Strikes me from the outside that if you don't merge properly then, down the line, there would be a de facto merger anyway, with Cas at the wrong end of it. Wakefield in SL and Cas in the championship with Wakefield gobbling up the area's SL talent and, aftera few years using Cas as a feeder/overflow club like Leeds do Hunslet or Wigan do Leigh.

And...?

Sounds fine to me.

Would you watch a merged team in SL if Cas (and Wakey) existed in the championship and kept their identities but were largely feeder clubs filled with young local talent with a clear pathway to SL through the merged side?

Merge NO. Groundshare YES
This could work, as ground upkeep and running costs would be halved.
The office part of the job could come as an independent unit selling tickets etc for both clubs, this works at Huddersfield as the office is one unit running 2 separate clubs, this is a cost cutting exercise also. Each club would have their own club shop at the ground.
Each club would have their own logo at the stadium entrance giving the feel that both clubs were equal tenants.

No and no.

Cas were offered a ground share and snubbed it, laughing claiming Glasshoughton was the Promised Land.

That ship has sailed...they have made their bed...and will enjoy sleeping in it.

Any future deal will now be heavily weighted in Wakey's favour.

Well done Wright and Fulton!

Ever since the old Newmarket pit site was earmarked I have said a ground share was on the cards and was the way Wakey council thought.I dont have a thing against ground share but a merger NO a ground with half the seating red,white and blue the other half black and amber makes financial sense.Wright said no we dont want to share Newmarket and I was told that SF said the one way to survive was a ground share and was told no way and was the reason he said keep the job Im gone.

I'm sorry but you are incorrect with this, Cas said they would have talks with the council (and Wakey) as to a shared stadium and Wakey absolutely refused.

Wakefield declined to enter the WMDC review offered, choosing to pursue NM on their own.

Wakefield wrote to all potential partners in the district, including Cas and Fev...they declined the offer of a shared tenancy.

The only reason that Wakey and Cas keep being suggested as merger candidates is to make life easier for the RFL.
IF we were to merge, it would make the immediate future simpler for other people, not for Cas or Wakefield.
Although Cas are doing it tough at the moment, they bring plenty to SL and people should be trying to help and not keep trying to put the skids under them.

Stay as we are.
With those who run the sport, even if there was a merger, they'd still probably relegate us !

I don't see why either side would want to merge.

And in reality there would only be a takeover. Rarely is there a merger of equal status.
So right now it would in my opinion by bad for Cas to merge. Better to go down and fight back then be lost.

Wakefield have been in similar position (and in fact much worse) and I would never have voted for a merger.

Did you guys hear what was discussed on Back Chat this week?

It was suggested that maybe a Merger of Wakefield and Castleford would be a better option for 1) Survival and 2) If the Comp is reduced to 10-12 Teams.

I just wanted to get your thoughts on this?

I gather you didn't see the thread to merge or not to merge a few threads down then?