If the Welsh folly manage to maintain a franchise next time round then the Redhall seniles are more deluded that I would have thought.

I'm sticking with it and just hope like the Harlequins are finally doing now offering a genuine pathway for the locals into SL, potentially expanding the player pool available to the game. League is a hard sell outside the heartlands (often inside it as well) away from the hotbeds and I wish them well.

I'd rather they try and fail then not try at all.

Im with you TVOC.

So am I. Far rather have Quins, Cats and Crusaders in SL than add another three p*ss weak 'heartland' clubs. I also have no problem with adding another side to SL if there were enough funds and half-decent players available - we could then copy the NRL and have home and away (scrapping the 'magic' extra fixtures) and also introduce the bye round every week.

The problem is that as it stands that quality just isnt there at the moment to spread evenly around. Yes we are are moving in the right direction albeit slowly but at least we are moving instead of stuck in the mire going round in circles.

Trying to get people out of the "heartlands" into a ground to see a team that has just pitched up on their doorstep, playing a game they have rarely seen and getting tonked week in week out will not keep them coming back for more. These "heartland" clubs have had many years to build up a community around the game complete with their own local heros and locally produced players, the expansion clubs have not got that luxury unfortunatley, they have to hit the ground running or its game over.

There is some stirling and unseen work going on in these expansion areas by the RFL that really is spreading the RL gospel way beyond the M62, Medway Dragons for an excellent example, so just because these expansion teams are not suddenly challenging for titles and not bringing many supporters to games oop north doesnt really concern me at the miniute, to steal a catchphrase "If you build it, they will come." and in time they will. We should help these guys not turn our noses up at them. Our sport is known as "The greatest game" we know this, lets show the newbies why it is by supporting them.

I agree, though the RFL would have done well to have stuck with Gateshead.

But the NRL don't play home and away fixtures. If we had 15 teams home and away plus byes that would extend the already full season. The oly way to do that would be to get rid of the CC.

Except that Gateshead IIRC were staring into a massive financial black hole. The decision to "merge" with Hull FC was a better alternative than the club potentially folding mid-season and being unable to fulfill its fixtures.

Those knocking the Crusaders attendance yesterday would do well to ask themselves how many of the regular support from Wrexham would have made the trip to Neath for the game.

Multimap estimates it's knocking on for a four hour drive, given decent traffic.

Very true, although wasn't it the case that their share of the Sky money was substantially less than those of other clubs, that being a condition of their entry into SL?

The main reason I mentioned them was that they were building up a decent support base, far better than any other development club, with the exception of the Dragons.

Gateshead had also secured (IIRC) as was then a SL record amount for the main shirt sponsor.

Achieved a highly creditable 6th place finish in their only SL season with a playing record of:

Pl 30, Won 19, Drawn 1, Lost 10, Pts For 775, Pts Agst 576, (Avg Scr 26 - 19)

Gateshead's average attendances of 3,888 compared that season (1999) to the likes of London 2,928 Sheffield 3,540 Huddersfield 3,729 Wakefield 4,181 Hull 4,376 and Halifax 4,483

If only 3 year licenses were around back then we could now be looking at a very different picture in the North East but there again probably not.

Tis funny you mention Gateshead as just the other day i was reading a "blast from the past" article in RL world magazine.

Excellent post.

If I can convince my RU indoctrinated step son that RL is better....and I'm largely getting there.... he will continue to spread the word more amongst his sceptical mates ....and get them wanting to play too.
If, though, they can't find a local club to play for it will all be in vain for yet another generation I fear and anticipate.

However, I hope the game will always continue to make efforts to spread its wings and chip away at the inferior RU product.
My father-in-law is a tougher nut to crack, but even he is begining to question his [iEddie-Waring-trundling-in-the-mud[/i prejudice, thanks to the Dragons. He has an old friend who lives in Perpignan and [ihe [/istarted to attend the RL games as well as the RU matches last season.
Needless to say this friend has also started to sing the game's praises to my more than sceptical father-in-law. Together we will get him to see the light