Also they are not looking to compete with the Leeds/ Hulls etc on promotion. Like any sporting club the first challenge is to compete with the lower end before taking on the big boys.

Only in RL do we ask a team to compete at the top end of the game on promotion. In the PL, teams are just left to get on with it. No one expected Stoke FC to prove they could topple Man United from the number 1 spot to gain access. They simply had to stay up and build from there.

So you're happy to have a team in the league that is uncompetitive and getting flogged every other week?

And football in this country has a worse record of clubs going into admin that we do. I have also not said that I ask for a club to challenge on promotion, I would ask that they are competitive, and also that they are in a position to be challenging at some point in the near future.

Let me ask you this. In all honesty, without putting in place rules deliberately designed to hamper the top clubs (and that includes the deliberately low SC we have now), can you see Fev growing to a level where they could feasibly compete in 5 years time? 10 years? Ever?

and if we allow clubs in SL that are never going to challenge, are always going to be second best, why do we have an SC to protect them and keep them competitive?

Second best to the NRL? Well, yeh-eh. Does the A-League constantly beat itself up because it can't compete with the English Premier League? Is the CFL in a permanent tizz that it isn't as good as the NFL?

We have to build a competition based on what we have, rather than what we wish we had.

Sounds like this SmokeyTA is just jealous that Featherstone are on the up at the same time as Bradfords Bulls are on the slide.

He's a Leeds fan.

Thankfully what he wants for the game is not the direction that it's heading in. Hallelujah!!

O I see. Thanks.

Well, the new structure is coming in whether he likes it or not.

Sounds like he'd be better off trying to persuade Hetherington to apply for Leeds to join the NRL instead of SL!

Thankfully the game will still be here long after you clowns are dead.

Okay, slowly may have been the wrong word, but the progression at the club could be seen last night from where we were 5 years to today. A crowd of under 4,000 at this level of rugby is very good, especially when there was such little support.

I agree that the club needs to make huge improvements and knowing the chairmen, directors and staff like I do, they will be working there best to achieve this.

One major difference at the club is the positiveness and understanding what the end goal is.

Really enjoying the debate Smokey.

If the club understand and acknowledge that they have huge improvements to make to even be in a position to compete, then why are we introducing a system which will likely see them promoted to SL before they have chance to make those improvements and in fact take the emphasis away from making the improvements in favour of short-term on-field success? How will that be of benefit to anyone?

Problem is, you could apply that to half the clubs in SL !!! Perhaps they should cut it down to 10 teams.

That's fine, but it effectively means promote no one as the odds are against them and keep clubs in SL as they are the best we can hope for.

Also we can cut SL right down as I mean seriously what are the odds of clubs like Huddersfield, Warrington, Hull KR ever achieving.

Decades of going no where, decades of mediocrity. Should have been merged with Halifax, Saints and Hull FC to allow them to succeed.

Ok I'm being sarcastic, but no one can predict the future of clubs, todays SL is a hell uv a lot different to the first SL.

Only 6 club surviving, Bradford and Leeds swapping opposite ends of the league, London from a successful start slowly fading over time. Warrington annual contenders rather than annual pretenders. Clubs in the mean time have flirted with relegation, been down and come back merged, restarted. None of it is predictable as you make it sound. Whose to say Featherstone will not thrive and others fall back, that is sport. You cannot predict 10-20 years ahead.

But I'll let you try. £10 to you if you can predict 3/4ers of SL 2030. I'm happy to make it a one way bet.

1. St Helens
2. Wigan
3. Bradford
4. London
5. Warrington
6. Halifax
7. Sheffield Eagles
8. Oldham
9. Castleford
11. Paris St Germain
12. Workington

1 Huddersfield Giants
2 Warrington Wolves
3 Wigan Warriors
4 Leeds Rhinos
5 St Helens
6 Catalan Dragons
7 Hull FC
8 Hull K R
9 Bradford Bulls
10 Wakefield Wildcats
11 Widnes Vikings
12 Castleford Tigers
13 Salford City Reds
14 London Broncos

When are all the nobbheads on here going to realise we dont have half a dozen big city potential mega clubs just waiting to despatch Leeds and Wigan from their lofty perchs at the top of RL in this country

We have what we have, any improvement to it should be applauded, to belittle it just shows how completely out of touch with reality these idiots are

You're Padge on TotalRL aren't you..... ....