I think a two-tier league is the way to go, personally. That would at least start to prepare the basis for improving some of the current Championship clubs, providing resource was made available to those clubs. The idea would be to improve and expand the British talent pool, and definitley not an expansion of the aged Antipodean pension plans! There would still have to be a set of meaningful, achievable criteria for a team to progress to the top tier though. Would Leigh be one of those clubs in the second tier? I would hope so, but we would still have to earn that right - and I believe we have embarked on the path to try to do just that.

However, if the RFL want to stick to one 'Super' league, let's do it properly now and cut to six teams, playing each other four times. Let's face it, London, Widnes, Hull KR, Castleford, Wakefield, Bradford and pick your other two, are never going to be top teams again.

In principle it sounds great - But even a 2 tier Super League has its flaws, what about Barrow, Whitehaven, Oldham, Rochdale, Hunslet, etc.. why should they miss out on the money? They have as much history and potential fanbase as some of the other clubs in there.

I reckon (at all levels) the RFL need to cap the amount of Aussies for each team, clubs can then invest the big bucks spent on them in developing youth, this in turn should increase the talent pool of our own home grown players.

It's not a quick fix though

Not excluding those teams. That's why I say we have to earn our right to inclusion, just like all the rest, including the teams you mention. Next season we have a bigger Championship league, when many of the teams you cite, will also get the opportunity to start along the road that the likes of Featherstone, Halifax and Leigh have embarked on.

Just another thought I had, if the RFL and SLE are determined to stick with franchising, which they are. Why can't they give us a bigger piece of the cake and chop 2% off the SL prize money and put it into the prize money for the NRC and both Championship and C1 Grand Finals. Make the prize money really really big, so that it can change a club.

It makes the competitions more important, if clubs win they can make a difference, and if a club is dominant and wins 2 or 3 competitions in the 3 year absence from SL and get in SL they will be far more prepared on and off the pitch, therefore more likely to succeed.

I actually typed a nice response to your post yesterday TWICE before my internet fubar'd at work and now I cant be bothered carrying it on. So moving on, the raising of prize money has drastically increased, hell, if you win it now you get a 1/3 of your years expenses paid! Two tiers just isn't the way to go, it would have to be 2 conferences. If you're adamant about having 20 teams feeding from the SL pie it would have to be 18 (imho) at the top table playing from 2 conferences, play your conference twice and the other once alternating year by year giving you 25 games. Magic weekend can be round 5 of the challenge cup so all teams have a shot a\t getting there. Reduces the fixture list and gives you loads more debies to offset that loss

LIke what was metioned on the Wigan board, theres already a two teir Super League anyways, as the likes of Cas, Widnes, Wakefeild will never realistically win the Super League, so why not just split the leagues up into top halves with promotion and relegation with the league

I think Walefield are capable of challenging. They seem to build a nice team only for things to go t!ts up, Hudds' great young British production line is basically Wakeys' old academy team, the same as Bradford or Leeds have just pinched them over they years. These things go in cycles and I think Wakey COULD be capable of making the step up at some point; sleeping giant if you will.

That's good, so there could yet be hope for Featherstone, Halifax, Leigh, Barrow, Workington, Oldham, Hunslet, Swinton etc. etc.

Have we not already got spending rules in place to stop clubs over spending Thrush?

Yes however the gulf between what a newly promoted team should spend within its means in year one and what the established SL teams can afford to spend and still just break even is unfair. If a newly promoted team was spending its money on the next Tomkins, Bateman et al I wouldn't be so bothered but history shows they don't do they; KRs first season in SL should highlight that all too well

When I backed two leagues of ten, I meant one 'Super League', for want of a better phrase, and a league below, where clubs could be developed as potential 'SL' members, with many of the current 'Licensing' criteria in place. (as long as the 'SL' clubs met them too) I would see the aim of that second league, to develop 'British', and only British perhaps, players.

Thrush do you really think that players like Sam and the rest would leave a successfull club just for a few bucks. You talk some tripe mr/mrs. I have now engaged you in conversation and broken my rule so no more. Starbug and some more are right you just spout rubbish. You don't wear rose tinted specs youerar welding goggles.

You believe that referees are biased towards certain towns: enough said about your credibility on anything RL. A riposte from someone else might continue the discussion. You might as well carry on spouting your claptrap elsewhere.

Isn't that fundamentally where we find ourselves now only the teams below can't fund themselves to bridge the gap to the league above?
My ultimate issue here is that of player pool: if Chp clubs were given 500k funding... they'd just give the same poor-ordinary players more money and that money would be wasted