anyone know if the new coaching team have been announced, or when it will be announced? I remember seeing the advert in the league paper a few weeks back but havent heard or seen anything since

not that i'm aware of.

Joe Mannion is the new coach

Any plans to select players from accross the whole RLC this time? or can we expect players from one or two clubs again?

Team against Wales last year. Count the teams selected from if you can manage that:

John Birt Huddersfield
Alex Brown Coventry
Mark Butterill Bramley
Duncan Campbell West London
Matt Evans Telford
Shaun Flynn Bramley
Chris Gardner Bramley
Gavin Houston Gateshead
Matt Jackson Devon
Daz Hawkyard Huddersfield
Andy Lake St Albans
Carl Leach Huddersfield
Pete Le Marquand Ipswich
Scott Pendlebury Bramley
Dan Reeds Lincoln
Tom Senior Huddersfield
Tom Sibley Blackpool
Rick Smith Northwich
Matt Tichius Plymouth

hmm well lets see

four from bramley, three from huddersfield, thats 41% of the team from two sides.

how many team in the rlc to pick from? 70? 80?

this picked by the same coach who told one teams players to play for the lionhearts as their club was only playing gateshead. there was five picked that day.

how many players went to malta? 8 from one club? plus coaches. want me to keep going?

what about the lincoln player who played more for the lionhearts than his own team.

and so on. and on and on

[
how many players went to malta? 8 from one club? plus coaches. want me to keep going?

The bottom line is you suggested that the side was made up only of players from 2 clubs. That is incorrect and can be seen from looking at the team sheet.

As for the rest of your points you can keep going if you want, very few people really care. That's why the RFL stopped bothering to offer any support for the Lionhearts years ago and why most of the staff quit at the start of last season. I wasn't involved with the Malta game as I saw it as a pointless mismatch against a bunch of bussed in Aussies but at the time your club seemed happy enough to help out to make the thing happen and spare the blushes of the RFL. As it happens a lot of your players were keen to stay involved and why should the coach leave them out when so few other good players were reliable and committed? (You can hardly blame them for this given they had to pay their own way for everything along with the staff!)

When we had the nerve to ask the RFL if they would pay for a new playing kit for last season we were told that no funds would be available and maybe the Lionhearts had served their purpose and should now make way for a BARLA rep side to fulfil their Amateur Home Nations committments. If RLC clubs don't want their players to be picked for games maybe they were correct. This would be a shame for those who do want to play and I know there are good plans and people in place moving forward but ultimately Representative stuff should be a bonus for clubs and players not a cause of conflict.

Hopefully with proper management and support from the RFL the new people involved will be able to make a success of things. Frankly the whole thing became a complete pain in the backside to be involved with and I wish I'd wasted a bit less of my own time and money over the years.

.

Martin,

If you'd like to be involved, I'd be pleased to see you pick up a role.

Cheers,

Nick

A different spelling but don't you think that Marto has picked up enough rolls in the past

if i could spare the time i would but.........