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This intro comes with a heavy heart and through gritted teeth, but can anybody from the west of the Pennines any longer deny that Yorkshire is both the power base and the brains trust of British rugby league?

It's always been the former, ever since the Northern Union was formed in 1895 at Huddersfield's George Hotel – which now houses Mike Stephenson's superb Rugby League Heritage Museum, a collection fully deserving of this gratuitous plug, and more evidence of Yorkshire supremacy in all areas of the game.

Leeds has been the headquarters of the Rugby Football League for as long as I can remember, Leeds Metropolitan University seems to have its Carnegie brand affixed to at least half of the trophies currently on offer – while Engage, the Super League sponsor, is based in Harrogate.

On the field, a record seven of the 12 clubs in this season's Super League are from the east of the Pennines, while only three are from what used to be Lancashire - Wigan, Warrington and St Helens.

Will that be taken into account by the luckless souls who have to decide the clubs that merit a Super League licence from next year? Salford, in particular, must be hoping so, as Greater Manchester remains such a crucial battleground for the game, and their spectacular new stadium on the M60 would provide a once-in-a-lifetime chance of making a real impact.

Technically, arent we Greater Manchester, Warrington Poor-Mans-Cheshire and Saints in Merseyside?

warriorwal wrote:HEY HEY mike binder dont like that post i am a yorkshire warrior .
born and bred yorkshire
when I was born it was the east riding of yorkshire until some fool changed it but I still put e yorks and never stopped and 12 years ago it was changed back so please dont label us humbersiders very upsetting