Plus they didn't even make the franchising criteria which must be a massive embarrassment for them.

Only if you believe in Franchising

Cas didn't pass the stadium rules that we had to meet , but they let them back in , twice

Not if they met minimum stadium standards which IMO they currently don't (no flood lights at the time) and could prove a commitment to running an academy from at least 18's!

Floodlights they could have easily sorted , the academy in my opinion should be like it used to be , with 1 years grace

In my opinion not only is franchising making it incredibly difficult for the championship sides (which this weekend have shown just how well they are dealing with it) but without the threat of relegation franchising has also damaged the quality of super league. 3 years in when they said the results will show I’m now more convinced than ever that the franchise system is doing nothing but damage to the sport, both its image and the quality of the game on the pitch.

From a SL point-of-view I'm undecided. This SL seems to be the most competitive one yet with only 3 points separating 1st to 7th and taking points deductions out of the equation, only 5 points separate 8th to last.

However, Franchising was supposed to make clubs more sustainable, yet we've seen two SL clubs go into administration in the last 12 months. Franchising was supposed to allow SL clubs to blood youngsters, and although there are a number of good youngsters coming through, there are still too many 2nd rate Aussies playing their trade in SL.

I've no doubt that Franchising is bad for Championship clubs however...

True but this year seems to be a bit of an oddity (possibly as teams up their game to try to avoid being de-licensed), the other 2 years there've been bigger gaps between the top and bottom and similar teams down the bottom. Nothing forces a team to up their game like a relegation battle and simply extending the playoffs into the bottom half of the league doesn't make up for it.

Regarding Franchising :
The RFL need to decide if the last set of franchises worked by looking at it properly.
The 2 immediate clubs up for scrutiny must be the 2 clubs that gained a franchise which propelled them into the top league, what has worked for them and what has failed, did Franchising make a difference that P & R wouldn't have has it helped or hindered those clubs?
They have to look if we as a International sport are moving forward based on franchising results and are we producing more players with potential to be International quality ?
Need to look at if the number of imports clubs have signed has dropped and take into consideration if the number of players applying for a different passport has risen that can distort these figures ?
Look at youth players, but not just numbers - whats the quality and what amount of them have come into the game and for what games (ie not just the end of season games)?.
Has the game progressed supporter wise (have fans bought into a closed shop league) ?
Have the clubs that finished bottom still finished near the bottom or have they improved ?
Have the championship clubs gained from it, have there crowds risen or dropped has the standard risen or dropped ?
Has the games profile risen or dropped ?
Did the clubs deliver on promises of new stadia on time and on budget ?
Did the game expand at the clubs that gained a expansion point ?

We all have opinions on it , but has anyone analized the factual results that says, Yes its a success , lets carry it on or No its a failure lets scrap it .

From a personal opinion as someone who follows a lot of football I feel its a shame RL has abandoned that model of elevating teams and instead opted for franchising and how the emphasis seems to have shifted from on field results being a success to off field activities being the most important.
I would feel more happy and comfortable in the future of the game if I knew that the governing body was looking at Franchising in depth to see if its a winner across the board and was proving to be a success at all levels.

Are you nuts ? the RFL actually analizing something properly without bringing in some outside company that will produce a 10,000 page summary , will cost 400 grand , and the superstars at the RFL will just say thank you , tell the world they will be looking at it , and then put it into the bin

Much like the much vaunted inquiry into the VISA gate scandal at Celtic Crusaders , which has been long forgotten , they will just come out with a press release stating it is working and they will continue to monitor it

If they ably plod along without looking properly into the implications (good & bad) of franchising then they are not doing themselves or the game justice, there are obvious flaws (I'm sure there are some obvious plus points) so it needs a review to see if its worked.

Admittedly it won't happen this year but it does need to happen IMO for the long term health of the game.

I'm also sorry to say whilst talking about franchising that I feel the RFL funding/loaning a substantional amount of money to a RL club CANNOT be allowed to happen again if Franchising continues, they in effect have a vested interest in that club yet are also deciding the fate of similar clubs in similar positions to that club by deciding who gets removed from SL.