Keighley's application to join the reserves' league next year has been confirmed by the club to have been rejected and it's also doing the rounds that 'fax's has been too. Not heard anything about Fev's yet.

Statement from keighley seems to suggest ours has too. Strap yourselves in as we become full on feeder club...

On Totals RL Forum in the general topics section it has been posted that Fax reserve grade application has been rejected if you read through the posts Fax are mentioned from about the 22nd down. https://www.totalrl.com/forums/index.ph ... -the-game/ What a stitch up.

On Totals RL Forum in the general topics section it has been posted that Fax reserve grade application has been rejected if you read through the posts Fax are mentioned from about the 22nd down. https://www.totalrl.com/forums/index.ph ... -the-game/ What a stitch up.

Hoping against hope that we just have to reapply for whatever arbitrary reason but if we have been rejected with no chance of appeal, then it's a massive blow to the club. All the hard work and self- sacrifice just to be wiped out? The club has done so well to put that pathway in from the initiative with Calderdale College - Reserves - First Team. If the reserves go, then what for the 16 year olds at Calderdale College who show promise but are a few ways away from being ready for first team? Maybe one or two might come through but not a steady pipeline if you have the reserves. I cannot help think that the RFL is trying to embody the NRL model of having feeder teams where first grade clubs just send their players down for game time i.e North Sydney, Newtown. Essentially, that's what DR is anyway. It really despairs me when the club has been tactical to try and bring sustainability with producing their own players and not to rely DR when you have clubs like Hull who are seemingly signing NRL cast off after NRL cast off for next year. What of their young prospects? It's a cycle of neglect of young players, who will be forced into this DR system, who will continue to lose out on first- team chances. If we are being brutally honest, any NRL player that is playing in Superleague is not good enough for the NRL or is here to rehabilitate and jockey for a contract back in the NRL a year later.

It's a real slap in the face for Fax and even Keighley when clubs like Fev (have used 20 loan or DR players this year) & Leigh (have used 12 loan or DR players) couldn't even field a team towards the end of last year because of being unable to balance their budgets, are being prevented from solidifying a pillar of club infrastructure for on the field (players) and off the field (creating player values / assets).

Maybe this rant is all for nothing! Either way, if we are prevented from running a reserves as are other lower- league clubs and debilitating procedures like DR are allowed to continue then I can only see a slow decay for many clubs as many players who are not taken on by superleague systems or wish to balance playing with working or studying will be lost to the game as a result of lack of viable, alternative playing systems in which to enter into.

If this is true this really really fooks me off. Our club and folks from the supporters trust have worked so bloody hard to have a Fax reserve team. As soon as the RFL decide to have a reserve grade in SL it's fook everyone else, except the Bulls who have been invited(not having a go at the Bulls) . It beggers belief what the RFL are doing. No doubt it will be SL club led this decision because reducing the reserves across all the lower clubs kills of any path for young lads coming through in local areas. All the SL clubs were happy for us to have a reserve team least few seasons when they could come along and take away our young talent! I may sound over dramatic but I feel sick to the pit of my stomach about this. I Love this club but Im feeling like f*%k it, the RFL don't give 2 sh*ts about lower clubs why should I bother. To say I feel angry about this is an understatement. I don't what else to say, absolute despair ..............

Seems very odd does this. What's the reason given?

Quote: Bullseye "Seems very odd does this. What's the reason given?'" No idea at the moment and all unofficial. All we can do is wait for the club to comment on it if true. Seems to contradict the recent Skytry award. https://www.halifaxrlfc.co.uk/article/5 ... d-sky-try-

Quote: Bullseye "Seems very odd does this. What's the reason given?'" No idea at the moment and all unofficial. All we can do is wait for the club to comment on it if true. Seems to contradict the recent Skytry award. https://www.halifaxrlfc.co.uk/article/5 ... d-sky-try-

Director has said we'll have a definitive answer by end of week.

Absolutely stinks if you guys aren't allowed in the reserves league(as well as Keighley) who flew the flags for the reserves while the SL lot just kept money and sent players out on DR.

We have a real player shortage at the minute, but why should Fax, Keighley etc have bothered putting time effort and money for long term gains and developed players like Chester Butler, Nick Rawsthorne who could have easily been lost to the game when you could have just "borrowed" 20 other players at no additional cost to yourselves.

Only reason I can think is there is some SL snobbery who think that a Championship reserve side wont be a tough enough rest for the "SL elite"

Just FYI, the Bulls weren't invited, it was compulsory for us and Widnes to be part of the reserves comp due to running a category 1 academy. While we would have applied anyway, I'm not too sure Widnes were overly chuffed when theyre reverting to PT and had their academy money withdrawn from them for the SL clubs to keep for themselves.

Why do we get such basics wrong in this sport. Genuinely angry if you're not allowed in and I'm a Bulls fan.

I’m starting to feel this way as well. Our club and wonderful volunteers have worked bloody hard to keep the reserves going, we could easily have sacked it off and put money into the first team and DR.
The Halifax area is always being raided by SL clubs and maybe that’s the reason.

The RFL can get to feck.

The ghost of the fat controller still haunts Red Hall. If Fax can be dumped on they will be.

Sorry for misunderstanding about being invited. I know that the Bulls have a very good academy and reserves set up but the RFL making you have a reserves is as bad in the present situation you are in. They wont let you sign players, you don't know if you will be at Odsal or where you may play next season. The RFL are squeezing you financially over Odsal , yet they make you put money into a system that is competing with the SL clubs. I'm sure the Bulls can keep running their academy and reserves but to me it just stinks that they make some teams run this system and tell others, who have one, they can't.

Still to be informed of the decision about Fax and the reserves but concerning the RFL who are now firmly under the control of Super Greed.

Generally what the RFL and SL do to control others such as Fax (when they don't want them involved) is.

They know what they (Fax) have in place and then as part of the criteria ask for something they haven't got.

If it was say income streams and attendance and Fax had an average crowd of 1500 then they would set the bar at 2000 if Fax had 2000 then it would be 2300 etc.

In this case they know Fax have a reserve side so they insist on having an academy or something else that is missing, simple really.

The glaring contradiction is if it is so important for SL and rugby league in general to have a pathway through the reserve comp that it becomes mandatory then why would they deny access to it to others who have already got a self funding thriving reserve team?

It leaves them with just the first team squad which over the season won't be enough, forcing more and more loans and DR deals so the SL clubs fringe players can get some game time and becoming more and more reliant on their SL masters!!

It's win win for SL, if the clubs survive then their fringe players get to play, if they fold then guess who will end up sharing the central funding money saved (central funding money to everyone outside SL will gradually be reduced anyway, watch this space.)

IL and associates want an Aussie style comp and in summary for the minnows it is, become feeder clubs or die.

I really couldn't have put it any better than this, you have got it spot on. What is happening in Rugby League right now is astounding, and it's beyond belief that the member clubs are letting a certain few dictate to the many. How Halifax as a club react to this latest attack on the so called lesser clubs will decide whether I continue to support the professional game. We can only wait and see what this week brings. Up The Fax, from an increasingly dissolusioned, long time supporter.