That is the real issue and i am glad someone else outside the regular posters on this board points it out. Only football gets more weekly viewers on SKY than Super League. Especially the big games. The game is so badly marketed and undersold by the RFL i bet the people who run Sky Sports are laughing at us.

This will never happen with a governing body without a clue.

Sky certainly don't seem to give the sport much billing. There are loads more ads and mentions on the news and sports news channels for club RU than RL, despite the fact that Sky viewers are much more interested in RL.

Sky have the viewers for Super League games so they know it doe not need the coverage that say Union or most other sports need to boost viewing figures. Its time the RFL realised how valuable we are to Sky. But to be fair they need a sponsor for Super League first.

It's not so much that. Sky are channeling their energies into sports they are battling to retain the rights for. Champions League the current biggy, hence why they had tonights Man Utd game on Sky 1. Its all part of the process of beating BT when those rights renew. The next Super League deal doesn't begin until 2017 - so they can just allow it to tick over.

It would be interesting to see the Articles and any Shareholding Agreement for SL (Europe) to see what notice period there was (if any) to leaving the comp.

Thinking aloud, it's now time to call the RFL's bluff and ensure there is a complete overhaul of the governance, management and decision making process of the RFL as the game has regressed at an alarming rate since Lewis stopped being full-time and Wood got more power. I wouldn't let him run a bath and his lieutenants like Rimmer are even more incompetent (no I didn't think it was possible either)

We know there's more than 6 SL clubs who want change but unfortunately their very future might be tied to the RFL without an alternative competition.

- Bradford and London's ongoing participation in SL is dependent on the RFL so they are hardly likely to want to rock the boat at the moment.
- Widnes owe the RFL for their licence after O'Connor wouldn't rock the boat after getting rejected the first time in the way Leigh did. He's savvy enough to jump ship when the time is right
- Salford's new owner will stab the RFL in the back the minute their back is turned if it's in Salford's interests.
- Wakey and Cas are clinging onto SL by their fingernails and don't want to upset the RFL at the moment.
- Stains think the RFL is as hopeless as we do but McManus is a very shrewd political operator who will choose his moment to join the Gang of 6.

If the Gang of 6 are serious it might be time to force the issue by exploring an alternative competition. Call the RFL's bluff in the way the English and French RU clubs have over the Heineken Cup. Sound out BT Sport to bankroll, get a proper Chief Executive for the competition in the way the Premier League in football and Premiership in RU have and if the threat looks serious watch the like of Stains, Salford, Widnes Bradford etc join. Eventually Hetherington will join too as he'll know it will be the only game in town, but he'll also know any new comp will need the Whinos to be attractive to TV and sponsors.

The Gang of 6 need to hold their nerve and not blink first.

Job's a good'un.

Seems like it will be a more interesting off season than usual

Bang on! Feel like I'm in Les Miserables

Whilst we're sharing fond memories of Nigel Wood's utter incompetence, let's not forget the Crusaders debacle two years ago.

rlhttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/aug/01/strike-crusaders-rflrl

And the SL chairman who called the RFL 'impotent and anonymous' in this article? Hetherington - the same man who now rages that six of his fellow chairman have dared challenge the way the game is run.

The RFL must have done a lot of positive things since that article was printed that made Gary change his mind.

Maybe the Stobart deal?

GH has a very short memory, he was scathing about the rfl and the crusaders debacle in 2011 and was very public about it as well.

So not sure what has changed and what he has to gain from this complete attitude reversal

Does make you wonder, doesn't it.

How impressed must Gary be by the inner workings at the RFL to have made such an about-face? Does he privately know that actually they are very proficient indeed, and that SL is currently in very safe hands?

It must be that, mustn't it? He wants the best for SL, so it can't be anything else. Surely?

On the subject of private motivations, I'd love to know what actually went on at that meeting this week. I mean ... think about it, why would six of the top eight SL clubs walk out?

That can't have been done on a whim, and it can't be over something trivial.

There's probably a lot more to it than is being reported. Currently it's just stating that the 6 walked out because they didn't agree that the league should be reduced to 12 teams (I think that's the right way forward) but the other week it was reported that they didn't agree with the two leagues of 12 down to 3 leagues of 8.

As much as I'm no fan of Hetherington I think the crux of his issue is they should have stayed and just voted, which they probably should. The problem may be that the 6 think that the RFL have got a few teams over a barrel regarding their place in SL so they know those teams will be trying to keep the RFL sweet so it's not a balanced vote.

I don't know what's going on.

They walked because they wouldn't win the vote, thus scuppering the whole process.

Presumably the other side didn't have enough to win the vote either. Otherwise they could just have voted anyway, couldn't they?

just exercising their right to not vote