Have to say I was amazed when the likes of Duggan, Quinn et al were granted visas when their playing record (in terms of standard played at) was lower than some other players who got rejected at other clubs. They were basically 3rd & 4th grade players from Oz who had then played in the lower leagues here, none of which met the visa criteria. Players like Joe Williams who had played in the NRL were not given visas, so one wonders how these ones were ?

You bit early there son!

Indeed... Wouldn't last five minutes in this ocean..

Which begs the question as to how they got visas when they were in the National Leagues. Same rules apply don't they?

The process changed from last season to this. IIRC quite a few imports in the Championship and below had problems with the new rules this season, and some were unable to get back in even though they had been playing here before and were part way through contracts.

You'd have to expect that there will be nothing found. If the player's arrival were delayed whilst these VISA issues were cleared up in the first place then surely it was because everything was being done by the book.

Widnes by any chance? Your misguided hatred of us is bordering on delusional. When are you going to get it through your thick skull that Widnes Vikings as a club and their fans have moved on and are solely focused on our own future? You're a pathetic stirring keyboard warrior.

No, prior to this year players were able to come on "holiday and student" visas which had no onerous pre-qualifying criteria. Many of the players in NL1 and NL2 were playing on these.

From this year the rules changed and players must obtain a full employment visa and to get this there were certain criteria including having played at the highest level domestically (in their own country) for a certain number of games or had so many caps for their country in full test matches etc

The only stirring is on here.

Your response alone seems to suggest otherwise.

And I mentioned no club at all, everything else is your own, very paranoid inference.

Maybe you are a little bit too defensive though to be entirely innocent.

And FWIW, from my observation on this forum, Widnes fans, at least the most vocal ones, have far from moved on, limpets cling to a subject less vigourously.

FWIW, I agree. Some are being ridiculous. I can assure you that the majority couldn't give a fook about CC one way or another and are now enjoying both our club and our league. We are far more interested in our cup final in Blackpool than watching the new licence system unraveling before our eyes.



So, which club would that be then, and how did they recruit these players for CC without visas?

I think as a club the Vikings handled it brilliantly. To be honest, the only club I can think of as voicing their disgust was Leigh. I'd say a majority of Widnes fans are still bitter though, yes.

And don't try to play dumb, it's obvious what you were getting at.

What makes you say it is unravelling?

Uh oh not good

Indeed, the Franchise system is actually looking pretty damned rock solid really.

League is hugely competative with no one able to really call any match barring one or two, clubs introducing young players earlier and earlier, and without an injury crisis prompting it, more investment into youth development, long term planning going on, better preparation for next season sooner by established clubs, new clubs not having to risk all just in the hope of getting lucky in their first season.

It was a given that CC would struggle this season, maybe they have struggled more than people would like, but maybe thats down to Salford being more successful (on pitch) than many people thought? Not to mention the horror close season they endured that saw opening game team only having trained together once!

Something is indeed rotten in all this, but it isnt the Franchise system, and I suspect it isnt Celtics off field affairs.