deeman forever Cas wrote:
The expansion teams London, Catalans, Crusaders will not be allowed to fail in the next 4 years. Beyond that who knows but i can't see much change
For what it's worth I no longer consider Catalans in the same bracket as Harlequins and Crusaders because they've built themselves a strong fan base and are a proven success story when it comes to expansion. One would also assume that they're financially solvent given the absence of any news reports claiming the contrary; something that can't be said about the other two.
It really does grate with me that we may be excluded from Super League from 2012 onwards at the expense of Crusaders and Harlequins who have, on multiple occasions in recent years, proven their inability to manage their finances; whilst we were one of only four Super League clubs to generate a profit in 2009. I also think Crusaders lack of local talent and Harlequins lack of fanbase put them even further behind our credentials assuming this is a level playing field.
Only time will tell, but I've said it quite a few times before that when the RFL are evaluating this batch of license applications, they'd do well to remember that there are other criteria besides having a fancy stadium or being an expansion club.
