I think Leigh will have a fighting chance of staying up whilst Bradford or London would have gone straight back down. Probably Fev or York would as well.
I think if Bradford or Featherstone would have gone up, particularly Bradford it would have done more harm than good trying to get a competitive team on the pitch as they were way off. The biggest tick they have is their youth set up, but it wasn't part of the criteria.
Fair play to Leigh, I think they deserve another go at it.
Oh dear, I was so confident but completely wrong again! In future I’m going to stick to Bob and his Pat Price Prediction league table.
Anyway, Leigh has a good away following, so with Newcastle replacing them our home attendances are going tobbe affected, or is this just another duff hunch?
Well, well, well.
I will miss a decent few games against Leigh. However I think they where the best choice I terms of investment and best chance of staying up.
I’ve had a look at the Leigh squad and I can’t see what the fuss is about, people saying they can be competitive in SL.They will obviously be adding more signings but only those players without a club, surplus to requirements
I’ve had a look at the Leigh squad and I can’t see what the fuss is about, people saying they can be competitive in SL.They will obviously be adding more signings but only those players without a club, surplus to requirements
Ok - it's all relative. So out of those that have applied who had a stronger squad than Leigh?
You tell me.I don't know the other squads,not interested enough to look.I was only commenting on the Leigh squad which I only looked at this afternoon out of curiosity after the announcement.If the others are even weaker than Leigh’s squad then fair enough, the RL didn’t have much choice.
So, a few people a month ago suggested we should apply, even if it’s to show our ambition. Fast forward to today, and the decision to not apply was still the right one. Realistically, there’s no way we would have got in ahead of Leigh. Also, are the likes of Bradford, Featherstone, York, Toulouse and London any further ahead than a month or so ago in the SL race just because they applied? They have all commented on how the process has been a worthwhile exercise and helped them enormously in identifying where their gaps are. Is a 1 in 6 chance at a pass into SL the best way to self analyse? Surely they should be doing that as a matter of course.
I suggested at the time that I would rather other clubs apply and then let the unsuccessful clubs fans (and boards) implode after the decision, throwing insults at each other on social media and complaining about how it was all obviously fixed. I am glad our club stayed out of it and kept our eye on the ball and channelled energy in the right way rather than taking part in the circus.
The one positive is that they promoted a club with a rugby league tradition in an area that supports the game. Congratulations to them and it’s a fair reward for Beaumont’s efforts.
That said, if I’m honest, I think they are going to struggle - the reduced central funding won’t help and even if Beaumont can put up the cash to buy players there aren’t really that many out there available to buy.
With the benefit of hindsight, I wonder if some of the lads who left us for Ottawa are now wishing they’d hung on for a bir longer.
All that has been added is another humdrum team scratching around the lower reaches, whoever the 'successful' club.
Oh dear, I was so confident but completely wrong again! In future I’m going to stick to Bob and his Pat Price Prediction league table. Anyway, Leigh has a good away following, so with Newcastle replacing them our home attendances are going tobbe affected, or is this just another duff hunch?
It's not Newcastle's job to fill our ground, or any away team, for that matter.
It's up to the Club to rally the support, to make it attractive to attend etc.
Paulie xx
York, maybe. Newcastle might get Whitehaven.
Probably Swinton
In the Bash, they may go for 'big' games, especially if its televised: let's not forget when we played Leigh last time the TV audience was very good.
I could see us playing Bradford tbh.
In the short term, its a guaranteed Top 3 Championship team gone which opens up a play-off spot that maybe wouldn't have been there for someone.
In terms of Easter fixtures, if we get a relatively normal Easter, presumably Swinton/Oldham now the derby....