Next season & licencing

[MarkWestStand]

If there are 3 or 4 new teams in next years competition, where are all the players coming from?, also does this affect the amount on the salary cap as I would imagine this is determined in some way by the split of the SKY money, if its split further there would be less money all around.

I am really concerned that the 1st season will see an influx of aussies of dubious qualitiy or players not able to make the grade from NL teams, lets face it there would be a need for 60 - 80 new players, maybe Wigan can utilise this opportunity to offload poor performing / high earners?

You can see Basil returning to Leigh if they are successful. Those people wanting a change from Noble saying who is out there to replace.... Just cast you memory back to what we got through speculating.

Bring on PIA... time for the backs to really shine

[GeoffN]

If there are 3 or 4 new teams in next years competition, where are all the players coming from?, also does this affect the amount on the salary cap as I would imagine this is determined in some way by the split of the SKY money, if its split further there would be less money all around.

I am really concerned that the 1st season will see an influx of aussies of dubious qualitiy or players not able to make the grade from NL teams, lets face it there would be a need for 60 - 80 new players, maybe Wigan can utilise this opportunity to offload poor performing / high earners?

Not sure what you mean. They're only new to SL, not new teams. They already have players.

[MarkWestStand]

Players of Superleague standard, rather than NL standard as recent promoted teams (KR are the exception) go straight back down.

This is the first season the whole league has been competative.. shame it wont be next year?

Hence new players coming in

[GeoffN]

Players of Superleague standard, rather than NL standard as recent promoted teams (KR are the exception) go straight back down.

This is the first season the whole league has been competative.. shame it wont be next year?

Hence new players coming in

Hence no relegation, so no need to panic, and time to bring new players through slowly.

[MarkWestStand]

I am probably not explaining my concern very well

Yes no relagation, great.

Its the competativeness of the league.. I would love to see Wigan win at a canter every week, but to have the title decided on points scored difference as the lower 4 teams are not competative is not in the spirit of the game,lets face it Leeds & Stains kill teams off, we dont. If the new teams go on the Aussie route its money still going out of the game. The new teams would be full of the Oliver Wilkes etc of the game.

Would the league revert to playing each team twice?

More teams just games not of the quality we have seen this season.

Maybe Wigan can use this effectively to move on players.. Bailey / Tomkins come to mind

[Mike]

I would love to see Wigan win at a canter every week, but to have the title decided on points scored difference as the lower 4 teams are not competative is not in the spirit of the game

It wouldn't, we have a playoff to decide the winners of the league.

Anyway, only 2 new teams are coming into the league (possibly only 1). After a couple of seasons there would be enough players to go around as more players get the opportunities to make the grade with a SL club week in week out. Look how many SL grade french players there are now - about 10-15, whereas pre-catalans there were 1 or 2. Catalans have developed the player pool in the south of france and discovered and trained up players where before there were none.

[GeoffN]

Look at where Catalans are now. That's a direct result of them being exempt from relegation. As Mike says, that's with their own home-grown players, not Aussies.
The same is happening with Quins; bringing their own players through, even in a part of the country with no traditional youth structure.
That's the way forward, IMO.

[stevethegas]

According to IL at the Deanery open meeting, all the chairmen of the National Leagues 1 & 2 supported the licensing system, which I confess was a surprise to me. It must make it harder for them to reach the promised land of Super League. However, part of the license is to develop junior players. Historically the Rugby league was very poor at that, and belatedly there is a much greater effort to develop young players. The sad bit from Wigan's viewpoint is that we do have good junior development and simply haven't got first team places for all of them.
It is a risk that two new teams next season might dilute the talent available, but the license seems to have kicked the RL up the bum and lots more junior teams are around. It will all take a year or two to settle, but I would welcome a 14 or even 16 team super league with good infrastructure in the National Leagues. It's got to be good for the greatest game of all - they just need to review the current pedantic refereeing and the effect it's having on injuries.

[GeoffN]

According to IL at the Deanery open meeting, all the chairmen of the National Leagues 1 & 2 supported the licensing system, which I confess was a surprise to me. It must make it harder for them to reach the promised land of Super League.

Just the opposite, I'd say. At least they don't have to rely solely on the result of one single game to gain promotion; I don't see how that's at all sensible.

[jaws1]

According to IL at the Deanery open meeting, all the chairmen of the National Leagues 1 & 2 supported the licensing system, which I confess was a surprise to me. It must make it harder for them to reach the promised land of Super League.

Just the opposite, I'd say. At least they don't have to rely solely on the result of one single game to gain promotion; I don't see how that's at all sensible.

IL did say that more money was found with sponsorship for NL1/NL2 clubs .What the chairmen of these clubs liked was the idea that if they did get promotion they would be not relegated for 3 years .If they did not get promotion the first time around they had 3 years to turn their clubs around with finance /infrastructure and players to obtain a license.