As I understand it, Toulouse haven't met the playing qualification yet and unless they make the Championship Grand Final this season they won't.




Again as I understand it, it's the latter case. The RFL are committed to promoting a Championship team in to SL providing they jump through all the hoops placed in their way. With the size of SL being fixed should one club come up then one club will have to make the opposite journey.

I guess that will be the case regardless of whether they also meet the criteria set or not.

Quins, Cats and Crusaders will be safe so long as they are financially viable (even if requiring top-ups from their owners every year) because they are vital to the TV money all clubs need to survive. Only people who've never lived outside the M62 corridor could seriously believe that Sky wouldn't slash their money to the game if they weren't in the competition.

Would it be a huge shock if moves were afoot to push Wakey and Cas to at least groundshare? Regardless of the media rubbish spouted by both teams about having outline planning permission and fantasy funding, they are clearly way off having new stadia. This upcoming round of franchising has been there for a couple of years and it seems neither team has done very much.

If you were being brutal, you'd probably look at doing what the NRL did - tell them to merge or they're both out. One team that could become a lot stronger than the two individually are ever likely to be and with lower total costs at the expense of losing - quite understandably - a chunk of fans in the process.

There's absolutely no need to try and force them to merge a ground share would suffice and makes the most sense but only time will tell.

I would have thought that a ground sharing option is about the only genuine chance of either club getting a new stadium in the foreseeable future? Regardless of the pap put out about plans etc, I'd fully expect the council to support one new stadium only.

As for merger, that would come down to how viable Cas and Wakey are individually on the field IMO. If they continue to plod along hoping that a few early season wins can see them right, then they don't deserve a place in SL IMO.

I'm also a bit suspicious of Wkaey's finances with the loss of Brough and Tronc early doors this year. Tronc even signed a confidentiality agreement preventing him from talking about his reasons for leaving the club.

Ground share for me as well. It's the only lifeline if they want to keep playing in SL as two different clubs. Or perhaps the Bulls could merge with and move to Batley....just sew a patch over the dogs bit and you could have a cheap new strip....Batley Bulls! You heard it here first people!

Crusaders appear to be on financial thin ice and unless they really up the supporters figures, I can see them deciding not to continue in SL for the next round of franchises.

We of course, can look forward to another excellent decade with a new Southstand.

I say expand the SL to 16 teams, who play each other twice home & away. Bring Widnes & Halifax in as newcomers, then Barrow for Wakefield and London Skolars for Salford.

Expand SL to 15 teams and do away with MM IMO

There is absolutely a need. Why should the rest of super league support two poor clubs in such a short distance apart?

Ground sharding makes no difference whatsover. There will still be 2 clubs, how does that reduce the teams to get one promoted?

Grow some balls RFL and get a strong one club team in the Cas/Wakey area.

Ourselves ( Cas ) and Wakefield are not poor clubs whatsoever. It's easy for you to look down on us just because you are a supporter of a very big club.

Gotcha might watch Leeds but he's hardly a supporter.

Who said it had to be 1 of these 2 to get demoted?
A groundshare would prevent either getting hoofed out of SL because that's the biggest minus against both.
Why should there be only 1 club in that area?
Both have been top 8 contenders and neither are on the verge of going under financially.
Both have produced some good youth also the ground share makes perfect sense for both clubs to continue to develop and grwo and tthen if it's viable in the future build a stadium for 1 to use on their own.
If the RFL are to grow some balls then the Quinns and Crusaders will be under as much threat as both of the above.

The two schemes for Wakey and Cas are junction 30 and 32.

There's an obvious (if rather simplistic) solution to the ground share impass.

I wonder if anyone from the five towns can spot it.

Indeed. And contrary to what some of your resident fekkwits seem to think. And, contrary to what the great unwashed fekkwittery-at-large seem to believe, there are lots of other criteria apart from the stadium that a Licence application is judged against.

If we see no movement on the OSV, then come 2015 I expect we'll not be playing at Odsal.

Anyone at last night's highly-successful Fans' Forum will not be worried about any short-term tìts-up.