The Greatest Game

Finally the BBC have announced that they are to show the Super League Show nationwide.

The public’s television broadcaster, whose coverage of league extends to Ray ‘why don’t they kick every penalty?’ French and Jonathan ’shut up Ray’ Davies mispronouncing names and having a liberal grasp of the rules (not to mention this claimof the Beeb comparing league -  Challenge Cup final 2007 attendance: 84,241 - to shinty - Challenge Cup final 2007 attendance: undisclosed), seems to have recognised the fact that rugby league coverage on Sky Sports attracts viewing figures second only to football and are fitting in with the ever-growing support for the sport.

Does it go far enough? Where does the line get drawn when the superb online community for the sport turn from respectable campaigners to serial whingers? Indeed, the BBC’s nationwide coverage consisting of a repeat showing of the Super League Show in the graveyard shift of 12.30am on a Monday morning is not perfect, and frankly bizarre given that the repeat will be after the matches the show previews.

Perhaps it is important to highlight Sky Sports News’ Sunday evening 9.30pm highlights round-up of all Super League matches from the weekend including an analysis from the significantly-better-dressed-than-Harry-Gration Tony Rea. It is hard to see the benefit of nationwide BBC coverage at 12.30am when fans with the most basic digital television package can access all the action from the weekend’s top flight games. The sceptic inside every league fan has to wonder if this is a BBC ruse to claim a lack of interest in the show from outside the north by putting it on at a time most people cannot realistically watch. Hopefully the BBC’s viewing figures take into account those with recording devices, only time will tell.

As a sideline to the news, BBC Sports Editor Roger Mosey uses the opportunity to promote the BBC’s increased coverage of league this season.

Avoiding any talk of the broadcaster’s lack of interest in the rugby league world cup (and not mentioning the future of the superb Rugby League Raw), Mosey advertises the BBC’s coverage of the Challenge Cup and the new coverage of one England international. He also claims that the broadcaster will be experimenting with different timeslots for its Challenge Cup coverage, with 5.30pm quoted as the likely time. Thankfully, he acknowledges that the change in coverage is a “modest increase” and it is nice to see that the broadcaster is starting to respond to the sport - a sport whose online community upset the status quo of venomous anti-league national rags when the Beeb put the Team of the Year prize at the 2006 Sports Personality of the Year awards up to the public vote, a sport which, despite what its (largely jealous union) critics claim, is played across the country and across the globe, is on the big screen in every pub that has one in my Birmingham village every weekend and is growing at a rapid rate.

The people are talking, and it seems that the BBC are finally listening.

Super League Show logo and St Helens images from BBC.co.uk
England RL badge image from the Times RL blog (usage policy)

The cold winter months may not be over but finally the rugby league season is fully underway to warm the cockles. Rugby league media may be prone to comments such as ‘the closest season yet’ but the first full weekend programme hints at that bold statement becoming fact.

In fact, at the Super League launch, the RFL were keen to throw out facts about last season being the tightest table since its inception in 1996, St Helens topped the table with the fewest number of points, and Warrington Wolves missed out on the playoffs despite being just six wins off top spot.

This season though sees a predictably unpredictable Super League, as well as across the league programme with a number of matches over the weekend regarded as shock results.

In the Super League, Hull KR toppled Saints 24-22 in controversial circumstances and Wakefield pipped Bradford Bulls 26-24. Both Saints and Bradford are expected to be in the running this year, but Wakefield and Hull KR - who finished 8th and 11th respectively last term - have recruited well and are expected to challenge. There is no one to take their place towards the bottom end of the table though, with Castleford likely to replace relegated Salford at the bottom and Catalans Dragons and Harlequins still languishing somewhere in the lower regions come September. It really is unpredictable - how predictable!

But outside Super League, there were a number of surprise results in the Northern Rail Cup as Batley edged out expected play off contenders Dewsbury 19-18 and Leigh beat last season’s grand finalists Widnes 15-8. As for big scores, this season’s expected National League 2 all-conquerors Gateshead smashed Hunslet 58-6 and Halifax and Keighley traded point after point as ‘Fax grabbed an epic 64-40 victory.

A great season ahead, predictable unpredictability - here we go!

Here is the transcript of the press conference following the Catalans Dragons victory over Castleford Tigers at The Jungle in round one of Super League XIII.

Mick Potter, Catalans coach

A good start to the season Mick…

Yeah, it’s good to come across the Channel and get a win first up. We knew it was going to be tough and we’re happy just to get two points.

It was a strange first half wasn’t it? You had lots of field position and then ended up 12-2 down at half time.

It was unusual, we had a lot of overplays and we threw passes when things weren’t on and they controlled us around the ruck very well and as a consequence we need to change our play a little bit, we need a bit more support play around the ball and I think we got that in the second half.

And it was a good performance from Aaron Gorrell first game back.

Yeah, I’m really happy with Aaron he played 80 minutes straight up in the middle of the field. There aren’t too many players who can defend up the middle of the field for the duration and he came up with some really good options for us. Very happy with his first game back.

What did you make of your half-back combination tonight?

I was really pleased, you get a little excited in training but it isn’t real contact and they took the ball to the line really well tonight and they got a few in the ribs as a consequence but they’re not afraid to do that and I’m really pleased they did.

What is the story with Adam Mogg?

He hurt his hamstring in training so we had to improvise a little bit, Jean Baile is only 20-years-old and that was his first hit out in Super League. He has only played about ten games in league one in France and for him to come in and step up on the night is really good. He’s got plenty of improvement in him and he didn’t look too out of place. Centre isn’t really his position but he is confident in himself.

Is Mogg looking okay for next week?

He’ll have a scan this week. He tried to test it on the treadmill this morning and he couldn’t run at level 9 which is just about a jog. I’m no medical person but to me if he can’t run level 9 and you’ve got one week it is unlikely that he’ll be playing the next game.

Was it over here that he did it?

Yeah, he was going to play but at training he slipped on the ground.

Did he do it on the pitch? Were you training here?

No we couldn’t get the pitch so we had to train at Castleford Panthers amateur club. They were fantastic.

Is that disappointing to you that clubs can use your ground but you can’t use theirs?

I think it is an issue that needs to be sorted out. I don’t know why it is but I’ll chase it up.

There’s a vacancy at Brisbane next year Mick, is that of any interest to you?

[laughs] You never say never! If somebody wants to ring me I’ll be happy to talk to them but I don’t think that is going to happen. I’m happy where I am and it is a good place to be. When you’ve got weather that is 22-23 degrees day-in day-out and it is sunny every day it is hard to leave.

Your contract is up this year isn’t it?

It is yeah.

Terry Matterson, Tigers coach

There were a stack of penalties against you Terry, did you feel that was the main thing against you tonight?

It’s not a surprise that was the first question asked to me. I’ve got to look at where we went wrong. We had enough opportunities there in the first half that we didn’t take and that’s where I’ve got to look. I’m not the boss of the other side. I think the penalty count was 17-9, the ten minutes in the sin bin [for Ryan McGoldrick] I’m not too sure what that was for, I’ll just have to concentrate on what we can do better because we certainly made enough opportunities to win the game. I’m pretty disappointed. It is pretty much our trial form – we got away in the first half and we came out and created some good things in the first part of the second half. Very disappointing but we need to regroup and build upon the good things we did.

Your defence was outstanding in the first half, to go in ahead at half time must have been quite a relief?

Yeah it was. We were on our line, on our line and we probably had more pressure put on us in the first half than the second. But I think all the work we had to do took its toll in the second half and we played dumb with the footy there’s no doubt about it and that’s got to sit firmly with our halves.

A lot of penalties against you, is that something you need to address?

I’ll need to look at the video before I comment on that but it is a frustration and I thought that they were staying in the tackle while we were up playing the ball, I thought that was fairly obvious but I want to concentrate on what we did wrong.

A bad moment for Brent Sherwin – knocking on and conceding position at a critical time.

It was but that wasn’t why we lost. It was a big part of the game definitely but we held out so many sets of six in the first half and they didn’t score a point – they must have had ten sets on our line. You’ve got to roll your sleeves up and we did a good job. There’s a lot of good stuff there defensively and good stuff to build on and I’ve got to make sure we concentrate on that and not get caught up in other bits. We are a team that has just come together and that is our third game together. Five or six guys didn’t play the last trial so in reality it is only our second game together and it is a big step up from where we were last year. We competed tonight and that was pleasing but we’re not here to compete, we’re here to win. I’m a bit frustrated.

A lot of the season build up was on the youngsters, you must have been happy with the performances of Shenton and Westerman tonight?

They did step up tonight and they keep on doing what I ask them to. Joe nearly played the entire game and he’s handling it really well.

Any injuries?

Unfortunately yeah, it looks like we’ve lost Stuart Donlan in the last tackle of the game, probably out for a month with medial ligament damage. That’s a position we didn’t need to lose anyone but that’s how it is running at the moment.

Does it scare you with the size of squad you’ve got? Is going into each game damage limitation?

It doesn’t scare me but I’d prefer not to pick them up. We don’t have a deep squad but we’ve got a couple of guys who missed out tonight who are going to get their opportunities next week.

What were your thoughts on Brent Sherwin’s debut?

There were some things there and he came up with a couple of mistakes when the crunch was on. I think our halves did let us down at times in certain areas and that is something we’ll continue to work with. Three new halves with Dorn, Sherwin and Moore will take time. It’s not going to happen overnight but it’s their job to create and I’m expecting them to do it better.

Mick Potter image from www.catalansdragons.com
Terry Matterson image from www.castigers.net (usage policy)

In the second half of my interview with Castleford Tigers Chief Executive Richard Wright, Richard discusses the club’s licence chances, plans for attracting new fans, the small playing squad and the club’s relationship with the fans.

Are you feeling confident about the licence application?

It is going to be very competitive but with the new stadium, junior development and the fanbase we have here I’m confident.

If the club does get a licence, what work needs to be done then for retaining that licence in 2012?

With the new stadium and the 50% rule on the salary cap removed I think we can move towards a B or possibly an A category within the RFL’s strategic aims. If we can get into the B category we can’t be considered for losing our licence in 2012. Once the stadium is delivered I don’t see a problem but at the moment we are going to be judged on what we have at The Jungle and that is obviously going to affect where we are.

The club is seen as a small town club whilst the licence system is looking at a bigger picture: big cities, Europe-wide. Castleford is sat in close proximity to four other Super League clubs, does that ever play on your mind?

I think we need to change that mindset, we have fans from a much bigger area than Castleford itself and we also have superb transport links – especially at the new stadium. I think our catchment area is bigger than it’s ever been, with fans from East Leeds. I also think the stadium will see us grow and the economy of the whole area is improving. It is a densely populated area in any case so I think we need to change the ‘small town’ mindset and I think the stadium will be the catalyst for that: it’ll attract bigger brands, it’ll attract more people and I think we’ll be seen as a far more serious competitor and a much bigger organisation.

Last year’s Grand Final saw 10,000 Castleford fans at Headingley, what plans do the club have to tap into that potential?

We had a massive turnout at the semi finals in 1999 and 2002 and in the Grand Final against Whitehaven in 2005 but there were even more fans at Headingley. It was interesting to see so many people turn up, there were so many shirts from a bygone era and all those people have an interest in the clubs and its fortunes and rugby league in general and we need to tap into that. There were also a lot of people who were just after an evening’s entertainment and we provide a lot of that.

This season you have a weak squad, do you think that if the club suffers badly on the pitch this season that would detract some of those potential new fans?

Yes I do and we are trying to address the squad. We are being more thoughtful about the longer term but will try and bring in players as we go along. We’ve got to be competitive – we’ve got pride, we don’t want any games where we get tanked by 60-70 points and we want to get back that reputation we’ve always had of being a tough team to beat, especially at home. We certainly want to bring more players in but I suppose we need to try and get people to believe in the longer term. It’s about achieving a balance.

Do you see this season as a gap year?

No not really because it is an important year to continue building. The community programmes, the stadium, the licences. It will all generate a lot of goodwill and publicity and we need to develop the excellent young players we’ve signed. We don’t want to finish bottom, we want to be competitive and if there are one or two quality players available we’ll try to bring them in.

Financially how viable is it to bring in more players?

There is some budget available, we’ll see what is available and if we can get off to a decent start and get some good attendances that will give more finances. We’ve lost money for the past three years but you can’t do that forever and we try to manage the club responsibly. But there is some money available.

How do you see the relationship between the club and the fans?

Well we need to consult with the fans more and regain some trust that has been lost in the last few years. I think we have to build their trust and get them to believe in what we want to achieve. We need to do that so people can see we have a long term goal.

Have you got a plan for how that’s going to happen?

I think we need to take their views on board and we’re doing that at the moment. We need to consult with everyone, particularly over the stadium, and I think that acts as a catalyst to everything else. We need to find out what their thoughts are about the club, what they think we’re not doing that we should be and what we’re doing that we shouldn’t – trying to take everyone with us in what we want to achieve. We want to build upon the ‘meet the directors’ nights and the supporters’ club and we’re always accessible to the fans. We want to encourage and increase the amount of interaction and we have a massive community programme and soon people are going to be aware of the amount of work we do in senior and primary schools and our role in the community will become much bigger.

This interview was conducted as part of research into a feature I am writing for Code13 magazine’s second issue, out Friday 29 February. The excellent first issue is out now and can be purchased from ebay as well as the following club shops: Wigan Warriors, Wakefield Wildcats, Warrington Wolves, Harlequins RL, Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers, Sheffield Eagles RLFC, Bramley Buffaloes, South London Storm, Dewsbury Rams, Barrow Raiders, London Skolars, Gateshead Thunder and New Earswick All Blacks.

For more information, visit www.code13magazine.co.uk.

Researching a feature on Castleford Tigers I am writing for Code13 magazine, I met up with Tigers Chief Executive Richard Wright and took the opportunity to ask him about the past and future of the club: why the club are scrapping between the divisions after being 80 minutes from the Super League Grand Final in 1999 and what his vision for the club is for the future.

In this first part of two, Richard talks about his relationship with the Tigers, the club’s plans for a new stadium and his thoughts on the club’s spectacular fall from grace (the second half can be found here).

The next issue of Code13 will be out on Friday 29 February, the first issue is out now and can be bought from ebay and the following club shops: Wigan Warriors, Wakefield Wildcats, Warrington Wolves, Harlequins RL, Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers, Sheffield Eagles RLFC, Bramley Buffaloes, South London Storm, Dewsbury Rams, Barrow Raiders, London Skolars, Gateshead Thunder and New Earswick All Blacks.

What is your history with the Tigers?

I came down here as a kid when I was about six or seven years of age and have been coming ever since. Darryl Van de Velde asked me to do a bit of sponsorship after someone dropped out of being a player position sponsor and I said I would. After I’d done a bit of advertising and sponsorship I became a director. Then in 1996 with the dawn of Super League, we needed to fill various senior positions within the club to access RFL funding and I was asked to take the Chief Executive’s job.

It must be a pretty busy job at the moment with franchises on the way?

Yes it is, obviously we’ve got the stadium to deliver and we’ve got to get a licence and those are the two things that are occupying my time. It is an important season and it is important that the club continues to grow in tandem with those two very important things. I think we’ll get there – the licence application will be in by the end of March and we just need to push forward with the stadium, we need to maintain the momentum that we’ve got.

What is the position with the stadium at the moment?

Well we got planning permission, now we are finalising the ownership, the management, the funding package and the design. Obviously the detailed design will determine what the finished costs will be. We are appointing architects so that the detailed designs can get underway and consulting with the fans and the sponsors so that they are along the lines of what everybody wants. Meanwhile we’re working with the council on the actual ownership, the management and the financial contributions from each partner.

Wasn’t it initially a Castleford and Waystone partnership for the stadium and the council weren’t going to be involved apart from the planning permission aspect?

No, the council have always been involved. It is a three-way partnership between the club, Waystone and the council and obviously we want to ensure we deliver significant community benefits from the stadium and that is the council’s role.

Does that conflict at all with the Wakefield plans for a council-funded community stadium at Thornes Park?

Well I don’t know much about the Wakefield project and we’re just focussed on ours. Since I’ve been here we’ve been looking at ways to improve the facilities because if we’re to compete at the highest level we’re going to have to have better facilities. On this particular project we’ve been working five years and we’ve got a public initiative that a lot of work has gone into. I keep out of what Wakefield are doing.

What is the timescale for the stadium at the moment? How do you see the project commencing?

We’re anticipating resolving the funding and management issues by the end of March for when we submit our licence application. Once we can agree a detailed design with the sponsors and the fans we can submit an application for the detailed planning and that will take quite some time. Hopefully then by the back end of the year we will be able to get on with the construction which will take about 12 months.

All your eggs seem to be in the stadium basket. If worst case scenario happens and the stadium doesn’t happen what is the fallback plan?

Well an awful lot of money has been invested in this project by Waystone and in terms of the planning application you are talking about hundreds of thousands of pounds invested already in this development. People only do that when there is a fair degree of certainty that the project is going to happen. If we talk about a plan B there is the possibility of redeveloping The Jungle. It isn’t a route we’d like to take but it is a possibility that we could sell some of the land here and develop a training facility offsite. The problem with that is that it is not going to put us in a position to compete at the highest level. It will get us the stadium and comply with minimum standards but it will not give us the base to go forward and perform at the highest level.

Is it a case then that Waystone can’t afford for the stadium not to be built?

Well I wouldn’t say that and I won’t speak for Waystone but all I can say is that an awful lot of time, money and effort has been invested by ourselves, Waystone and the council into this project and we are confident that it will go ahead.

Ten years ago the club was almost at the peak of the sport – almost at the Challenge Cup final, almost at the Grand Final – what do you think contributed to the club being in the position it is in now, scrapping for survival?

Everyone seems to blame the directors for not being ambitious enough but I think if you look at the players we bought in the year 2000. In 1999 we brought in some quality overseas players and they lifted us to that next level. Obviously we didn’t do that again in 2000 and those that came in were of a lower standard and we didn’t move forward. In 1999 we brought in Aaron Raper and Dale Fritz and those overseas players were the difference. We needed to bring in better players the next year and we didn’t. It wasn’t a lack of investment though and it wasn’t a lack of ambition on the part of the directors. People won’t believe that but we don’t tell coaches who to bring in. From our perspective it is much easier to sell season tickets on the back of a big signing and we’ve always encouraged to bring big names in.

It comes down to 2004 which was a very difficult year. When we started that year I think people thought we had a very good squad and people were saying to me that they couldn’t wait to see the forwards we signed – Craig Greenhill and Shaun Ryan – and we all thought we had a really strong set of forwards and it turned out not to be the case. Then despite our best efforts we failed to turn it around. I think the one thing we didn’t have was quality juniors coming through and when we got into trouble we didn’t have anyone to underpin the first team. What’s happened since then has been a direct result of that year when recruitment was the key issue. I don’t think we brought the right balance of players in 2004 and since then we have invested trying to get back to where we were then and it has taken until now to finally get on the right track.

And now the future’s looking bright?

It is, we’ve been investing heavily in juniors since 2004 and we’re seeing that now with Michael Shenton, Craig Huby, Ryan Boyle, Richard Owen and Joe Westerman who have all looked comfortable in the friendlies and will play significant roles this year. We have a lot of good kids coming through and I think over the next four or five years we’ll see a significant percentage of the first team squad being from Castleford. That along with the stadium will finally give us the ability to compete at the highest level. We’ve never been able to sustain that challenge before, we’ve had some good teams and we’ve always been up and down because if you don’t have the money, it’s hard to sustain it and I think we now have an opportunity to do that.

For more information on Code13, visit www.code13magazine.co.uk.