The main beef with a team winning it from 5th was that it was Leeds.

After the top 5 and GF’s pretty much were the same teams/finalists/winners each year people thought more playoffs spots would provide different finalists/winners and wouldn’t have minded if it was a new champion winning from 5th. After winning it from 2nd and 1st three years on the trot people weren’t expecting/hoping it to be Leeds to be the team finishing 5th and winning it.

Or, finding a structure that can ensure the inclusion of Toronto and Toulouse.
We might end up with a 16 club top flight, just to ensure that they are in there or
to ensure that the "mighty" Leeds are not relegatedicon_eek.gif

It's quite incredible that the structure will be agreed when the season is effectively over, which leaves us looking downright inept and smacks of either favouritism or utter incompetence.

Source

The issue of celebrating winning trophies from any league position isn't something that will be troubling Leeds for a while.

championship


regarding the new league structure, this may annoy many, but could you imagine football clubs like man city/united chelsea liverpool being dictated too by the likes of crewe, port vale, etc! it wouldnt happen, so why should SL be held to ransom by clubs who cant manage 1000 fans at a game!

can see a breakaway happening and SL going it alone if the new deal isnt agreed, smaller clubs will then be left with nothing.

Yeah, cos the likes of Batley and Whitehaven are holding a gun to the RFL's head. Lenagan, McAnus and Pearson don't care about the game, they just want more money.

They really have 2 choices, agree to the new deal and keep P and R or don't and SL will break away and become a closed shop again, probably taking London, Toronto and Toulouse with them going up to 14. Widnes will go down.

This will leave the non-SL leagues with no big spending clubs (although quite well supported). It will also increase the gap between pro and semi-pro.

Do you REALLY think, when all's said and done, the non-SL clubs will vote to completely cut themselves off from a chance of eventually going pro?

It might well benefit the rest of the RL world if SL did break away. The "promised land" of SL would be no more, but there would be a separate competition that could either choose to stay semi-pro or potentially look to grow over time and negotiate their own TV deals etc.

The main problem would be where the RFL fit into all of this. If it's a clean break away from the RFL structure, then SL would have some massive logistical problems to develop an operational structure very quickly. There's also the issue of who would be eligible to play for their country in the World Cup etc.

I don’t disagree now that the poisonous section of the club have finally gotten their way.

Depends on what funding is on the table. Might be in the interest of Champ/L1 to start a little bullying tactics of there own.

I think the issue with Leeds as a club during this period was that they clearly weren't putting 100% in until the playoffs. They would just coast along get a top 5 finish then show up for the last 3 or 4 games and be champions. This isn't a criticism of them, they did what the needed to do and they did it well. However it shows how poor the system is when it is generally accepted that trying to finish top of the league is a waste of energy.

It is funny how many of the RFLs attempt to artificially level the playing field and share the success around has actually resulted in the opposite. Mainly the playoffs and the salary cap.

I don’t think it was lack of effort in 2011. McGuire and Peacock missed the first half of the year with the serious knee injuries they picked up at the end of 2010. McDermott was meant to be McClennen’s assistant in 2011 before taking over in 2012 but McClennen decided to leave before the season started so plenty of upheaval and players like Diskin, Donald and Eastwood had left and Senior was finished by May. Their was plenty going on that makes a lower league position understandable.

In 2012 I do think we prioritised other things in the WCC at Headingley for the first time and finally trying to land the cup for these players. Had they done so they probably wouldn’t have won the GF. You can call it a lack of effort in the league but when they’d won it several times by that point it’s understandable to target those other things I mentioned.

Adam Pearson and Neil Hudgell (FC and KR owners) have issued a joint statement. Basically putting pressure on the RFL for agreement on the SL clubs proposal on Friday, hinting there will be a breakaway if they don't

rlhttps://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/rugby-league-news/super-league-structure-pearson-hudgell-1996292rl