There's still enough interest and excitement to keep me going watching Leigh at Championship level.

However, comparing the period between 1999 and 2004, during which time Leigh were pushing for lower league honours, there was a pathway to the top flight that revolved around winning a competition. Every season there was something very meaningful and exciting to play for.

The current scenario doesn't excite me though: Hypothetically Leigh could win NR Cup tomorrow, which will be great in the here and now. Then with SL ambitions, Leigh could then spend the next 2 1/2 seasons doing nothing much on the field. We'd need to concentrate on the building the business side of things. Then, on some random weekday in 2014 we'll be notified by press release if we've been accepted or not.

I'd be happy, I believe, but as a sports fan it doesn't get my blood pumping.

And it's not even the worst case scenario for getting to SL. Consider that we could follow a very similar path, but replace winning the NR Cup with losing a Grand Final and we can get there without any notable sporting achievements.

And it's all very similar to what has happened at Widnes this time. Widnes have spent 3 seasons being distinctly average at Championship level, but they're going to SL.

I'm sure it was far more exciting for Widnes fans when they won the GF back in 2001.

So tomorrows winner will tick an application for super league box.isn't that unfair on Wakefield who will only get two bites of the cherry in the NRC(2012/13) as opposed to the others getting three (2011/12/13)

No, because they'll have a bigger salary cap allowance. Swings and roundabouts. They should sweep the board next year whilst the rest of the clubs play their "bit part" roles on a £300k cap before Wakey get shunted back into SL, some say in 2013. (tis only a rumour though, before tb puts his pedantic "fact hat" on)

You might want to take a closer look at the process. It's an arbitrary process, not a fair process.

Fairness doesn't even enter in to the equation. Wakefield won't be disadvantaged, because they'll get back to SL if the RFL want them. If they don't, someone else will be given the chance.

The results of the process can be debated, but the way it's done gives the RFL the power to chose whoever they want without any true justification for their reasons behind it.

Yeah well, bully for you then

Championship is boring.

We've won the Grand Final, been to blackpool. Had our win in the challenge cup at an SL side.

Now I'm waiting for my team to lose its attendances, go into administration and die slowly and the RFL will just look the other way and be glad to see us lose the proud history of our club.

Except the result isn't the same, because you'd have never got to SL on the back of a NR Cup win in previous seasons. You've been decidedly average for 3 seasons and under P&R you wouldn't have deserved a place in the top flight. But you can qualify now by not winning a damn thing, so I suppose you did win something at least.

its amazing some people stilll dont get it. Im too tired of this to bother explaining it again.

Don't get what?

That the RFL are hand picking teams for Super League based on criteria that have little to not to do with sport? I think I've figured that one...

Or something else?

They are also hand picking reasons to keep teams in, under the 2008 criteria Crusaders would be well and truly below Wakefield and Halifax. Come 2015 the RFL will simply put who ever they want in SL and make the rules up to fit. Already it's been said that Toulouse going back to the French league won't effect there application for 2015. All very convenient now that they won't after compete with the rest of us riff raff to win the GF or the NRC.

It's easy. Pick yourselves up a Steve O'Connor and by-pass the queue. Good on Widnes i say but that is THE ONLY reason they're in.

No they rent a shiny stadium aswell, that also helps.

I thought it was because they got themselves in the clique!

I dont think thats entirely true. There is the small matter of the largest crowds in the league by some distance, the club facilities, other factors. I don't doubt O Connor has been great for us, but he's not the single reason we're on our way up. More one of them. One team was definitely coming up, can you think of any other team more suited right now?

We can waffle about championship winners all we want to, but there is the fact that were we all playing under old rules people's squads would look very different. We wouldn't have this salary cap either you'd feel, it's a tad on the short side and doesn't benefit the biggest clubs in any way.