Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:58 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

It seems the failings that were obvious to some are dawning on others who were seduced by the word promotion.

I've been saying since the system was announced that it isn't promotion and relegation. It's just the illusion of it. As it stands, the only way a championship club can push for a SL place is if they get to the MPG and play against a team that is on the ropes both on and off the field as London and Bradford were last year.

The system as it stands is there to keep the status quo. Unless there's a review of the rules for next year which allows championship clubs to be able to spend a similar amount in terms of salary to those SL clubs in the middle 8's, then they're really no chance.

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:00 pm  

roofaldo2 wrote:

I've been saying since the system was announced that it isn't promotion and relegation. It's just the illusion of it. As it stands, the only way a championship club can push for a SL place is if they get to the MPG and play against a team that is on the ropes both on and off the field as London and Bradford were last year.

The system as it stands is there to keep the status quo. Unless there's a review of the rules for next year which allows championship clubs to be able to spend a similar amount in terms of salary to those SL clubs in the middle 8's, then they're really no chance.

Correct.

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:16 pm  

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/34434439 You'd have thought the brain cell would have kicked into gear by now. Apparently not. He's not doing himself or his club any favours.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/34434439 You'd have thought the brain cell would have kicked into gear by now. Apparently not. He's not doing himself or his club any favours.

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:55 pm  

Sir Kevin Sinfield wrote:

The only thing that is a joke is how many players Wakie signed just before the super 8's. The team they had in rounds 1-23 would have lost to Bradford.
Has an earlier deadline been brought in for next year?

If they stick with the middle 8's concept maybe they could tweak it by having the top Championship club promoted and the bottom SL club relegated, they could then have 9,10 & 11 in a league with 2,3 & 4 from the championship. This would make sure the bottom club in SL doesn't just give up after 10 rounds and start prepping for the middle 8's

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 4:01 pm  

rover49 wrote:

If they stick with the middle 8's concept maybe they could tweak it by having the top Championship club promoted and the bottom SL club relegated, they could then have 9,10 & 11 in a league with 2,3 & 4 from the championship. This would make sure the bottom club in SL doesn't just give up after 10 rounds and start prepping for the middle 8's

I like what you say so in what you say 2 clubs might come up and 2 go down i dont think the super league teams would put up with that do you

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 4:34 pm  

Unfortunately Lowes came across in a childish and bitter way which is a shame as hidden in there were a couple of reasonable points.

If I were a Bradford fan I would be very unhappy over a couple of major decisions but that happens in games and all you can do is concentrate on your own performance which wasn't good enough to beat a Wakefield team there for the taking.

One of the biggest reasons the RFL went to licensing instead of promotion and relegation is the fact that few championship clubs can afford to run a full time squad. Now we have the possibility of promotion and relegation back (which I think is a good thing) we have to find a way to change this.

I don't know the details of players contracts but I would of thought many from clubs such as Wakefield will have release clauses in case of relegation. We are then playing with people's livelihoods which I don't think is right.

There needs to be an increase in championship funding to allow teams there to run a full time squad.

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 4:36 pm  

roofaldo2 wrote:

I've been saying since the system was announced that it isn't promotion and relegation. It's just the illusion of it. As it stands, the only way a championship club can push for a SL place is if they get to the MPG and play against a team that is on the ropes both on and off the field as London and Bradford were last year.

That’s just what has happened this year.

Just like Muhammed Ali, Shaky Wakey have been on the ropes all year, plenty of the squad didn’t have the guts to see it through & with the finish line in sight a couple more decide to take the rise.

Unfortunately for Bradford they couldn’t find the killer blow & the buck has to stop with their coach, he picks the team & he made the decision to attempt to square up the game late on.

I’m sure I read that Bradford were near to full strength yesterday, maybe they were, but with reasonable fitness? Gaskell wasn’t at the races & Blyth was stuck out on the wing, (though I’m sure if Gaskell hadn’t been included in the seventeen, there would have been howls of derision from the Odsal faithful)

This was definitely the year for the new system to promote a Championship team, but the said team blew it.

I’m pretty sure (based on forty years of misery) Wakefield will be in the Middle Eights again next season. Will they be as appalling as this year, surely not.

But what I still don’t understand is, why the Championship clubs have to have a S.C so much lower than S.L? It’s not like their wanting a bigger slice of Red Halls beloved Sky money & if they can raise the cash internally, go for it I say.

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 5:15 pm  

Only twepeaks should be a 1 player per month signing deadline from May onwards and possibly a look at the SC, although im not really in favour of that without a further increase in central funds to all Championship clubs

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 6:10 pm  

Mr Churchill wrote:

10 of Wakefield's starting 13 had been with them since the start of the season. Bradford also signed a fair few during the season.

Rugby league is a 17 man game(16 for Leeds)
Moore, Yates, Mulally, Sio, Smith, Locke and Tupou were all signed at the back end of the year and helped Wakefield stay up.

Re: Million Pound Game : Sun Oct 04, 2015 6:52 pm  

Hopefully the game will take some time to fully evaluate what has happened over the last few weeks - what worked and what perhaps didn't.

For me you do need to do something to even up the middle 8's - 1 win out of 17 is not a very good strike rate.

As for the comments from the Lowes - At best they seemed to be those of someone caught in the moment. I wasn't entirely sure what kind of system he was pushing for. Any leagues with promotion and relegation is always going to have an impact on players livelihoods - it comes with the territory. He also seemed to conveniently forget that without the MPG they wouldn't have gone up anyway as without the split beaten by Leigh and with the split they finished 5th anyway.