Two wins in 18 matches with six ineligible players.Quote:
Originally Posted by Clapo
Just disband the club. :dry:
Printable View
Two wins in 18 matches with six ineligible players.Quote:
Originally Posted by Clapo
Just disband the club. :dry:
Haha. Unbelievable negligence by the club to fail to ensure their player's papers are in order. They shouldn't be anywhere near Super League. No ground of their own and a team half full of aussies, most of whom we now find are working here illegally. The club's a farce.
With van Dijk and Hannay gone, Leeds will put 100 on them this weekend. Let's see what that does for rugby league in Wales (will kill Saints' chances of finishing top, too. Goodbye points difference advantage.)
Where'd you stand on expansion versus the heartlands for league, steds?
Pretty hard to know what's for the best. On the one hand I always reckon if more people see the sport it will grow because it is good product, but equally if I were a (say) Widnes fan and my team was excluded from the top flight for three (IIRC) years for what seems a two-bob job I'd be mightly pissed off.
Think there's too much wishful thinking in the expansion teams sometimes; at least with Les Catalans the French team plays in a league stronghold. Well, such as they are in France.
I'm all for expansion if it's done properly. In the case of the Crusader's, it wasn't.
There's no way that in the 3 years the club had existed before this season, that it could have proved that it had set up any sort of working youth system or that there was a long-term market for rugby league in South Wales, especially considering 2 of the 3 seasons where in National League 2. I think it's fair to assume that most of the people who turned up in those first 2 seasons where there for the novelty value rather than wanting to watch third tier rugby league. A couple more seasons where needed to measure the regular fanbase. The club hadn't proved it could support itself financially either. It was a huge gamble signing Hannay when still in the third tier, and most of the other aussies that are getting sent home while they were in National League 1. They (correctly, as it turns out) predicted that by signing these players, they'd show rapid improvement in the side's fortunes and that the RFL would rush them into Super League because they were desperate for a Welsh team, and the tv money could pay off whatever debts those signings got them into.
The season before Les Cats were allowed in Super League, they (as UTC) and Pia had reached the Challenge Cup 5th round and Toulouse reached the semis. So at least they'd proved there were decent French players out there. The Welsh national side is made up of Englishmen and Aussies with Welsh grandparents, and even now 6 Australians are getting deported, there's still only expected to be 4 Welsh born players in the Crusaders team at the weekend.
Widnes were royally screwed last year because the RFL wanted to expand into Wales. They had a good team, a new stadium, an owner who'd dragged them out of debt and balanced the books, and a good backroom staff. Unfortunately, with Cullen as coach they've gone backwards this year.
So what was the final score between Leeds and Celtic?
Tonight's game, tbh.Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig
68 - 0.Quote:
Originally Posted by craig
That was with Celtic's young welsh fullback playing outstanding on debut, too, apparently. Put in a few try saving tackles according to radio Leeds. Sounds like it could have easily been >80.
anyone have any info on Mark Flanagan from wigan??? he's supposedly signed with the Tigers for 2010, would love to hear what you english guys think of him..
Gotta be honest, I don't really know the boy. Fair to say he's not a regular starter.
21 years old. Only just broke into the Wigan side. Mainly plays at lock, but can play five-eighth.
Was oustanding against Saints about 3 weeks back. The general consensus is that he was the best forward on the park. Has only played 4 other games, so there's not too much to judge him on. Is a big hit with most Wigan fans, but some aren't too fussed and rate other young back rowers, such as Mossop, Joel Tomkins and Liam Farrell, ahead of him. The latter hasn't made his debut yet and if he's worse than the first two, I'd be very worried. Doubt he is though.
Word is that he's been actively looking for a deal in Australia for weeks now, as his girlfriend is moving there and he wants to go with her.
2 years for steds's mate Gareth. :ph34r:
Well done to Warrington for taking the Challenge Cup against Huddersfield :)
From The Guardian.
Not that international league has much credibility to damage, but it never ceases to amaze me just how flexible the criteria can be made.
No doubt Mogg, McGuire & Greenshields will bolster the French, but it seems a bit of a gip when two blokes who played for the Maroons only three or four years back could well be lining up against the Kangaroos.
Yeah International League is a Joke, much like the International Invitational England Cricket XI
Sadly you're right, though it's still better than watching the Men of Plastiscene dish it up vs NZ like they did on the weekend. That was horrific.