Quote: Hedgehog King "The same as Cumbria then. And yet Cumbria has produced SL players.'"
Which regions are you comparing to? NE and Midlands as being a similar geographic distance to SL teams to Cumbria?
Or the South? What doesn't make sense there is your "and yet" statement, as the south has produced multiple SL players. If it's Cubria compared to the South, then there are some clear differences between Cumbria and the South (excluding Broncos):
Presence of semi pro teams for many years.
Past SL/top division presence.
Locality to SL heartlands - it's a lot nearer than the South.
Historic presence of RL.
I'm still not clear on which region you're comparing Cumbria to though, and the point you're making about it.