Hopefully Crusaders will be able to give Gerald at Bangor University RL a lift in his efforts to develop RL in North Wales. Its thanks to Gerald etc at Bangor that Tallaght RL survived to see 2010. A strong RL presence in North Wales can really help RL in the Republic.

The move to Wrexham is typical of big business arrogance. "We can make it work because we are businessmen and can make things happen." That was the Leighton Samuels mindset, until he got bored. Most people who know rugby league, ie, those who actually follow the game, don't reckon it has got a cat in hells chance of working in Wrexham. Ultimately, those who know rugby league will be proved right.

But let's stop waffling about teams like Doncaster not getting into Super League. The Doncaster public has never shown an appetite for rugby league at the levels required to maintain a Super League team, through franchising or otherwise. Widnes have, and Halifax have. Featherstone have (although I don't think a small mining town fits the RFL's mould these days).

Good luck Wrexham. I would rather it succeeded than failed, but I won't learn the route, because I don't think I'll need to go there more than once.

Fev ceased being a mining town in 1983 when Acton Hall Colliery closed! Fev, whilst being called "Featherstone Rovers and associated with being a mining town has always pulled in Fans from Pontefract, Knottingley - even as far as Goole and that mighty republic that is Rawmash, Rotherham! So it's catchment area is quite big.

Tho, it I have to agree, we probably still won't sit well with the RL's portfolio!

Heard all too often on these boards as well slugger , just because somebody has made a few million in one particular field of business does not mean they will have a clue how to manage a business designed to lose money to be a success

It's even worse than that, because the buy-out is meant to save the football club, and so the end will come even sooner than if it had been a long-term plan to get rugby league going in Wrexham. As soon as they see it isn't benefiting the football club, that's the end of the Crusaders.