The RFL need to pull their fingers out and get some publicity on our great sport otherwise the Ashtons, Eastmonds, Robinsons etc will keep leaving to show their talent on the world stage in RU.
Theres no point burying our heads in the sand in the knowledge that our game is superior in fitness, skill and speed when nobody outside th M62 corridor bothers with it.
Analagy of the day, you could be the best looking person in the world but if you don't get out and get noticed you aint gonna get laid.
The RFL in a nutshell needs to -
-Resurrect GB and the Ashes tours (Aus and GB playing against club sides, a bit of jiggery pokery with the time of the year the seasons start in the NRL and SL so this could happen, maybe with Aus and GB playing sides that finished outside the play offs or the teams knocked out along the way)
-Get Max Clifford/Similar etc to publicise the game to the masses aswell as other media gurus.
-Players that have come through the academy don't count on the salary cap or some dispensation
-Get more games back on terrestrial TV e.g. Revive the Regal Trophy (Obviously called something else, a major sponsor paying less than a small sponsor paying more would be prefered to get maximum publicity) and have it on the BBC/ITV
-Resurection of 'A' teams to cope with the extra games (Mainly reserves and decent National League players)
I know this would cost more to the clubs but with the extra publicity we would gain we could attract bigger and better sponsors.
We had Branson and Murdoch on board 15 or so years ago and made nothing of it, RL could have been ahead of Union or at least competing with Cricket rather than competing with Speedway and gaining less publicity than Darts and Snooker.
At the end of the day if most of the country can get glued to watching 'z list celebs' ice skating/dancing/singing/brass rubbing on a Saturday night then I'm sure we can get them all into RL.
Otherwise Eastmond won't be the last but at least we will get a mention on National TV when they score a try or are interviewed playing in front of 80,000 at Twickers.
Rant over.