Those that run this game really need to decide, strategise and communicate what they want it to be. I fear that task is well beyond them...

They offer bigger crowds than any of the other teams listed apart from Bradford and are far more stable , they will be more competative than any of the others short term at least . Only Bradford offer more to Sky .

They have done:

We want franchise - minimum standards, no relegation
We want franchise, you have to promise you will try and meet some standard, no relegation
We don't like franchise - relegation
We want 5 team play off
We don't like 5 team we want 6 team play off
We don't like 6 team we want 8 team play off
We don't like 8 team we wan super 8's and middle 8's
We want to expand in UK
We want to expand in France
We want to expand to North America
We want to expand to Leigh, not give them as much money and promise more if the don't get relegated after everyone else has mopped up all the good players.

Thats a lot of strategic planning.

Leigh offer absolutely nothing. Yet another low point. Yet another historically sad day for RL.

How about an average crowd of 6,500 when last in Superleague in 2017, an average far greater than Salford, Wakefield and Huddersfield. Plus we bring a substantial away support and a stadium that compares well with most Superleague grounds.

Please explain and elaborate as to why you think this?

could have been worse, could have been Fev.

I wouldn't have minded Fev tbf.

They've been crapped on from high for years by successive regimes as they are seen as unfashionable despite having been capable of stepping up many times in the past and even as recently as last year, running Toronto close.

They have the best stadium in five towns area, they have a great local conveyor belt of youth and were due a turn at the top table IMV yet we keep moving the goalposts for them.

As I have alluded to, they and all other teams need to be given a reason why they haven't made it this time and given help to achieve it next time.

Weve fallen from Toronto, a new Canadian/North American market and fans, SBW to... Leigh.

Toronto effectively took themselves out of the equation.

Candidly apart from London there was nobody else. Leigh have a decent ground, a good attendance and decent set up.
The problem comes from the idiots who run the game.
For some reason we started with Toronto, complete farce, we have still got the pig sty grounds of Wakefield and Castleford, no supporters at Salford or Huddersfield. Like it or not Leigh offer something.
What we do know is again the development of the game remains in the M62 corridor. The problem is there is no leadership or direction, we panda to clubs with pig sty for grounds, encourage clubs like Bradford who haven’t got a penny to scratch their backside yet hope they are put back in Super league, encouraging Fev, but only got where they are last season using Leeds reserves. This game needs to expand in the UK, up in the North east, down to the Midlands and the South, however we need someone who is good at their job someone who can market the game, find the £500k salary and let him develop the game.

Not really. They were in an impossible position in 2020 but Elstone manoeuvred them out.

The fact that Leeds and St Helens were so incensed by what Elstone did that they voted against him in a confidence vote suggests Hetherington and McManus saw plenty they liked in the club.

Setting them up to fail IMO. I just don't get how those who make the decisions come to the conclusion that the best way to improve Super League is to handicap the new boys.

It's because the people making the decision are the other Super League clubs, or at least a majority of them. And they are not interested in improving the league by making the new club competitive.
I believe Leeds voted against this, Hetherington, as he usually is, on the right side of the key decisions.