I'm always a little perplexed when folks start arguing and deriding the relative sizes of crowds in comparison to other teams.

Nothing, attendance wise is quite what it seems. There are generally two elements to any crowd. That is the HOME support and the AWAY support. If away fans do not travel, does that not also affect the gate as much as if home fans don't bother to turn up?

Sure, the West Bank terrace at Odsal has not been quite as full this season as in previous ones, but the traditional away end on Rooley Avenue has quite often seen tumbleweed blowing across it on occasions this year.

I reckon that the 5% or so drop in crowds at Odsal this year could be part due to a dramatic drop in away support as well as apathy from floaters who invariably saw the heavens open about an hour before KO and quite resonably changed their minds about turning up.

I don't think it's worrying so much as market led and in these lean times, unless you are clutching a season ticket, you are going to be choosy about how you get your entertainment on a weekend.

Quins are now starting to provide bona fide local products. And given that's partially because of national advances in RL, I don't think you'll have to wait thirty years for Crusaders to start bringing through good Welsh players (watch out for some coming out of student RL like Brian Carney did for example, I understand the Welsh sides have traditionally been very strong).

Crowds? Well, we've all got our problems with those. Quins do have travelling support of a sort now, no mean feat when you consider the distances involved for every away game. Great potential there, but they need the right people in the front office to bring it out.

1997 ave attendance = 16675, 2009 is our lowest average since then. However, its not as simple as that is it? If we all remember (and its a pleasant memory, so I shall) we won the league in 1997 in the last season of the league leaders = champions, and we lifted the trophy on August 22nd without losing a league game up to that point...unbeaten, we'd had our second trip to wembley in two seasons and picked up the title for the first time in 16 years. It was a unique period of boom at Odsal which will probably not be repeated and quite rightly it was the peak in our crowds, and probably will be for a while.

By contrast this year approaching the mid August we'd only managed 2 home wins all season. Hardly comparing like with like is it? With some more consistancy and some more home wins I think we can get back over 10,000 ave next season, because you're right we've fluctuated mainly from 10,000ish up to 14,000ish throughout superleague.

. .. . . And the price of fish is currently what?