I turned on Sky Sports this morning and was greeted with that usual scrolling matrix at the bottom of the screen that gets to rugby league news and they then have adverts. This morning however I was lucky and as I red about succcessful cricket teams, Andy Murrays continuing sucess, competition for places in the lions squad etc I though to myself "I wonder what it will say about League, its the Magic Weekend this weekend."

When it did get to rugby league news the first story that came up was about Leon Price being given a formal warning for assualt. the second page of this story went on to describe how he had previous for assault.

What will the next page bring........

Oh; Catalans Captain guilty of lying to police and wounding girlfriend. This brings up yet another story of one of elite players and his off field antics. And so the Sky sports scrolling thing moves on to athletics news. Oh teh Joy....I get annoyed and turn on the local news:

Im met with: Queens v Doncaster RL match....Police are looking for these people. A photo fit of 10 or so people who are wanted for brawling at a match appears.

Is it any wonder we're not improving out games image???? its everyone in RL's responsibility to try and give it the best image possible however im said to say that a few are spoiling it for everyone. Some of those few being top earners in our game and role models. Im a fan of the magic weekend, and whilst I know alot of people see it as a gimic and extra travelling and expense etc and i fully appreciate that and in most cases sympathise. What we have to realise however is that the RFL are trying an innovative and brave step to try and broaden who can watch our game.........This has been lost in the media however because of negative press regarding some of our games stars. This weekend should be bang in the media spotlight, but its not. And im afraid thats how I see it for the forseeable future.......Bad Publicity will always get the nod no matter how much good we try and do.

Without the dilution of bad publicity that the likes of football can enjoy (So many teams that the bad news is outweighed by the good and other news) RL needs to make an effort to be on its best behaviour. Thats all the way up from fans, right to the top and to the RFl. Without that we don't stand a chance....

Oh...And Sack Jonathan Edwards. the fact that the only rugby league on terrestrial has that little see you next tuesday on is not a good thing.

I do wonder how much news RL marketing put out, I see Metro most days on the train. We are lucky to get a paragraph. The paranoid cycnic in me thinks this is part of the grand right-wing plot of Metro's owners in collusion with other media editors to starve us of the oxygen of publicity. Similarly the concentration of negative news stories about RL. We are a working class sport who wears its heart on its sleeve, we give plenty of opportunities to our detractors. However, compare us with how lightly yawnion got off when Dick Best said "You've got to have a coloured boy in your team".

When was this?

too late!!!!!