Quite. The club went bust several years into SL, sadly. The idea that they were forced out is rubbish.

The play off game vs them in 1998 was one of the more heart-stopping moments we had under Graham Murray. At half time in that game we had gone 120 minutes without scoring against them, after the nilling the previous week. Fortunately we turned it around but going to Thrum Hall, later the Shay, was always daunting, even in their ill-fated final SL season when, moderately humourously, they had the two points they actually won on the field deducted for a salary cap breach. Who could forget the furore over Francis Cummins' innocuously raking his boot across the face of some prone 'Fax player?

Any split that didn't involve Leeds would see the splitting clubs facing some quite big financial pain quite quickly - they're Sky's no. 1 rating team, similarly Hull. Lose those two and suddenly Sky's £££ offer wouldn't be very attractive.

Some clubs have already realised that they have space on the cap with the reductions, so majority of the clubs will be able to bring more players in.

I think any breakaway would obviously include Leeds and Hull. I was thinking more of the likes of Wakefield, Huddersfield and Hull KR, who would be seriously under threat from any league breakaway or restructure.

I think they would have been quickly brought to heel if mention of any split was made during any discussions.

And the rest of the cra@ you wrote

McManus 1 hetherington 0

I thought Leeds were a big club? Trying to compete by limiting what your opponents can spend? How utterly embarassing

Actually it’s Hetherington 4 McManus 0

Has McManus recovered yet after calling a ref bent because his team couldn’t win yet another final?

Oh dear Him uve just reacted the exact way the troll wanted you to. While the rest of us showed restraint you couldnt resist. Youve let the side down.

As a Leeds fan I think it's embarrassing yes, but the penny pinching at the club has been gong on for years.....

No. Leeds, who have just spent £25m on the stadium following £15m on the stadium over the previous 20 years followed by spending huge amounts, for the first time, on marquee players and significantly expanding the back room staff and employing Sinfield on no doubt £100k a year, have been anything but penny pinching over the past couple of years.

Hetherington has always been prudent, and has always driven a very, very hard deal. In the context of how the club has been run through Caddick-Hetherington era the fiscal extravagance of the past two seasons has been eye-opening.

yes its been going on for years , that is the obvious reason we won so many Grand Finals



And if we were penny pinching why pay a fortune for Merrin and Hurrel .

Oh dear...