I repeat, it's a (very) unfair question, but could I politely ask you for a simple "Yes!" on "No!" to Do you want a favourable nod from the SL hierarchy on 16 October?
Yes
I am not sure why the Club would want to put in an application for SL, if finances were not in place and plans to have a competitive team.
Outside Wigan and Hull KR and possibly Leeds, there are no really class teams in SL with consistent form throughout the season, despite the hyperbole of Sky commentators. I think the Leigh bubble will burst eventually.
I am not sure how many of our current squad could play at SL level, or would even consider going full-time, so clearly we would have to substantially strengthen the squad.
With SL funding and sponsorship in place, I think we could have a team capable of competing with the likes of Huddersfield, Castleford, Catalan, Warrington, Hull and Wakefield. We would expect to get a consistent core support of around 5,000 and bigger crowds for our derby games against Warrington, St Helens, Wigan and Leigh.
In reality, I think Salford just cannot be allowed to continue in SL in 2026 - although Hull basically did the same in 2024, when they deliberately cut playing costs and wrote off the season knowing they would not be relegated. York should be promoted and I guess they will be joined by Bradford and London. SL will then be a closed shop for maybe three seasons, if not a permanent franchise arrangement. The rest of the semi-professional game will simply wither away through lack of funding, unless they become feeder clubs for SL.
In my view, the RFL are killing the game of RL in its heartlands for the dream of building a national and international presence for the game. That is never going to happen.
The game would be strengthened if there were two competitive leagues, with a fairer distribution of central funding and promotion and relegation based on performance on the field.
The RFL Board could still dream of world dominance in sport, with teams around the World and sales of Bradford Bulls shirts flying off the shelves in Peking, Tokyo, Moscow, Sydney and even Cleckheaton! Let them dream while the rest of us enjoy watching the wonderful game of rugby league.
spot on there frank !
Also the rfl will be claiming the game is in great shape after the ashes tests - papering over the holes in the wall, never mind the cracks !