The Virtual Terrace • Future of the Game
The Silent H wrote:
Can't disagree except that their promotion to the top cannot be blocked. If X team is good enough on the field then they have just as much right to compete in Super League as anyone else.
The make up of Superleague back in 2009 was based on being good enough off the field. This was licensing. Guest clubs don't have a right to promotion to Superleague either. When the RFL accepted the Superleague clubs didn't want to do the play offs and £Million pound game anymore, AFAIK the RFL agreed to that, in return for Superleague accepting the winner of the Championship must go up. This was to prevent a closed shop and effectively spoiling the Championship as a competition especially as Toronto and Toulouse were front runners to win it. Part of a McManus article, post that agreement ,pondering on who may win promotion saw McManus passing the withering comment that TWP were just a "team of English and antipodeans owned by an Australian in Canada" and preferring Toulouse.
As you know both clubs were front runners for promotion, but come 2022 neither will have any right to be in Superleague "If they are good enough" as Lenegan commented they are "guests" and the agreement with the RFL will have terminated by then. Please also remember that the main criteria are developing players and bringing in TV deals, if Toronto, Catalans and Toulouse can't do that then they aren't "good enough" are they?
Especially when you consider TWP were good enough to win the Championship but "bad enough" not to win any Superleague game.
Statistics: Posted by Donnyman — Sun Apr 26, 2020 5:04 pm — Replies 342 — Views 14096