Rugby League 2023 - Change is coming

[Ray de Galles]

Excellent! I get another trip to New Plough Lane. Hopefully...

Is the caveat because there's a chance they may move or due to something else?

[Gangster Octopus]

No, I'm just hoping that Castleford's trip doesn't coincide with something else.

[Tony C]

Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers to Leeds. That’s going to decimate Salford.

[Botswana Meat Commission]

Initial grading released by IMG/RFL. There’s seven A grade clubs, the likes of Saints, Wigan, Leeds, Catalans and Warrington was a given and the two Hull’s are the other two. The big news is Wakefield rank 10th, Toulouse 11th, Castleford 13th and Bradford 14th with a drop off in terms of points to 15th. London Broncos are 24th, which is some way off the points of Super League clubs.

Cas are appealing because of some information not being presented.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Initial grading released by IMG/RFL. There’s seven A grade clubs, the likes of Saints, Wigan, Leeds, Catalans and Warrington was a given and the two Hull’s are the other two. The big news is Wakefield rank 10th, Toulouse 11th, Castleford 13th and Bradford 14th with a drop off in terms of points to 15th. London Broncos are 24th, which is some way off the points of Super League clubs.

Cas are appealing because of some information not being presented.

Workington being ranked above Whitehaven is a surprise - admittedly Whitehaven haven't got a pot to piss in financially, but Workington's pot is in dire condition itself.

[The Mighty Trin]

[Sean of the Shed]

Is it even worth London trying to establish itself as a Superleague club?

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Is it even worth London trying to establish itself as a Superleague club?

IMG are clearly keen on London having a club in Super League, so they'll probably do what they can to give them a chance of staying there. I'd assume that even being bottom of Super League next season gives them more "Performance" points than they currently have from finishing in the play off positions in the Championship. You'd have to hope that they'll increase crowds by playing in the Super League, but as someone has already pointed out they'd need to sell out the ground every game to hit the maximum grading points for that category.

[Botswana Meat Commission]

Is it even worth London trying to establish itself as a Superleague club?

They’re not going completely full-time in 2024 so the odds that were stacked against them have got larger before this was even announced.

The 12 teams who compete in Super League in 2025 is going to be the 12 highest ranked sides at the final round of grading, which is July, I think. It seems almost impossible that London Broncos can put themselves into contention, given they’re 24th from 35 at the minute and would require about 4-5 points to have a chance and some clubs remaining stagnant, which appears unlikely.

In effect, they’re relegated before the season has started so their place in the competition appears redundant but then again, the whole competition does given the fact that 2024’s league positions aren’t going to matter when it comes to 2025 and beyond.

[Tony C]

Not sure of it will give All Blacks fans much comfort but their RL counterparts gave World Champions Australia the drubbing of their lives earlier.

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/20...less-kangaroos

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

And this thread now goes full circle, with the news that Samoa have declined the opportunity to tour England next autumn, preferring to play in the Pacific Cup tournament rather than slogging around northern grounds in the rain and getting slagged off by Shaun Wane for their trouble.

This leaves England with a gaping hole in the (only recently agreed) international calendar.

[The Mighty Trin]

It's fair to say that the choice of Elland Road for Magic Weekend 2024 has gone down like a sack of shit.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

It's certainly stretching the definition of "magic".

[Sporting]

Where should it be held?

[Etienne]

In a city that doesn't already have a major rugby league team.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Indeed. The concept was based around giving core fans the opportunity to go somewhere different from the usual same old grounds, while at the same time attracting casual fans to watch the top teams and players on their doorstep. That plus in the early days the Welsh Tourist Board was willing to provide sizeable upfront funding for it, in exchange for the boost it would give to hotels and hospitality in the Cardiff area, filling a gap left by Wembley re-opening. I think the size of the dowry never reached those peaks again, but it wasn't that long ago that multiple cities were bidding to host it, and now we've shrank to holding it in League's backyard, where everyone who goes will be making a day trip and most people won't go early / hang around to catch the other games.

I've said before that any point in the last few decades you could look at League in this country and it can give the impression of simultaneously expanding or contracting but the sport in this country really does appear to be in a continuous downward spiral now with very little optimism left about it, and IMG need to come up with something spectacular.

[Gangster Octopus]

Is the caveat because there's a chance they may move or due to something else?

And it's the day before my niece's wedding in Cumbria...