Mild Rover wrote:So, as we head towards a new decade what are your predictions for 1, 5 and 10 years ahead?

1 year - Hull KR will have a new licence and an improved stadium. Widnes will have been elevated to SL and Wakefield will be demoted - possibly going bust and starting again. Where they'll play then is anyone's guess - looking very grim for them, atm. Cas will just be given the nod over Halifax. Wigan will retain their SL title, beating Grand Final debutants Warrington.

5 years - The gap between SL and the rest will be even more firmly entrenched and Rovers will have got another new license. The system itself will have changed though and SL may well be a different shape and size. France will have a second team in SL. If the HKR board keep backing the club in the same way and new fans are using the improved facilities in significant numbers, we'll have at least made a final. Otherwise, we'll be lower-mid table, operating a conservative model. Either way, more likely than not, we'll be in a post-Morgan phase.
The gap between the NRL and SL will also be bigger due to simple economics, but the gap between England and Australia will narrow - slightly - as more of our players test themselves over there. SL clubs will typically only have 2 or 3 pretty average Aussies each, as the quota is rendered irrelevant by Au$.

10 years - We'll be in an entirely new cycle. Economic gloom will finally be starting to lift, having claimed a couple of RL club casualties along the way - let's pray HKR are not one. France will have beaten England at least once. England will have beaten Australia just once. Hull KR will have won the Challenge Cup.
RU will again look more like League, stopping just short of the level of convergence required to make both sides stare reconciliation in the face.

Gordon Gekko wrote:The above is clear proof that the off-season is too long.

Mild Rover wrote:

Ain't that true?!

Not quite as long the 'week' you've had that motto in your sig though.

Mild Rover wrote:So, as we head towards a new decade what are your predictions for 1, 5 and 10 years ahead?

1 year - Hull KR will have a new licence and an improved stadium. Widnes will have been elevated to SL and Wakefield will be demoted - possibly going bust and starting again. Where they'll play then is anyone's guess - looking very grim for them, atm. Cas will just be given the nod over Halifax. Wigan will retain their SL title, beating Grand Final debutants Warrington.

5 years - The gap between SL and the rest will be even more firmly entrenched and Rovers will have got another new license. The system itself will have changed though and SL may well be a different shape and size. France will have a second team in SL. If the HKR board keep backing the club in the same way and new fans are using the improved facilities in significant numbers, we'll have at least made a final. Otherwise, we'll be lower-mid table, operating a conservative model. Either way, more likely than not, we'll be in a post-Morgan phase.
The gap between the NRL and SL will also be bigger due to simple economics, but the gap between England and Australia will narrow - slightly - as more of our players test themselves over there. SL clubs will typically only have 2 or 3 pretty average Aussies each, as the quota is rendered irrelevant by Au$.

10 years - We'll be in an entirely new cycle. Economic gloom will finally be starting to lift, having claimed a couple of RL club casualties along the way - let's pray HKR are not one. France will have beaten England at least once. England will have beaten Australia just once. Hull KR will have won the Challenge Cup.
RU will again look more like League, stopping just short of the level of convergence required to make both sides stare reconciliation in the face.

Sheldon wrote:If I may.

Sheldon wrote:
In a years time.

Both Hull and Rovers target the challenge cup as the only realistic piece of silverware, unfortunately so do Warrington. With the new laws against off shore accounts neither club sign any big name players from the NRL and worst still Lauaki, Dobson, Clinton join Berrigan in the NRL. The ageing stars who can't hack the NRL pre season all extend contracts by a season. Hull and Rovers are left fighting it out for the players Leeds release (ala Dowes, Murrell, Tansey, Fox). As the motorway is closer to the KC staduim, meaning the Leeds born players can spend as little time in Hull as possible, Hull sign the rejects! In turn Rovers sign all Hull's Hull born unwanted players (a bit like Briscoe, Hall, Wheeldon, Hodgson.)

Sheldon wrote:In two seasons time.

With the exchange rate nearly 1 for 1 and the NRLs salarly cap going up by 50% due to the new tv rights the rest of our foreign stars sign for the NRLs two new expansion sides. Moa, Webster, Lovegrove, Green all double their money returning to oz, worse still Morgan gets the WA reds assistant position! Fitz, Vella, Galea and O'Meley retire. Manu and Newton sign one year extensions.
Both clubs scramble about signing players from the lower leagues and promoting youth, it doesn't work as the city has only produced one organising half back in 15 years (he's now working in B and Q).
Hull and Rovers finish out of the play offs, the board of the side who finishes higher holds a parade, the streets are filled to enjoy the 'success'.