Exactly it saves money, saves games, allows an extra international window and an expansion opportunity to boot. It aint perfect, but his reasoning is really wide of the mark. You can see why he's a prop.

James Graham is spot on. The eater fixtures are a joke now - a relic of the bygone era when players clocked off from down't pit, jogged to the match, and trundled around for 80 minutes. Oh and had a good smook on't pipe after the match.

The game has moved on, but RL wants lacks the foresight or gumption to protect it's players.

All the more galling is it's lame and silly efforts to create 'magic' weekends. We know the RL isn't the best promoter of the game and is still struggling to reestablish it's credibility following the catastrophe of World Cups. Immediately springing to mind are Lebanon vs New Zealand in Reading on a cold Tuesday evening and one of the worst whitewashes in sport in recent history.

Granted the RFL have improved their efforts over the last years, but they are clearly inept when it comes to accounting for the needs of players and spreading the game in the first place.

Quite. It makes me cringe when players from Saints do this. As for complaining about travelling for 5 hours, I guess he'd better thank his stars he doesn't play soccer, where they occasionally have to leave the M62.

Graham's a very good player with the potential to become a great prop for GB, but he needs to shut up on this. After all, if we had never tried to take the game to new areas, then would any big ginger scousers find themselves playing professional rugby league and earning a nice mint out of it ?

Think on, James.

hold the world club challenge as the last match of the weekend. that way the aussies cant moan about it bein a trial game and the weekend has a real important match headlining it.

that would leave 13 sl clubs to play each other. the odd one out could play the national league grand final winner just for fun.

So the Aussies are going to send a team over here in the middle of their season? Get real.

So last years champions play 2 games over the weekend or does the team set to play the champions have the week off?

The RFL for all their faults have continued to show on a regular baiss that they embrace change and lead where other follow, your arguement is flawed. The game is spread far and wide. The armchair supporters across the UK prove what a great product we have.

Because Easter is so close to MM I can understand the overkill, but we'd all be moaning if Sky showed one game a week.

The only issue I have with MM is that it's not derbies as I think that is what gives the magic weekend its magic. I'll go this year and enjoy it the same as every other time I've been to big RL events.

The answer is in the post you have just quoted.

]

undoubtedly the aussies would need A LOT of convincing. but if the nrl champions could start their season a week early like the sl champions do at the minute, then it could be worked out.

whatever happens tho, the magic weekend needs to have some added importance than just being a regular round of games.

]


nope. no one needs to have a week off. E.g. this season say st helens and brisbane are each league's respective champions. then those two would face off in the world club challenge as the last game of the magic weekend.

that leaves 13 super league clubs. 12 of those clubs would then make up 6 fixtures for the weekend with a random draw deciding who plays who. the 13th club, say for arguments sake is the celtic crusaders. they would then play the national league grand final winners in a special challenge match. this then gives some national league representation at the magic weekend.

I am still waiting for these subsidised tickets to appear. i live in hope.

Based on what? I'm pretty sure the reports I've read is that we've sold more than Cardiff.

yep, the Times is reporting that 4k have been sold to the Jockos which is more than the number sold to Taffies last year.

a full 4k? well i won't get too excited then