No, I think it's you who missed the point that GFB was making in that the birth of Les Cats was not EXPANDING the game as it was already in a RL area.

The widely held understanding is that an "expansion" club is a new club in a non-RL area.

If a new club was launched in a suburb of Leeds would it be an expansion club? I don't think so.

I am happy to see that Les Cats have been successful. Maybe the RFL should have launched a club down there in year one instead of the ridiculous notion that putting a club in Paris was bound to be a success.

Then the same would apply to Toulouse, Perpignan was no more an RL area prior to Les Catalans involvement than Toulouse are now.

Some people, to further their own ends it seems, want to paint a picture where where Perpignan was akin to Leeds, some huge sleeping giant of RL where there were tons of players and fans already abound all it took was us to plonk a club there whereas Toulouse is some pie-in-the-sky expansion dream where people barely know the game and it is no different to putting a club in Ulan Bator.

Rather than the more obvious truth, that RL was a small game with a relatively small following, hard, good quality work in a large non-rl saturated area, meant they could grow and they continue to do so. We should be saying well done Les Catalans, lets learn what worked for you, learn what didn’t and use that to get other clubs in similar areas to grow and build as you did. Not pretending they were somehow massively different to everyone else and irrelevant to other clubs.

excellent post which sums up the situation perfectly



just to add to that - Toulouse is a ar richer area than Perpignan generally with a bigger potential fan base and a bigger investment potential

notice the important word is 'POTENTIAL' - nothing can be taken for granted and a lot would depend on having a competive team to get the speccies to attend as well as good marketing, something which Carlos is good at plus of course good management to give yourself a fighting chance

all very pretty....but still, I was responding to the statement below.


as for the widley held understanding......you are spot on, but I repeat, read what I was responding to before questioning my post.

Where would the players come from for Toulouse? NRL is drying up and it doesn't look like the French systems are bringing through enough quality Jnr's to stock two teams?

London?

Personally I would like to see Toulouse in SL. Then when we have 14 again we should just shut up shop for good. We should cast aside the CC and CC1 and let them get on with it.

Only if a club goes under should we invite new members. It stops this merry go round every 3 years and gives teams a proper chance to build.

Yours Faithfully
Maurice Lindsay

Exactly what I was thinking, any french players good enough for SL are already at Cats, are there really another 16/17 SL quality players in France or do we just put a squad of NRL reserve graders together ???

Assuming the Bulls are not in SL next season and on the basis that any "promoted" club would need a complete overhaul of their squad why not dangle the carrot of promotion to the CC clubs an the basis of whoever wins the Grand Final gets promotion.
I know its an outdated idea to reward the top team in the league below but its a simple format and does away with the lack of transparency and would save the embarrassment of financial checks that dont work..............................

is that why Cas are a bottom three side then, because they have 16/17 SL quality players ?

please, you're 'avin a larf mate !

we won't bother to go even lower to the brilliant Vikings and the mighty Broncos...

Yeah quite correct, cas haven't produced 16/17 quality SL players who play SL at the moment

It’s a worthwhile question, but, on the other hand, considering the huge amount of overseas players still in SL, is there the player pool to sustain another northern English club? Especially with the short-turn around wouldn’t we essentially see a team on NRL reserve graders whoever it ended up being?

Personally I think we need at least 2 french teams, if only for that fact that young French players have only one professional outlet at the moment. In England Jodie Broughton couldn’t force his way into the Leeds side ahead of Lee Smith/Scott Donald and Ryan Hall, so he went to Salford and is now in knocking on the door for and England call up. If the likes of Vaccari cant force his way past Blanch/Cardace/Stacul then, realistically, he goes to union or reverts to semi-pro.