The standard of rugby, facilities and climate that games are played in are much better these days and it makes you question why the sport’s growth remains fairly static. Personally I think for all the positive changes RL has made I believe it was a mistake dropping two knockout cup competitions all those years ago. Forget all this talk of players being fatigued, a good cup run was an easy way to reinvigorate local interest and gain new support. I understand the argument of players making too many appearances but isn’t this why teams have squads of 25 players? I have to question if this was just used as an excuse for continually failing to beat the Aussies rather than just admitting they're at a different level to us. Cup competitions are an opportunity to share out more success in the sport which ultimately is what attracts people to follow a club. More money, sponsorship, National TV exposure and local interest. It’s a no brainer for me because knock-out competitions are exciting and entertaining for the fans.

How can you expect anything from a game that encourages short-term success over long-term gain? Clubs basically gambling to stay in Super League. Sure, P&R was entertaining this year, but at what cost to Hull KR and Salford to a degree. What happens if Leigh go down the following year? Unfortunately, the cold harsh truth is that Super League needs to be a close shop for a good 10 years or so to get its house in order. Whether it's 10 or 14 clubs, I don't really care. Also, the game is crying out for England to win a meaningful competition or test series when it really matters. Hopefully this starts with the 4Nations...

Franchising wasn't all it was cracked up to be, though. It made the competition dull - bottom clubs thought they could just coast through the season with poor recruiting and bad coaching. Cas are a perfect example of this.

No matter what, people moan. The quality of the rugby, the set up, the governing body...moan moan moan. When we had franchising people said it sterilized the competition, when we did away with franchising people began to say it discourages long term planning which is ruining the game.

The game just doesn't have a lot of money. I sometimes wonder what people on here expect, when we have to negotiate sponsorship deals or what not it's going to be based on cold hard facts and figures. The average attendances are X, the primary audience is X..... 'we can't justify more than than x mount.' Most of the games you see on sky are played in front of 1/3 or half empty stadiums.

Relatively speaking tickets to events are peanuts. Look up the prices for the Four Nations. Furthermore people than want special offers and discount codes. In an era of an economic squeeze people can't be bothered to pay the meager prices to go to games because the entertainment just doesn't justify the extra money and effort to get there.

It is hilarious when people ask for discounts on international tickets. It's so funny it hurts to laugh.

This depressed rant is the kind of rubbish I hear from immigration officers at Manchester airport every time that I fly in.

There is a bright side. Toulouse is in the Championship and heading for Super League. Toronto Wolfpack is in League One and heading for Super League. Gregory Bird is signed with Catalans and heading for Super League. Things are finally looking up.

I think for the sport over here to progress England need to win this 4 nations series and stop being losers every time. Easier said than done but another gallant effort and hard luck story isn't going to cut it I'm afraid. It's decades now since we won an International tournament or series against the aussies. This has impacted negatively on the sport here and I can't see any change until we can somehow pull something out of the bag. I think this failure at International level doesn't just affect attendances, it's also sponsorship, TV revenue and more kids taking up the sport.

You could have the best CEO and marketeers in world sport but they will be limited to what they can offer if people always consider us an inferior rugby league nation with an inferior domestic competition

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I couldn't agree more...what the game needs is some proper business expertise, an outsider with no vested interests, somebody who can get all involved on board, somebody who has proven experience at running a multi million or even billion pound business. As you say we need to give him (presumably it will be a him) TOTAL power...I say Donald Trump ! He'll also be available in a couple of weeks.

I couldn't agree more...what the game needs is some proper business expertise, an outsider with no vested interests, somebody who can get all involved on board, somebody who has proven experience at running a multi million or even billion pound business. As you say we need to give him (presumably it will be a him) TOTAL power...I say Donald Trump ! He'll also be available in a couple of weeks.

Key words you used "it was entertaining"....that what is should be and the franchise system didn't offer that. And it was a closed shop for several seasons, and it's because of that HKR after finishing 4th in 2009 just plodded along after that seemingly content to make up the numbers in the middle of the table and found themselves the first casualties of this new system because they had a "we'll be fine" attitude. HKR going down could be the best thing to happen in a while and I don't mean that as a dig to HKR fans, but clubs now hopefully wake up that they can't just plod along and be safe, they can't just plod along and still expect to have a shot at a playoff spot with several rounds remaining.

I think that's definitely a factor, I don't know if it's the major one though.

Firstly, and I know some people will decry this as paranoia, but there is a bias against RL. Now, I think in the past this was an active bias against RL by the Union types, there were active efforts to disrupt and hold back RL. Whilst that still occasionally happens, RL is now more affected by the general bias against anything outside London and the public school system. The media and the government are both run by the public school establishment who only ever endorse and push their pet causes and issues and sometimes actively, sometimes passively ignore causes that aren't relevant to them. Add in the centralisation of both politics and media in the last few decades and it's really hit RL.

Secondly, the obsession with the domestic game, here but especially in Australia, has been to the detriment on the game as a whole. The international game has suffered from neglect and little to no long term planning. This in turn has affected the games media and public profile.

Thirdly, the clubs flagrant disregard for investment and long term planning has massively hindered growth both nationally but also locally.

Did the Aussies force us to switch to a summer season in order to accommodate Sky? Hence why proper tours can no longer be scheduled and why we are reduced to squeezing a few internationals in at the end of the domestic seasons as a mere afterthought?

Did the Aussies force us into ditching the GB brand and replacing it with England, to the detriment of the development of other home nations like Wales, Ireland and Scotland and the termination of the successful Ashes Series concept?

Are the Aussies responsible for us being next to useless as a competitive international RL force against them for the past 45 years? Hence the growth of Origin as their modern-day pinnacle?

Go and develop some historical perspective and quit blaming the Aussies for everything that's rotten with the state of RL in this country, just because it fits snugly with your blinkered pro-SL agenda.

A nice distortion of history there, but I expect nothing less from you.

If you think the Aussies would be coming over and playing a full tour you're more deluded than I thought. Quite why you think it makes a difference to the Aussies when our season is I have no idea.

As for GB, well of course the Aussies wouldn't play a GB tour down under a year or so ago would they. GB were up for it, why weren't the Aussies?

We changed to England to get the Sport England money. Aside from a name change it hasn't affected the other nations in the slightest, unless you're now in favour of farcical "heritage" and "residency" rules now?

The Aussies are, as you well know, responsible for the continued plundering of Pacific Island nations talent and more through State of Origin the diminishing of the international game. Lest you forget Australia are not the top RL nation. Even Cameron Smith thinks the Aussies have neglected the international game in favour of the domestic game and State of Origin.