I reckon that the table at the end of the the third season will look like:



1.Leeds

2.Warrington

3.Hull FC

4.St Helens

5.Wigan

6.Hull KR

7.Bradford

8.Huddersfield

Bill, I think this is one of the problems with the way the franchise criteria is set out. Like you say, clubs that are outside of SL and making great strides are handicapped by the fact that they aren't already in SL, whereas a club in SL that is underperforming can still look good in comparison because they are being propped up by SL.



Example: crowd differences, income differences, playing standards.



It's totally unfair for the Championship clubs.



IMO, there should be a criteria for Championship clubs and a criteria for SL clubs. If they want a 10,000 average in SL, then they should be aiming for about one-third of that for the Championship. Same with income. Playing standards have been accounted for already (top-8 average vs GF appearance). I think a club like Salford would struggle with a Championship criteria if they were in there, and Widnes wouldn't.







I think that if a SL club cannot achieve even a B status after having over 3 years in the SL then their SL future should be in extreme doubt. If clubs can't sort their grounds out then they seriously need to look at other parts of their franchise. We'd all love as many clubs as possible in SL, but there's a limit, and there are too many decent clubs building in the Championship who want to make a real go of it to just let C grade clubs drag them down. Cas, Wakey, Rovers, Celtic, Quins, Salford need to be showing progression. Rovers are building their crowds and upgrading their stadium. Cas don't seem to be moving forward or backwards at all but are getting somewhere with their stadium which should move them up a level. Wakey are improving, but they were REALLY poor before so is it enough? Salford desperately need their stadium. Celtic and Quins can't always play the expansion card.



There's Widnes, Leigh, Halifax of the heartlands clubs and Gateshead, Toulouse and Sheffield of the expansion clubs in the Championship that have access to a SL quality ground and are building as clubs. There's no room for complacency.

Not really some Championship clubs will be very fairly treated , some wont



That's the way it is

Please lock this one.



I hate to think about all the time this has wasted for so many.



What utter garbage, four games in!

Agreed.



We can open it again after 7 games........only joking.



Let's at least give it a season before debating.

There are two types of fans that want expansion, those who want all clubs to grow and better themselves, whilst new clubs come into the fold, and those who only care about certain clubs, and would be happy to see 10 teams die out if it meant a couple of big city teams prosper. Both sides have there reasons, but as an RL fans i want all rl teams to prosper and belive in taking measures to do this, as opposed to helping some clubs but not others.

I think your right that a conferance system is the way we have to go, though i think we should aim for 2 12 team league (32 game season, with magic weekend) something like



leeds

bradford

huddersfield

wakefield

castleford

halifax/sheffield

hull fc

hull kr

quins

skolars

gateshead

scottish team



wigan

saints

widnes

salford

leigh

wire

catalans

toulouse

irish team

cumbrian team

celtic crusaders

birmingham/liecester

How did you get a 32-game season?



And if we got to that many teams (which won't happen for years, if ever!), you could maybe go with a three 8-team conferences, with another cup competition in the middle.

32 games a season is too many with playoffs and the challenge cup on top, your looking at elite players playing 40 games a year before any internationals,



plus 8 teams from yorkshire in a 12 team league? a bit much isnt it

because the existing club has failed to make the grade, they were given and opportunity to do so and they didnt do it,



so someone else gets a go,

Yes I agree that if a club has done nothing and made no improvements at all then they could and should be demoted.



I think though that there is every possibility given the three year license that every club should be able to demonstrate major improvements in many of the franchise criteria so that they are at least well on the way to being at least B license clubs which would be more than any Championship club could do.



I just think it's going to be very hard for a club outside of SL to be demonstrably better than any existing SL club in three years time.

i dont think it will be hard, i think it will be nigh on impossible for any championship to prove itself better than an SL club in three years time,



which is why those making the franchise decision will take into account whether the club was in the championship or in SL when it looks at what that club has done over the past few years