Quote Faxlore="Faxlore"Well thank you IMG. Back to the old ways of the RFL choosing who the let in to the top league. It was a farce last time and will be again. Cas and Wakefield still in their 100year old crap grounds given top billing no doubt. Bulls going bust but hay give them a licence. There may be promotion between the second and third leagues. So we go back 8 years. How this helps with rugby league in the country I have no idea. Backwards steps and protecting the clubs at the top of the food chain. The sport is ficked!'"
Wakey fan in peace.
From a personal point of view, and bearing in mind many of my kindred had actually resolved ourselves with being in the Championship next year, I would like to think we have a balanced view on the IMG recommendations. We won't be CAT A, but likely a CAT B, which Halifax could also be with some improvements. And the best CAT B clubs will be in SL. I get that it sounds like the door has been closed for Championship clubs to get to Super League, but in all honesty how many champ clubs get to Super League and stay there anyway? The Keighley chairman has just done his nut about this only because he knows his ground is worse than Cas's, even if he might be able to buy promotion, that eventuality has now been taken away because results alone won't get him to SL. Thats the only reason he is salty. The recommendations just say "get better" to me. If Wakey got sent down, according to the criteria set then there is nothing we could do apart from cop it and move on. What that does though is focuses the powers that be to push push on things like community, academy, and the fact that relegation is removed means that the focus can be longer term and not year to year, retired Aussie to retired Aussie.
Simply buying your way to SL and going down the year after is not sustainable, and is so old hat. And I think it's not a great product. CAT A clubs don't have immunity - per ce - as soon as standard drop that categorisation would be up for review. Flip side is that CAT C and B clubs will also be up for review. See it for what it is, which is not a Hetherington and Lenagan show, and also spare a thought for Rugby Union. There's an example of what buying success does for you.
Just my 2c