Changing the concept back to what it should be, what's that then.

Promotion relegation was tried and tried and decided did not work.
Premierships after the normal season, crowds were not interested
Franchise system was a failure
We have had several versions of a play off system
Tried playing teams 3 times to give the required home game numbers... boring

The worrying thing for me is this quote.

" We don’t believe the Super 8s work,” said McManus. “We do not believe it is producing the right commercial returns. We have to conclude a new structure to put in place for next year.”

So they have decided to scrap the present system with no thoughts on what to replace it with and we wonder why the game is suffering.

Agreed. That is a huge failure in anyone's book

I don’t doubt for one minute there is more to it. And I certainly don’t fit comfortably that those three clubs are leading the way. But the proposals are correct and right for Super League. Hetherington should have led it, and that is the real reason for th3 dummy spit. Hopefully we will still get the changes but with the RFL reigning in those three clubs.

the top 8 hasn't worked but I love the middle 8's. for me that's been a huge success

Maybe Hetherington should say what he would have 'liked to happen' There is no real substance to his comments. "It's an absurd grab for power" what does this mean exactly, it certainly does not apply to the new structure. One SL club will definitely be relegated, and a championship one promoted. Super League clubs vote on decisions for their league, and the RFL everything else. That's the way it's been for years now....nothing new there. Anyway, it will all be reviewed again when the current Sky deal runs out in 2021. Really don't know what his problem is, I like the chap, done a lot of good things in our game.

So, SL clubs 'voted 7-5 on key issues, inclusing promotion and relegation' on one side, and 'Leeds Rhinos are the only dissenting voice' on the other. I have to say I'm a bit confused.

It seems a bit odd to claim that a narrow majority one way can't be outvoted by a big majority the other. It seems that its as much the way things have been done as the result thats angered GH, but he above anyone should realise that maintaining the status quo isn't an option if we want the game to grow.

Oh jesus, Hetherington is looking a bigger and bigger mug as the day goes on today. Are these clubs doing it on purpose now? every hour another Super League club seems to come out with an annoucement giving their full backing to yesterdays announcement, and stating they are fully behind it. Only Hetherington has come out with the dummy spit one, and looks very very isolated at the moment. It does seem as though they are ganging up to slap him down, and it is not pretty played out in the public.

He's being backed up by lower division clubs, that would suggest that it's actually Hetherington looking out for the interests of the sport as a whole.

Possibly, or possibly not, and you are probably correct, but it is irrelevant, the rest of the top flight clubs have a different view and that is the way they are going. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer still, he is completely isolating himself and not handling it well.

It did come across as a dummy spit, I'll give you that. The Featherstone statement was much better as it gave context to why they feel the way they do.

So, the RFL confirm nothing has been agreed at the moment. What a farce this is.

The RFL announced what Hetherington has asked them to announce. Doubt it will make a difference to where we end up though.

Perhaps a compromise might well be staying with the middle 8's and stopping the rest? who knows. But what is suggested so far looks a definite improvement on the farce we currently have. And consider that all the other super league clubs but Hetherington (and I doubt his view is of the whole club), have agreed on this course.

This shows what happens when you lose your power base. Nigel Wood was GH's puppet who was able to deliver what GH wanted. These days big Nige has passed to food hall long long way a way so GH's needs his man back at the top. I expect Ralf Rimmer GH's man to get the top job.


Unfortunately he has been out manoeuvred by cleverer, richer men in Lenegan,McManus and Moran - I don't see them being brought back into line by GH no matter what he does. Interesting times - these clubs know they need the money to grow the game. Look what is happening at Whitehaven were has the money gone the Sky deal put into them.

These clubs need all the money for themselves whereas Leeds can afford to be concerned about the rest of the sport. They may be richer than Hetherington (but not Leeds' owner) but they certainly aren't in the same league as Rugby League administrators as the financial performance of their clubs proves, Lenagan and McManus in particular.