So Jamie's banging on about a reduction to a ten team competition, again. But rather than citing his usual player burn-out theory, he’s now trying a new tack, that of player drain to Aus. He’s advocating a £2M cap as a way of reducing top British players going down-under. Now, I don’t know how much the cap is in Aus but I’m sure it’s a damn sight more than that. So even if we go to a £2M cap would that stop our stars jetting off to Aus, to play in the top competition in the world, with a quality of life far superior to what we have back home? The more the merrier I say & I may just see another W.C victory. loverugbyleague.com/blogpost_602 ... ction.html

So Jamie's banging on about a reduction to a ten team competition, again. But rather than citing his usual player burn-out theory, he’s now trying a new tack, that of player drain to Aus. He’s advocating a £2M cap as a way of reducing top British players going down-under. Now, I don’t know how much the cap is in Aus but I’m sure it’s a damn sight more than that. So even if we go to a £2M cap would that stop our stars jetting off to Aus, to play in the top competition in the world, with a quality of life far superior to what we have back home? The more the merrier I say & I may just see another W.C victory. loverugbyleague.com/blogpost_602 ... ction.html

There probably should be less teams, but, would he say the same were he at a club which would be a candidate to go, and, as the leader of a union, shouldn't he really want more possible jobs for his members?

plus less teams means less games, unless you start playing teams a third time. So of course jamie will be happy to accept a proportionate decrease in his wage?.

NRL salary cap is 4.2 million pound next season and growing every year, SL will never compete now the NRL is getting its real worth from TV deals

He doesn't have any idea.

It's funny how he never had anything to say when the big clubs were using their 'influence' to lure players from lesser clubs over the years. Now with the threat of some of the game's biggest names going to the NRL, or worse still Union, he's on his high horse demanding a knee jerk reaction.

If we do end up with a 10 team league it'll still be the same old clubs in the top and bottom half of the league and people will be moaning about there not being enough teams to compete.

I agree something needs to be done but JP does not have the solution.

Is that based on experience in Australia?

The 2 leagues of 10 seems to catch support because it offers solutions to things people have invented as our problems. It doesn’t actually address any of our actual real issues.

2 leagues of ten well not help produce more quality players, it will not get us a wider support base, it will not get us higher visibility as a game, it will not bring in better sponsors, it will not help spread the game, it will not help clubs challenge at the very top of SL, and it will not bring more money in to the game.

The league and the game needs to stop looking for a silver bullet, Franchising gives clubs the time and space to grow, they should get on with doing that. Get on with selling tickets, get on with selling a spectacle, get on with improving youth development, get on with improving their corporate departments. When we do that pretty much everything else will follow .

Australia is a lovely place, but I wouldnt live there again.

Standard of living is a subjective thing when comparing a place like Aus to a place like the UK. Its not all about the massive prawns.

In an ideal world, when the current Sky contract runs out, the RFL will begin a shrewd renegotioation process, offering the broadcasting rights of their fantastic competition to anyone who is interested. They will use the impressive Sky viewing figures - along with a positive public reaction to the 2013 World Cup - to begin a bidding war between Sky and BT's recently created sports channels.
This will lead to a far more lucrative outcome, providing the funding which will allow the RFL to increase the salary cap for all teams in the competition and also improve other facets of the sport, such as marketing and grass roots development.


But of course, the reality is that our sport is run by a set of dimwits who have STILL yet to find a main league sponsor after almost half of the season is complete, thanks in part to them giving away said sponsorship for free last year.

A two tier Superleague makes sense IMO. Play each team in your league home and away (18 games), for Superleague One a top 5 play off and the bottom 5 play out with worst team relegated and the second worst team playing the runners up of the Superleague Two play offs.

Having only 18 regular season league games could be offset by having a early season Superleague Cup with 5 groups of 4 teams playing each other home and away, with the group winners and the best group runners up qualifying for the 1/4 finals.

This would ensure every team would have at least 12 home games a season.

I don't think a 10 team league would work. It means either 9 home games or repeat fixtures.

I'd do something along these lines:
14 teams
6 team playoff
Large payout for finishing first
5 year licensing system with far more transparency
Place in expanded WCC for Challenge Cup winner
When SL teams play a Championships team they can only use 1 overseas player
Some way of rewarding the Championship GF winner, be it financial or maybe a bye to the Challenge Cup Quarter Final next season?
I'd also increase the amount paid to Championship clubs from the SL TV deal, maybe into a central pot to be used for marketing Championship clubs and certain games?

I'm dreading the thought that Peacock might try to pursue a career at the RFL when he retires and end up with some sort of influence. Pretty much everything he suggests is the exact opposite of what should actually be done.

Am I the only person that think that re-nogotiation with sky is in order. Whilst they won't like parting with their cash, they will not want to see one of their premier veiwing programmes deteriorating in quality when all the british stars run off to the NRL and the overseas starts stop coming back?