Elstone obviously not achieved what he set out to do and corvid didnt help but main reason is he was doing the job with his hands tied behind his back, Most club chairmen/owners are only interested in their own clubs and when they control all decisions you get nowhere. It needs one person (or small group preferably independent of clubs) to control the sport making all decisions for the good of the game in general. The reason the matchroom mob did not get involved was that they saw what a mess the sport is in and was not willing to give up control. I am surprised at Elstone taking the job in the first place as he had a very good knowledge of things RL. Perhaps he was conned into thinking they would allow him to take full control.

Well I think that is a good angle on it all. However, I would add that its not just clubs operating in self interest but also that there is a problem with a couple of owners wanting a return to the position where they were the top dogs and in effect ran the game. But yes, We are spiraling down as a game on the back of self interest. Some of us steeped in our love of Rugby league can't see it I know, but if you step back and ask what your sports loving none RL fan mates think about the game in general its a real eye opener. Several I know still talk of cloth caps and whippets, which is so untrue but a perceived image our game still perpetuate with possible converts and with what we have to offer in quality excitement and endeavour compared with other sports that's tragic.

Its only my opinion but we are not diverse enough in our outlook at all. The Super League 'break away' structure was an opportunity to reignite the game re-engage with lapsed fans and spread our wings into more diverse market places, it was almost a new dawn. but we didn't grasp it and a receipe of the new leader having one hand tied behind his back from the off when he thought he would be given a fee hand, a deal of in fighting amongst the different Clubs, a pandemic that has changed the face of sport perhaps forever and a couple of owners who never wanted it to work for reasons of self interest and mis placed ambition has seen it fail and the game is now in disarray.


As I said earlier watch now for an amalgamation back to the old ways whereby the RFL run everything again and can once more be influenced by a few individuals who think they are running the sport. That hasn't worked well in the past and is not in the games interest either. Its all a real mess for me. But that's just how this old campaigner sees it, I love our sport because its a great one and I just want other people outside our tight and diminishing community to appreciate that as well.

a six figure salary plus the expenses that go with it probably had something to do with it

Even the Round1 fixtures for TV have a whiff of the 'big clubs' getting what they want...Saints, Wigan and Leeds all have a nice easy start against Salford, Leigh and Wakefield.

I can understand they want to keep the bigger games back for when crowds are allowed in, but is Wigan-Leigh really the sport coming back with the bang for a TV audience?

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... on-3133943 AP's take on things. As someone pointed out on social media sounds like RFL board meetings are as productive and orderly as Handforth Parish Council Zoom calls. Jackie Weaver needed..

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... on-3133943 AP's take on things. As someone pointed out on social media sounds like RFL board meetings are as productive and orderly as Handforth Parish Council Zoom calls. Jackie Weaver needed..

Spot on that you've got that just about right for me! Pearsons a bit of an honest broker in all this but some of the egos and agendas on the Super League board make it almost impossible to get anything done. To some it appears that the Wigan Chairman who moved Elstones position being formed in the first place is on one side of the argument and the Leeds Chairman who was against it from day one, and in the days of RFL control seemed to many to be running the game himself, is on the other. The rest seem to fall in behind the side the at the time best suits their own agendas.

I guess although as you say its just perhaps another compromise situation the hybrid idea is a half way house solution to what is otherwise a devil and a deep blue sea scenario for the senior Clubs. On one hand the current structure with a separate super League administration gives autonomy to the 'bread winners' but is too costly and as you say the way that its constituted doesn't suit 12 guys with differing priorities and agenda who can't relinquish control to a figure head Administrator they themselves appointed.

Whilst on the other hand the RFL has over the years constantly failed to make good decisions, perpetuated cronyism, dropped the game in it and most importantly failed to recognise Super league for what it is, the flagship part of the game and the only part that TV companies (who are lets face it the only real source of income at present) are interested in. Going in with them hardly inspires any confidence for the future either does it?

I get regularly criticised for having a downer on lower division clubs and nothing is farther from the truth most of us hold them in high regard love going to their grounds and respect their heritage and history and they have to have the ability to dream of one day making Super League. That said, I think, as I've said before, without a strong and more importantly stable Super League attracting top players, having the security of tenure to ensure we produce great home grown talent and capturing the publics attention by playing good entertaining rugby we are shot! Whether we the converted like it or not we have to have closer exciting games of a high standard that satisfies the needs of Sky. Otherwise they will lose interest and viewers, continue to offer us less for the broadcast contract and in the end drop the sport and the game will fade away. Whats more those so important clubs lower down the ladder will be stuffed too.

As a game I guess we have to move from the whole sport depending on Sky tv to Sky Tv needing our quality product to boost their viewing figures. But man are we a long way off that at present!

I think the phrase that springs to mind for me Wilf is 'Too many chiefs and not enough indians'. If you bring some one it affect change and move the sport forward you have to allow them to do it not just be the poster boy. Ultimately there can only ever be one entity that makes the final decision and it has to be more independent from the clubs themselves as with all the best will in the world the clubs individually will not vote for the something to move the sport forward if it would to the detriment of their own club.

The RFL were not perfect and SL were right to question aspects of the RFL involvement within games in terms of the SL etc but moving away and how they then set up just lead to a power grab and squabbles which has done nothing for the sport in fact more the opposite.

I don't think Elstione has done a great deal for the SL or sport but the more I read about things the more apparent it becomes that Elstone was not allowed to effectively do the role he was employed to do and his position was untenable so he did the right thing and resigned.

RL in the UK just seems to be the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to calamity

Until the Sport appoints someone in charge that makes the sporting world sit up and take notice, who is then able to open doors with Terrestrial TV the sport will stand still.
For me Terrestrial TV is the key to expanding this sport taking advantage of off peak slots on a weekend especially Sunday 18.00/20.00

.... I see the bbc has signed a contract to broadcast cage-fighting in 2021 (iplayer), I thought they were trying to make savings?

more intrigue more confusion looks like more red faces https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... on-5009554

more intrigue more confusion looks like more red faces https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... on-5009554

Well I just thought that we don't look particularly good as a game when with 5 weeks to go to the big kick off we don't know whether there is going to be relegation and promotion or what form it will take and when clubs in the championship are refusing to spend any more on players till they know.

Not unreasonable, I'd have thought.

Maybe there are some SL clubs saying they won't survive without a decent Sky deal?

AP said recently we're now over £2m in debt after 2020.

Last week - "RFU scraps Premiership relegation for 2020/21 season" - crikey, half way thru the season as well.

Suppose there's no money for the lower divisions next year - it has been suggested, then any club relegated would never survive.

There's virtually no difference now regards clubs owners/chairmen self interest and narrow mindedness than that in the late 50s onwards, that too was problematic and restrictive for the furthering and expansion of the sport. That at a time when RL used to get incredible attendances and back pages of the main papers when the tourists came or GB were going on tour. There was far more opportunity then to push the sport wider and get into the national psyche, but the chairmen had all the power just as they do now and are too idiotic as a group to fathom what they are doing is having a direct negative impact on their business.

As for Pearson stating "“Super League is the driving force of rugby league, no matter what everybody says about the Championship and the community game,”
I don't agree, without the lower divisions and community game the sport is much weaker for it and interest in the elite side of the sport would be reduced IMO. the ignorance of how elite sport is symbiotic to grass roots is frankly scary, It's hardly surprising that lower league clubs and fans get angsty regards SL.

Big clubs ruling the roost and narrow minded thinking towards progression shocker.
Plus ca change