What about next season?

[Graham Las Darrington]

So Cas, Widnes and up until recently Salford, London and others have been scrapping to avoid the dreaded demotion.

How about next year at this time then?

Two clubs face Super League drop

Two clubs will be relegated from the Tetley's Super League at the end of next season to accommodate the entry of Perpignan.

This has been agreed and will happen. Just think what battle will be like next year at this time!

Don't forget though that promotion is not automatic from NL1...clubs have to prove they meet the criteria laid down...which I doubt (but don't know for sure) that one or two current SL clubs meet!
Look well if Cas or Widnes finish bottom of SL shortly and they don't go down because the winner of the NL1 final isn't deemed worthy!
...This is not far fetched, as its already happened in the past!
(I've called for two up two down in the past when the previous season's demoted team have come down and had an unfair advantage over the rest of us because of large parachute payments. I didn't want it to happen to make room for UTC (Perpignan in the South of France).
Sacre bleu!

[Graham Las Darrington]

Barrow have won NL2 and will be promoted to NL1 next season.
York finished second but will now have to play-off to earn an NL1 place.

[Rose Madder]

Yes..It can hardly be called a National game when you have got teams form other countries in the comp..I think it is disgraceful that an English side has to be relegated to make way for a French team
The next thing you know , they will be wondering why the game is lacking in support , and the local youths are not getting a shot at the big time , cause they are spending too much money on international players!!
Don't France have their own comp that this team can compete in??? and if not..well Cest La Vei....say the old folk

[Graham Las Darrington]

Yes Rose they have their own league but there's not much strength in depth. There's about three or four reasonable teams, the best of which probably equates with a mid table NL1 club.
I suppose the SL think they are encouraging the french game and giving the English game a certain je ne sais quoi !
We've had a fair few French players at Fev over the years...two currently and I've nothing but respect for them. They have all been great guys.

But giving Perpignan a Super League place instead of lots of other worthy English clubs seems either barmy or more likely downright cruel and one more step on the road to financial ruin for some clubs over here.

(By the way Rose I'm sorry to have to tell you that Lancashire have just been demoted from the top division of cricket. If its any consolation they'll be joining some other once great counties down in division 2 ... like Yorks................. )

[AAS]

Castleford are Going Down!!!!. Yippppppppeeeeeeee1!!!!!/

[Fampa]

Personally, I am looking forward to the French team coming into the comp. I think it's great that the league are looking at assisting areas outside their own backyard.

You can see the translation to Australia. Imagine, the NRL assisting the devt. of league in an area outside their own backyards of NSW and QLD? Having a team from Melbourne at the expense of a worthy Sydney club? Would you stand for it then?

[PD]

Castleford are Going Down!!!!. Yippppppppeeeeeeee1!!!!!/

And the first direct spinoff from that.............
Is the signing of "Motu Tony" by Hull FC .
I always considered the Bulls edge was their 'Kiwi mafia' but the combination of Kearney,Swain & Tony will be 'interesting'

[Graham Las Darrington]

I am for expansion, Fampa.
It needs to be done right.
What we don't have over here is a consistent policy towards it. In the last few years the game's admin folk have toyed with Paris, Gateshead, Wales, Derbyshire (Mansfield Marksmen)etc. Lots of resources have been pumped into these places and it seems to me that whenever they are just about established they pull the plug. Remember the 'mergers' of Sheffield and Huddersfield, Gateshead and Hull! Paris was brought in to SL and was allowed to fail. Its the track record of the admin folk that worries me. I'm actually all for expansion when its done sensibly. Storm is a success ( I shout this loud and long to anybody who'll listen) because its expansion in a logical way and draws the crowds. 10,000 is phenominally good compared to crowds over here. London, Huddersfield and one or two others are lucky to get 3 or 4 thousand speccies.
So yes, expand where its logical, do it with committment and nurture the game in its traditional area.
Like you I think this is the best team game going and I want more and more people to realise it in Featherstone, Melbourne, Barrow, Perpignan etc.
Perpignan will be interesting to watch for all sorts of reasons...
I wonder what folk would think if the SL team they follow did a Castleford next season and went from consistently in the top half of the league to bottom and out! Just think, next season if the bottom clubs were Wigan and Bradford ( not at all likely I know!!!!!!) but in theory it could happen...and they both go down and Perpignan come in.... mmm well it does make you think....

When they are in, I'll want Perpignan to succeed, but why does it have to be at the expense of anybody?
SL has 12 clubs... why not have 14? Its just a thought... make it succeed without building up resentment anywhere else in the British game.

[Rose Madder]

Personally, I am looking forward to the French team coming into the comp. I think it's great that the league are looking at assisting areas outside their own backyard.

You can see the translation to Australia. Imagine, the NRL assisting the devt. of league in an area outside their own backyards of NSW and QLD? Having a team from Melbourne at the expense of a worthy Sydney club? Would you stand for it then?

I too am for expansion, ,but when you mention Melbourne Qld and NSW you are still talking about Australia , but this team is not in England so English teams should not have to stand aside for them..now I know we have a lot of ex pat NZ supporters here in Melbourne and a lot of them are friends of mine..but I feel the same about that as well.. I do not believe that any team within Australia should be over looked to put in a team from another country..it is exactly the same thing !!!!!!!!!

[Fampa]

Rose, you don't think the NRL heirarchy thinks of melbourne as foreign soil?

Yes, it's the National RL, but we all know when they say national they mean QLD and NSW. It's not as if they've ever pumped lots of resources into Victoria.

[Graham Las Darrington]

You have to feel sorry for the Villeneuve club who have apparently gone into liquidation. They put a strong case to be the French club to enter SL but to some folk's surprise they failed. I suppose its this that burst their financial bubble.

We are talking big risks here. I hope Perpignan are bracing themselves for the enormous challenge ahead. The onfield battles will be matched just as much by the off the field pressures.

[Rose Madder]

I hope they get smacked...

[Graham Las Darrington]