After the past 10 years optimism is in short supply. I'll settle for staying in business and avoiding relegation for the moment.

I think you're over 'egging' Geoff Toovey a little bit to be honest.

He was a terrific player, no doubts, but his coaching pedigree is a little more open to question, imo. Whether he's come here as a favour to Charnley and Lowe I don't know, but he wasn't then employed as a head coach 'back home' and hasn't been since he lost his first job, so far as I know, and it goes without saying that, like virtually every coach the world over, he didn't leave that job in the way he would have wanted.

We will be back in super league next year if the meeting off super leagues power brokers has any sway with the dim witted RFL.

Really? Ooh I can't wait for the reaction from our pals at Wakey, Fax, Keighley etc. If that comes off.

In terms of keeping our academy players, there are salary cap dispensations in place for home grown talent.
Not sure of the exact numbers these days, but a couple of years ago we could pay players that had come through our academy anything up to £40k and they would be salary cap exempt (anything above £40k and the excess would count on the cap etc.)

Now in theory this works, but obviously for most clubs including ourselves, you have to have the cash in the first place to be able to make the most of those dispensations.

I have to say, I hate to see academy players being snapped up by other clubs. Not just ours, but anybody's. It's probably one of my biggest gripes I have with the game currently and that's saying something.
The current dispensations aren't enough imo. I would want to see the [ientirety[/i of an academy player's salary completely exempt from the cap. Give clubs a reason to 'grow their own' and once they do, give them a significant advantage to help keep them.
I guess one obvious downside to this theory would be the differing catchment area sizes.

The catchment areas is definitely the issue there. The reason the likes of Wigan have always got such a good production line falls down to that and the amount of top amateur teams in the local area.
That being said, I totally agree with you. I would love to see much bigger incentives for teams to have home grown players in the squad and make it more likely for them to keep those players, than what is currently in place. Would potentially be a better balancing tool than a salary cap.

Imagine an Oldham team with the likes of Iestyn Harris, Kevin Sinfield & Barrie McDermott. (I may be wrong about one or two, but I think all came from that general area). Was Deacon from there too? I forget now...

Deacs is from Wigan. We signed him from Oldham though.

Ah yes, that's where my confusion was coming in. I knew there was an Oldham connection somewhere, and my mind didn't want to say "he's from Oldham!" so deep down I must have known that...

I think he went through the Oldham youth system too, if memory serves. If players of that quality have to go elsewhere to get a placement it just shows what quality they have in the Wigan area.

That would put the cat amongst the pigeons ha

You would of thought that Toronto were given some kind of assurance that there would be an easier route to super league in the next couple of years instead of the current 8s system. With the amount of money their owners will be spending on a squad and paying for other clubs to go play in Canada they must of been given the wink

https://twitter.com/RLonRY/status/841445338514878465 An interesting listen on a few points, not Bulls related. Schofield talks out of his bottom at times but think he's right this week and also very passionate

https://twitter.com/RLonRY/status/841445338514878465 An interesting listen on a few points, not Bulls related. Schofield talks out of his bottom at times but think he's right this week and also very passionate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6g_n6rSdAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6g_n6rSdAI

Young Murray had a good game.

Yeah see your point, reading back maybe it is asking too much. But I would like to think there has been some sort of plan offered to Toovey. Regardless if its Toovey or not someone travelling half way around the world to a club thats been on the brink and been in financial mess year after year, has to have been offered some form of security and plan going forward to make them even consider taking it on let alone actually doing so

Let's hope after phoenix' delay they have decided not to announce until visas can be at least applied for