measures will be put in place to protect the Halifax supporters at that stadium because the railway end of the ground appears totally inaccessible currently. As ever, I'd like to think there'll be no troubles BTW, that's not my attempt at winding anyone up !!!!