the_grobs wrote:
It is also a major blow to the RFL's expansion dreams. Many already knew that the numbers just don't add up. This withdrawal has confirmed exactly that, by giving just a little more transparency of the situation.
Many other clubs would have taken the Franchise opportunity and then worried about the rest later. So, for a change the Crusaders have my respect for making such a big decision, which can't have been an easy one to make for anyone involved.
Agree with all the above.
Although I feel sorry for those Crusaders supporters that have stuck by the club through thick and thin, hopefully the RFL will now see that supplanting a team into an area direct in to SL will not work! Let them build themselves up from the bottom league for a good few years, letting them get everything in place first.