The more clubs adopt this attitude, the closer the championship gets to being a feeder / reserve league.

Yes, we need to attract fans. We need to do our bit to get as much of the local population interested in the sport in some capacity as possible.

But the one thing you absolutely need to play a game of rugby? Players. It's not a lack of fans that's causing concern at the moment, it's lack of players. Clubs are finding that they now need a squad of 30+ players to get through a season. Sometimes a club will get through 40+. You can't do this without developing players yourself. Even if it's taking players that are rejected by clubs between 16-19 and running a reserves, then promoting them to the first team.

And that is the best way at present

There is no lack of players , every year the 10 SL clubs will ' induct ' a 100 new players into their academies , every season they will then give 20-30 full time 1 st tean contracts , leaving 70 odd players to find a new club at a lower level

There is a lack of junior players playing the game at amateur level , that is where clubs like Leigh should be concentrating their efforts , to get more kids playing the game at school and local community clubs

You end up as ' feeder/reserve league when the clubs in it cannot afford to pay enough players to make up a squad to get through the season

The significant word here is ' afford ' , taking on the 100 and 1 st player on at 16 in an attempt to turn him into a proffessional ( SL ) player might well cost you 30K , and the odds on actually succeeding ? , probably 10 to 1 , you might make one player every ten years , so one player costing your club 300 K ? , is that an affordable project ? , especially to then see that player sign on for a local SL club 2 seasons down the line ?

For a sport with no lack of players, there was a hell of a lot of instances of teams that couldn't get 17 players together for matches. Plus a high number of players coming out of retirement. How many championship clubs are giving those 70 odd players a chance now? We've given chances to Brierley, Emmitt, Spencer, Hopkins, McNally, Armstrong, Ridyard etc... who have previously been let go by SL academies. Unfortunately we've moved to trying to get a squad of 25 "finished products", which is never going to end well.

Basically Toronto starting up has taken 25 of those players that previously would have been on our or Fevs roster , that will change as they bring in more Aussies to compete in SL in 2020 , that's why I wanted them out of our league now

The Championship needs to decide what it is going to be going forward , now the 8s are history there is no need to run full time at this level , in truth it should probably revert back to fully part time with a part time SC

As for ourselves once again , we are in no position to run an academy , there is no point , only once established in SL is it viable , and even then a huge task to actually produce any players of the quality required

I see regularly on here people highlighting Rowley,Baldwin,Donlan,Higham and how great they were for Leigh , no they weren't , they all left very early in their careers and only returned when they could no longer get a deal at a higher level , overal our return on investment from them has been poor

Build up a 9000 fan base and everything then becomes possible

I cant say I necessarily agree with that.

All 4 players would have stayed with Leigh, but the club decided to 'Cash in' and very miserably too to keep afloat.


Steve Simms (alike Millward) saw the potential of the 4 mentioned and the rest is History. Maybe there is a new generation on its way. After all, what have we to lose ?

Our Academy / Leigh East in 1990/91 contained even better players and some didn't even bother putting pen to paper for anyone, not did Leigh try to entice them. Sam Horne, Ashley Rankin and Derek Hardman would have floated into Leighs squad, yet never had the opportunity, nor asked, to play. Scott Martin was probably the best of the bunch, yet never really reached his full potential.

Leigh could have had a fantastic Team in the Mid 90's from this pool of players alone. Instead, we had to endure the rubbish of Workingtons drubbing and 'blazergate' (although I must admit, they were bloody good times !!)

Was mentioned on here weeks ago. Not sure by who...

Desperate as we seem to be at the moment, I would have preferred him to move on. Whilst having championed his cause, in the past, even I can't see a way forward for him at Leigh.

And neither could Kieron , even on a PT basis and even with no players whilst Keiron was planning for next season as Leigh head coach.

Keiron made this point known to the power at the club but it would appear only to have fallen on deaf ears. Sadly.

With what is going to be, by all accounts, a tight playing budget, we simply won't be able to afford to employ someone who is going to be sat in the stand for up to half the season. Please sort yourself out, Jamie!

Fax statement says the deal is still on

With one guaranteed promotion place there will be no chance of that. By the time the team heading for promotion are confirmed they are scraping around to try get a SL competitive squad, if anyone going up was only part time that job would become ten fold harder to get a full time capable squad for SL. At least with the cap in line with SL any club that can afford it can give them a base for SL if they have aspirations of promotion