Love my cricket also Pass but happy to see the Mighty Trin win at Wembley and happy not to see the Aussies beat us in the T20 World Cup B)
Love my cricket also Pass but happy to see the Mighty Trin win at Wembley and happy not to see the Aussies beat us in the T20 World Cup B)
Aussies proper destroyed us in the early overs with Warner 243.75 S/R and Head 188.89 S/R smashing us all over and that was the difference in the end.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barnsley Chop
Just go back this afternoon from a 10 day cruise Chop .Quote:
Originally Posted by Barnsley Chop
We were in Porto last Saturday but found a bar , plugged in my dodgy stick and after some technical issues we were able to enjoy the game in 24 degree sunshine .
A little clunky for the first 20 minutes but other than that it was a totally dominant Trinity display .
Hugely emotional moment seeing the lads climb those steps and pick that trophy up and go and celebrate with that huge Trinity following behind the posts .
Gutted not to have been able to get down to Wembley but the cruise was booked last year so it was one of those things .
Hope you enjoyed the weekend .
Good to hear you managed to watch the game Animal and in a nicer climate! Hope you had a nice romantic cruise :P
Had a great weekend darn in London and really enjoyed seeing the rugby live at Wembley stadium.
Warrington were poor v Wigan and we completely outclassed Sheffield.
Magnificent support for a second tier trophy, hopefully not too long before we are back there playing in the Challenge Cup final.
Hey Wakey Fc, are just coasting it this season aren't they lol.
And in fairness to them, I think they are far too good, to have to be playing at this level.
And my own RL team might even be there next season as well, by the way!.
But it's a shame to see teams like Bradford, and Widnes, and Halifax, and Featherstone, and even Keighley, struggling at that level. 😕
We aren't home and dry yet by a long way , if we meet Toulouse in the Grand Final and we lose they will be promoted to Super League and we will be staying where we are .Quote:
Originally Posted by Acido
Only Toulouse can deny us a place in Super League next season nobody else has IMG points .
Which is why Hull can't be relegated because you've got grade A status even if you finish rock bottom , highly probable given the shyte show in East Yorkshire this season .
London Broncos were down before the season started irrespective of how they performed this season , they simply haven't enough IMG points and can't improve on it .
Which is why Bradford , Widnes , Halifax and Fev are now probably done for unless they can go full time which without a owner such as Trinity now have is highly unlikely .
Trinity are possibly two years away from protected grade A status which means we won't be going down again ever , one or two ground developments to put in place I believe .
Castleford are right on the line , they may not make it .
Hopefully they will , you've no idea just how much we are going to enjoy lording it over that lot in Super League with where we believe we are going .
For that alone I want them in Super League .
A good summary Animal for Hull FC fan Sir Acido.
Whilst current IMG rules have been decided, with the 2025 season Super League 12 teams to be declared in October I would say nothing is for ever. In the short term I can understand IMG thinking in they want to reward clubs who tick all the 5 boxes that grading includes with the highest scores so as to raise the profile of Super League on and off the field.
For me from 2026 the first change that needs to happen is open up Super League to 14 teams. This stops the loop games where all clubs have to play an additional 3 games against other sides, which depending on who plays who can also favour some teams who end up with easier games than another club in a similar league position.
Once this happens then they need to bring back automatic relegation for say 1 team initially subject to one of the top teams in the Championship being a grade B club. Subject to say getting to 20 clubs in Super League and the Championship graded A or B then move relegation to 2 teams each year. Without this club owners who are on the fringe of Super League qualification will simply stop investing in their club as no pathway to achieving promotion. Already we have disgruntled club owners, some reducing investment which is not good at all, but understandable within the current rules.
Thankfully at last Wakefield Trinity can look up due the investment and stability that he our new owner has brought into the club both on and off the field.
That's it Chop, get it back to basics. Let's see floodlit rugby on a Tuesday evening in the winter. Used to love watching the 'old ' teams play. Never the same since money took over and the super league started. Removal of relegation and promotion in any sport is never a good thing. Things become turgid and boring.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barnsley Chop
It's an interesting debate is this Arby and to be honest I can see both sides of it .Quote:
Originally Posted by Arblasterfromthepast
Bear with me because it's requires a long post to make my point .
Rugby League just like Union , Cricket and football requires tv revenue to sustain it but unlike the sports I've mentioned it's a geographical sport , no matter what the marketing men believe Rugby League is loved along the M62 , Cumbria and a bit of southern France .
In order to attract Sky and the BBC in the modern sports coverage era it has to provide the very best Rugby League it can in order for those contracts to be renewed .
The competition for viewing hours is fierce when you are up against the national sports of Football , Cricket and Rugby Union , Football has the Premier League , Cricket gets big bucks for the white ball game and test cricket , Union is the establishment sport with the 6 nations , world cup , Autumn internationals , southern hemisphere tours and the Lions tours .
We have Super League , the Challenge cup and a very low key world cup plus a couple of internationals and that's it .
We simply cannot compete with those sports for viewing hours with the fan base we have and so unfortunately we can only get a tv deal with the very best club's that we have .
Unfortunately the days of dear old Eddie Waring bringing you the second half from Station Road Swinton on Saturday afternoon Grandstand are long gone .
It became even more difficult when Union went fully professional in the late 90's and their World Cup grew from it's humble beginnings in 1987 , the only coverage of club Union was Rugby Special on a Sunday afternoon for an hour and now the Aviva Premiership is covered by BT Sports and ITV .
I feel incredibly sorry for fans of Halifax , Widnes and Featherstone that they are ultimately locked behind a closed door but unfortunately only the strong can compete in Super League .
However the Championship and League One are very good competitions and they have their own cup competition with a Wembley final .
The quality is very good , Trinity may be top of this league but it's not been easy by any means .
The world of sports broadcasting has changed dramatically and for Rugby League to continue to prosper it's had to make some tough calls for it to do so .
Sad but none the less reality .
Yes it was Chop, it was a detailed and impressive answer from Animal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barnsley Chop
And so was yours as well, and I always appreciate reading that sort of thing about rugby league, from genuine fans.
I'm glad that they followed Cricket's way, and made it a summer sport. Although the old 'derby' matches against Hull K.R at Christmas and the New year were missed, when they changed it.
Sadly the Super League is getting more and more like the greedy Premier League. And whether they know it or even care, they are ruining the competitive spirit of the game I/we grew up supporting.