Bradford Bulls can benefit from good structural call by RFL

Rugby league’s governing body have come in for plenty of justified stick over the years, and they are currently navigating an absolute minefield around tackling rules and head contact.

Red cards galore, inconsistent suspensions being handed out, and over 150 ex-players taking legal action against the RFL over claims the sport “did not take reasonable action to protect them from brain injury”.

The latter is leading to a particularly ugly schism in the game:

160 former players who knew what they signed up for when they started playing.
Took every penny they could while playing,now taking action against rugby football league because they haven’t got a penny of that left. Come on man!!! https://t.co/bJTjmVSYSy

— John Bateman (@johnbateman1) March 13, 2024

But one thing I largely believe they have got ride is Wednesday evening’s game-changing announcement about the immediate future of the Betfred Championship and League 1.

Divisive as it is, I am perfectly understanding over the RFL and IMG’s ‘Reimagining Rugby League’ grading criteria, which will come into effect after that season.

I don’t necessarily agree with the placing of some clubs that is true.

Why on earth are Super League London Broncos down in 24th when they are not only a Super League side, but one who achieved the unthinkable of getting into the top flight without a single player from the north of England?

Why are Keighley way down in 30th given their groundbreaking work for the LGBTQ+ community? And why do Newcastle hold 18th position when they barely even made it to League 1’s start line for 2024.

But wrangles over who scores what aside, I generally like the system, and as I have said in the past, clubs should indeed be rewarded for their whole product, having a strong fanbase, doing work in the community, having academy and women’s sides, building a modern-day stadium etc, not just pumping money into a first team to try and gain a potentially unsustainable promotion.

Not everyone agrees with me of course, and that’s fine, rugby league, like most sports, is a game of opinions.

But the fact is, that grading system is here to stay, whether you like it or not, so with that in mind, I am right on board with Wednesday’s big announcement.

The key takeaway for Bulls, and the likes of Featherstone, Widnes and York, who are potentially contenders for Super League down the line but perhaps not just yet, is that there is now some confirmed incentive for winning the Championship Grand Final.

If Bradford were to do that this year, they may have a chance of sneaking into the Super League 12 for 2025, based on their grading, but with Fev, the Vikings and the Knights all a point or two further back from their Odsal rivals, a shock title success at the expense of heavy favourites Wakefield is highly unlikely to be enough to propel them into the elite.

But while football is awash with money in England, certainly in the top two divisions, rugby league’s version of the Championship is generally a fair bit less cash-rich, with many teams consisting almost exclusively of part-time players and often part-time head coaches.

So the fact the RFL have offered a significant increase in prize money for the Championship Grand Final winners is a huge boost to clubs on the eve of the new league season.

Bulls were just 80 minutes away from the Championship Grand Final in 2023, and there is still a real incentive to get there, even if victory in it no longer guarantees promotion to Super League. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Yes, the showpiece no longer offers the carrot of Super League rugby for the following season, but think about what that extra cash can help clubs achieve.

They can buy better players, improving their performance.

They can put some of that money into better facilities at the ground, improving their stadium score.

They can use that money to help create and fund additional teams, improving the appeal and size of the club within the local area,

They can spend the money on doing more projects with schools, foodbanks and local businesses, improving their community outreach.

Ultimately, while that prize money cannot give sides like Fev or Widnes a place in Super League in the short term, long term, winning a Grand Final or two may prove to be a route into the elite after all.

As for the Super Eights, welcome back, we’ve missed you since 2018.

Granted, it is probably less exciting than it used to be, given these will be taking place between struggling Championship and high-flying League 1 clubs at the end of each season from 2025 onwards, rather than determining who goes up, down or stays in Super League.

But it gives good, often up and coming, clubs a better chance of escaping the third tier, while also adding extra jeopardy to the second division.

Granted, last year’s Championship relegation battle was phenomenal, with Whitehaven staying up on points difference and Keighley going down, when one more unconverted try for Cougars in their 24-16 defeat to London Broncos on the final day would have been enough to save the West Yorkshire side instead.

But Dewsbury and Workington were woeful the year before, meaning some other massive underperformers in 2022, including hugely-disappointing Bradford, Sheffield and Widnes sides, were never in any real danger of the unthinkable.

The Super Eights will stop Championship teams relaxing in that fashion, knowing they cannot just rely on two teams being even worse than them any more.

It also adds a thrilling extra layer to the play-off system, as the likes of North Wales and Midlands Hurricanes might potentially get the chance to write the most famous underdog tale of their short histories to date.

There are still pickles to sort out without doubt. The new system will eventually lead to both the Championship and League 1 having 12 teams apiece in 2026, good news for the latter, but that would mean four games less for sides in the former.

Clubs will have two less home matches as a result and say hypothetically Bulls are still in the Championship in two years, that could be an aggregate attendance of nearly 10,000 they miss out on at Odsal.

It will be interesting to see what the plans are to cover that potential shortfall, in a league that is hardly awash with cash anyway.

Then there is the farce of a TV deal, with nothing yet agreed with the Championship sides despite the competition getting underway tonight.

There has been a breakthrough on that this week, with Premier Sports putting a proposal to clubs which would see all seven league fixtures each weekend streamed, with clubs able to choose when they play, though most would still likely plump for the traditional 3pm time slot on the Sunday.

There would also be no long Monday night trips any more to the relief of just about everyone I’d imagine (Barrow at Odsal and Bulls down in Widnes, pictured below, anyone?).

I didn't enjoy this Monday night, nor did Ben Blackmore, nor did the Bulls fans, but thankfully that is all a thing of the past now. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

But that cannot happen until broadcasters Premier Sports and Viaplay formalise their split, meaning that even if the proposals are accepted, there is unlikely to be any televised Championship action until after Easter.

Bulls have understandably told the T&A they will not yet give a quote on the situation, while nothing official has been agreed, but it is rumoured that they and several of their Championship rivals want further details on how the deal would work and the benefits it would bring.

Will the viewing figures from the streams help their IMG score in any way for example? And if every match is available to watch on a stream, would that not reduce the number of fans coming to games in person?

There does not seem to be hostility to the plan in any way, more just clubs needing as much information as possible and any burning questions answering, before making a decision.

As is often the case with the RFL, we are a long way off finding the perfect solution for a perfect season of Championship, and League 1, rugby.

But Wednesday at least felt like a major step in the right direction.