Across the entire game in the UK, there is no direction. The strategic reviews are just talking shops and place short terms changes in place. I think the whole approach was to paint over some cracks and hope the NRL buys or invests in the game.
The basics are not in place to promote the game, and there isn't even a unified approach to keep costs down. In the words of Blackadder's Wisewoman, you have three choices either hang in there and hope the RFL get the game organised (unlikely), wait for the NFL to do a deal (unlikely to be favourable) or break away (tough but the future will be in better hands). I would suggest that the latter is worth investment, the first two, well you might have some better players for a short while but ultimately you might as well throw the money in the river.
Last season 2025 Widnes were 7th. out of the play offs
Above them were York Tolouse Bradford Oldham Halifax and Featherstone in play offs
Only Oldham remain and London joined after relegation from SL......
So to equal last season 3 rd is required.
Looking at the Table as of now I would think 5 th would be the best and 7 th the worse from the present 6 th position.......getting to 4 th would take some doing
looking at 2024
Above Widnes were Wakefield York Tolouse Bradford
all are now not there but London are so 2 nd to be equal to 2024
Conclusion
All in all this season is nothing like as good as previous 2.
No London have been in the league for 2 seasons, salfraud got relegated last year
i said before the season started for each team to play each other once , home or away to be decided on league position, and an extra 6 fixtures against local teams
we ended up playing London home and away even they were not in the top 12
It’s a stitch up from start to finish
london in SL next year - on what criteria I ask ?
I see the criteria has changed - more points for playing finishing position ( now over 2 seasons not 3) an£ 65% on this seasons performance and 35% on last season - who I wonder benefits the most from that change ?
@7-vikingnomad They have also got rid of the catchment area as London only counted for the local area council.
It beggers belief really as how can they justify changing the number of seasons performance criteria is over without saying we have done it to benefit London.
The only problem i'm hearing is they have made the gradings gap between top of the Champ and bottom of SL so wide now that it may still not be enough for London. So they have shot themselves in the foot hence maybe 15 teams. Hudds with 4 points and playing at Dewsbury should be going down.
The RFL might as well have promoted London instead of York in 2025, but that would have highlighted the corruption in the game. Instead, I have no doubt the new Australian owners were guaranteed promotion this year. They even adjusted the IMG criteria to ensure this and will no doubt adjust it again if there is a hiccup in the plan; and also delayed the Championship salary cap for a year. I wonder what this "wasted" year has cost the London investors?
As a matter of interest, has the new London team been breaking crowd records this year?
When Derek Beaumont was planning the future of SL last year with his big mate Nige, he did say that he foresaw the increase in the number of teams from 12 to 14 and eventually 16, 18 and 20. Is he still thinking that way. If so, a timescale would be helpful to those Championship Clubs with ambition for promotion to SL.
At the moment, there is absolutely no incentive for any investment in any Championship Club, when the only announcement from the RFL was that it would become a feeder league for SL. Who would London be a feeder team for, if by chance they are not promoted this year. Maybe we should get on board now to sweep up those spare Australian/ Australasian players for next season.
Do Clubs like Widnes just wait with fingers crossed, for the RFL to make a decision, or should they be banging on the door of RFL HQ, demanding some future direction and honesty. The latter may be particularly difficult for those running the game.
@7-vikingnomad They have also got rid of the catchment area as London only counted for the local area council.
It beggers belief really as how can they justify changing the number of seasons performance criteria is over without saying we have done it to benefit London.
The only problem i'm hearing is they have made the gradings gap between top of the Champ and bottom of SL so wide now that it may still not be enough for London. So they have shot themselves in the foot hence maybe 15 teams. Hudds with 4 points and playing at Dewsbury should be going down.
Can't honestly see there being fifteen teams in SL next term, by promoting Lockyer's Lads, and retaining Davy's Darlings, coz, what'd happen with Magic?
It's already set for Everton in May, so who'd miss out on a trip to the banks of the Mersey, and how would that "missing" fixture be covered?
The only option I can see, is give (say) Cas a bye next year, then (say again) Leythers in 2028, with each team in turn missing out year on year, but..............
That'd be difficult (impossible?) to introduce, coz TO XIII, and Les Cats now have their "own" venue, do they not? Would they be exempt from the "bye" scenario, coz of location?
As usual, I'm asking questions, and not answering 'em, but..........
I would strongly suggest that there won't be a Broncos v Giants fixture come 2027, unless it's in the Cup!
Over to you!
Spelly.
@spelly It will be London going up as a certainty. Whether it is at the expense of Huddersfield, Castleford, Toulouse or York or none of them, I don't know or really care.
It wouldn't be beyond the corruption that is RFL in the unlikely scenario of London not being in the top 14 of the IMG spreadsheet league, that they decide to leave it to an "independent" Panel (comprising Darren Lockyer, Grant Wechsel and Gary Hetherington) to choose London and maybe even an additional club to make it a league of 16.
Perhaps we should be bringing big Nige on board as a consultant to help with our bid.
@spelly 1) It will be London going up as a certainty. Whether it is at the expense of Huddersfield, Castleford, Toulouse or York or none of them, I don't know or really care.
It wouldn't be beyond the corruption that is RFL in the unlikely scenario of London not being in the top 14 of the IMG spreadsheet league, that they decide to leave it to an "independent" Panel (comprising Darren Lockyer, Grant Wechsel and Gary Hetherington) to choose London and maybe even an additional club to make it 2) a league of 16.
3) Perhaps we should be bringing big Nige on board as a consultant to help with our bid.
1) I think they're almost as nailed on, as the MP for Makerfield is to become PM. The likes of Philbin, and King are not heading darn sarf to line up against your mob and mine next term.
2) Sixteen teams in the top tier? Not out of the question, but that would dilute the quality even more, and it's not exactly overflowing with it with the current fourteen in my opinion.
3) Nige at the Chemics? About the same odds as Count Binface winning in Clacton I would say. But in RL, you never know! 🤣
Spelly.
Good result for Widnes today, with Newcastle beating barrow. If we win the rest of our games, apart from London, we will finish at least 5th ahead of barrow on points difference
Enlarging on my previous post, is there any stopping the Broncos?
Stuffed Donny big style today, and now stand on a record of P17, W17, with a points diff of +919.
Obviously too good for our league, so.............
Do they deserve (a)nother crack at top tier football?
Spelly.
I think we all knew this London team was too good for the Championship. I would be interested to know just how much it has cost them and what support has been given by RFL.
I have not seen any attendance figures for their games, but have they managed to capture the interest of the locals?
Whether they deserve another shot at SL is irrelevant, when it has been a fix from the first game.
I am in two minds about final. Part of me hopes we can stuff them, but the reality is that the game is an irrelevance too.
Londons playing budget would be interesting to know - no doubt probably 3 times ours and even 2+ times Doncaster’s
next season with the salary cap tied to revenue, there should be some massive changes
London if still in, Newcastle, Doncaster will all be playing with a massively weakened squad ( unless they find a way around the cap of course)
if shuddersfield are relegated they will be allowed to keep a lot of their expensive players as contracts were signed before next season, so they become the new London, playing at dewsbury or Halifax - they are a dead team
It's okay saying Huddersfield will be allowed to keep a lot of their players, but will those players want Championship RL? I'm sure they'll try to get Clubs in the SL, which most will.Londons playing budget would be interesting to know - no doubt probably 3 times ours and even 2+ times Doncaster’s
next season with the salary cap tied to revenue, there should be some massive changes
London if still in, Newcastle, Doncaster will all be playing with a massively weakened squad ( unless they find a way around the cap of course)
if shuddersfield are relegated they will be allowed to keep a lot of their expensive players as contracts were signed before next season, so they become the new London, playing at dewsbury or Halifax - they are a dead team
Is any table fair when every team doesn't meet every other?
Said it on other threads, but the fixtures this season in the Championship, are little short of a joke!
I accept there's too many to play everybody twice, but what's wrong with just once? So.....
If you came to us, we wouldn't head to NP, and if 'Ornits hosted Worky, there'd be no trip for 'em to DP.
Nineteen matches, plus an extra round and a revival of Blackpool, with (as best as possible) derbies spread over the three days of the August Bank Holiday? This would constitute a twenty match season, and be (in my opinion) a far better scenario than what we've (all) been saddled with.
Before you say it, I realise that (say) 'Haven would be at home ten times, and (say again) the 'Yeds only nine, but I maintain that'd still give a fairer reflection than the current one does!
(Dis)agree? Over to you!
Spelly.
The challenge with playing each other once is you'll get, say, Whitehaven and Workington moaning that they have their derby match at only one location, rather than two.
I think the best way would be to split in to two conferences and play every team home and away in your conference, and then maybe play a selection of other teams from the other conference or make the 1895 Cup a group stage thing.
At the moment, it seems odds on London will go up and there'll be a 15-team league. They would have put London in for this season but Toulouse put the cat amongst the pigeons by winning the Champ GF. Can't see how they can boot Toulouse or York out given the current situation.
Realistically, of all the other clubs, only Widnes should be seen as a realistic candidate to take it to 16 - but sadly, it doesn't seem that's a drum we particularly want to bang at present.
Look at how Oldham catapulted themselves in to the SL conversation last season by achieving on the pitch and also making the right noises off it; of course it fell down this year with the off-field bickering but even on the pitch Kilshaw doing a good job on a long winning run.