Hull FC, Leeds, Warrington. These clubs have the resources and the size to be serial grand final winners, yet they’ve seemingly just given up the ghost on the pitch.

They are just existing, in a malaise of mid-table nothingness.

Hull FC this season might even be worse than some of the Leeds ‘teams of recent years’.

Saints or Wigan will win the grand final this year and will continue to clean up for the foreseeable future.

The mediocrity of Leeds, Warrington and hull is really bad for the competition. They can do so much better.

Because they all don’t have an academy and just buy in mercenaries.

Leeds are the most embarassing of the 3 because they pretty much have the choice of any good kid playing rugby in Yorkshire. Obviously their coaches are terrible.

Warrington are at last giving youth a chance and have some cracking kids coming through.

Errr we have a acedemy and are having to bring youngsters through and have played Lewis Martin,Nick staveley,Jack Charles,Will Gardiner,Laidlaw and have got a couple of other good ones not ready yet so not bad for a team with no acedemy…we didn’t kick o after our 2 cup wins due to poor decisions from coach and owner but get your facts right before you have a pop

Hull FC are suffering from the financial fallout of the pandemic. And some poor decisions, but that comes back to money because they can’t afford to rectify those errors as quickly as they want/need to. They don’t have an independently wealthy benefactor and aren’t inherently ‘big’ in the way Wigan and Leeds are.

Leeds learned some of the wrong lessons from their period of success, falling in love with the mythology of it a bit too much. At some point I expect them to realise this and buy back their seat at the top table.

Wire - I’m thinking that maybe Powell just wasn’t a good fit. It’s going to be very difficult to overcome Saints’ and Wigan’s substantial incumbency advantages, but with continued backing from ownership I can easily imagine Wire becoming the main dark horses again.

This is a silly thread. If the OP really thinks the teams named have "given up" and the people running them are in any way happy about not being in finals and challenging at the top of the table then they haven't spent much time around those clubs. It's just rubbish.

I bet you either a hull fc fan or Leeds fan. Am I right?

Not posted on the VT for a good couple of years, but I see nothing much has changed; FlexWheeler is still a moron.

Next season could be a turning point for the weaker teams, with all the new rules coming in making it more or less a semi contact game it could have a levelling up effect. Teams with big forceful defences like Wigan, Catalan and St Helens might have to adjust more and become handicapped because intensity levels will most likely drop.

I wouldn't worry about that, nobody will want to watch the game by then.

And you are still a posing gobbin.

It all boils down to nothing to play for.

Hull for example img rating is no where near bottom should they finish bottom well they are safe anyway why waste money on players if no need this whole system is spoiling the game and making it a farce

This makes absolutely no sense. You are basically saying hull fc have no aspirations other than to not get relegated which kind of Backs up what the OP is saying

I think in the case of Hull FC that's correct. It's clear Pearson isn't keen on putting any more money into the club than he absolutely needs to. If the club cannot be relegated, he no longer needs to spend up to the salary cap on the squad.

It's ultimately a self defeating policy however, as the less money they invest in players the worse the team is. The worse the team performs, the lower the gate receipts, competition money and sponsorship gets.

Hull FC desperately need a new owner, not a new coach.

Nice thread...good story. How is it going today?

Cas today absolutely looked like a side who had given up on the field.