I think that's fair Printer, I suppose the question is whether relegation will allow them to rebuild to where they were, or acause further damage?

When you boil it down, SL needs the strongest teams in the top flight, strength is measured in a number of ways imo, not just on the field (which it can be argued is what the current system measures).

If people cared about the game and not just their own team, they'd want the strongest most stable teams in the top flight to create a higher quality competition. It shouldn't matter if the team is from Leigh, Toronto, Catalan, Featherstone or Timbuktu.

I'd like to think there's room for Catalans, Leigh, Toronto, Toulouse & London in an expanded Super League. Each with an academy and a reserve grade team.

Other than the drama and jeopardy I struggle to see what good P&R does. Widnes are a good example of a club who benefited from the protection of the franchise, they improved each year and as has been mentioned they are producing first team players through their academy now. However this year they've obviously took 3 steps back. They sold their best player and showed no ambition to try and sign someone of similar quality. Would they have been more willing to invest in quality if they knew they were guaranteed to be in Super League next year?

To improve the quality of the competition in the long term you need to significantly increase the pool of players, this can be achieved through expansion as well as investing in the junior game in the heartlands. Clubs need to be have the stability and resource to invest in academies, reserve grades and coaching. Get more players playing the game and importantly, have the facilities to retain them when they get to 18-19.

Excellent post.

Well said Vasty.

Of course Catalan offer SL more in terms of profile, TV contracts, sponsorship and a access to a bigger player pool than Leigh, but that shouldn't be a reason to keep them in SL by default.

quite simply they recruited the wrong coach in Fresseynous, have bought some terrible players while allowing the better French talent to go elsewhere in SL and seem to have no team spirit at all. It's been a shocking mis-management from where they were under Trent Robinson where teams used to fear going to France and they always had an advantage in the transfer market due to the lifestyle on offer in the South of France.

In some ways relegation could help them, they would be allowed to release all the deadwood and start afresh. As much as it pains me to say it HullKR are in a stronger position now post-relegation than they were 12 months ago.

Rugby League needs to get to a place where relegation to the Championship isn't seen as a death sentence, it is seen as a blow but a place to re-build and come back stronger.

I hope that Catalans beat Leigh decisively. We don't need a club that is a suburb of Wigan in Super League.

Hopefully 2019 will see Catalans, Toulouse, Toronto and London all in Super League.

"How did you go bankrupt?" Bill asked.
"Two ways," Mike said. "Gradually and then suddenly."

Lost London, lost Bradford, lose Catalans...

In twenty years there won't be a professional Rugby League competition in England and the remaining people who watch the game will blame it on a conspiracy by outsiders.

Widnes are one example but in the other side of the coin both Wakefield and Salford have won the MPG and look at their seasons? Could be argued that it gave them the kick up backside scare they needed.

If we didn't have P/R or Middle 8's and Catalans were guaranteed to be a SL side I could see them in the bottom 2/3 positions for the foreseeable future comfortable in the knowledge their SL status isn't under threat. So whilst you can say it gave teams time to build - Widnes got given a 'promotion' to SL and probably felt they needed to justify that decision and felt most under threat the next time a license got given out, you can also say it could leads to some other teams getting complacent safe in the knowledge the RFL would never relegate them.....Catalans for example.

Hopefully Leigh will win so we can hopefully get rid of you, and your continuous claptrap post.

And that is the perfect post.

All of this is spot on. For the game to grow we need a strong second tier, super league shouldn't be the be all and end all. Hopefully sky will show championship games more regularly next season with Toronto, Catalans, London and Toulouse all likely to be challenging for the top 4.