London Broncos, IMG gradings and the lack of promotion and relegation are all going to be hot topics this weekend.
The main reason? If London beat Hull FC at the Magic Weekend they will go level on points with the Black and Whites and on the cusp of lifting themselves off the bottom before the end of the 2024 Super League season.
IMG gradings only reward performance slightly when it comes to the breakdown of how the points work, but more and more we hear talk of how if London Broncos avoid bottom spot, they might have a case to be made about the whole IMG system.
The Broncos have already beaten Hull FC this season and the latter have been criticised before regarding their approach to the 2024 Super League campaign, having been accused of reducing their player cost base on the back of the fear of relegation disappearing.
Nobody is suggesting that FC will lose their grade A licence this year, but Leigh owner Derek Beaumont has been at the forefront previously of voices saying that London would have every right to take legal action, especially if they don’t finish bottom of the league.
Beaumont told the League Express podcast last month: “At the minute we’ve got a controversial system. I’ve mentioned the Hull thing, I’m not picking on Hull, but they’ve got rid of players, put the cue in the rack this year, not competitive and don’t feel any threat, which should be there and keeps something vibrant.
“Then you’ve got Castleford, who have fought like hell to get from that situation and they’re mirroring us, they drew at our place, new owner, competing. London, David Hughes has put millions into the game for a long period of time despite – if I was in his shoes and I’d been promoted, I’d have probably spat my dummy and walked out.”
He continued: “When we submitted our accounts with the financial movements I’d made, this is what’s wrong, my movements on a spreadsheet in terms of what I wrote off as loans and converted into sponsorship to meet the scoring, it made my scoring which I’d left at 1.3 go up to 3.7 in the financial ranks, which put us at 15.05, we lose 0.25 for the Challenge Cup, depending on where we finish that might drop. We’re certainly high enough.
“I think there will be massive legal situations, if you’re a club that is positioned 13th by 0.1 points, you are going to want a full audit of everyone else’s scores. When everything is 0.1 or 0.2 there, it doesn’t bode well.
“Somebody like David Hughes, who is of significant wealth, could get an injunction about what’s going on and the whole thing could be put on ice. Without speaking too much out of turn, there are various owners with similar views on a lot of things, this being one of them. We are meeting to see what we are aligned on and we will take that forward and see where that goes.”
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john weldrick
August 14, 2024 at 11:20 am
Beaumont is a bitter man , dislikes Hull because we take all his players , concentrate on your own club , try and build your fan base and for goodness sake pack it on with the leopard skin nonsense it’s embarrassing
John w french
August 14, 2024 at 12:06 pm
it doesn’t matter who is bitter about owt it the RFL that should be getting the flack by appointing this company who are on the way to bankrupting theRFL the situation will end in tears mark my words
John
August 14, 2024 at 4:08 pm
What a lot of nonsense. Maybe Hull FC should make a case for including in the gradings the number of fans a team brings into the game, and then we can add the number of fans a team take to away matches.
I am most definitely NOT an FC fan, having supported the East side of the City for over 60 years, but to suggest London Broncos should be allowed to remain in Super League because FC have been in turmoil this season is absolute nonsense.
We have a few people decrying the value of IMG because it doesn’t suit what they want. I have issues with no promotion or relegation but I’d like to see IMG given a chance to see where it takes us, and not judged based on a weird set of circumstances where one of the teams with the most potential in Rugby League are having a one-off terrible season, both in terms of injuries and some, shall we say, dubious signings from their outgoing coach.
William friar
August 14, 2024 at 5:13 pm
I,M afraid Hull who are second from bottom do not need to win another game as it is reported they are granted A status so are assured super league next year. Also Huddersfield are ok for next year with the points IMG have given them. which leaves 2 teams to go down if the IMG bring in Toulouse and the top of the championship league which they want.London are doomed so Leigh or Castleford are the only teams left so who will it be.both have large away following so the money the super league will loose and the money the teams left will loose on home matches will be considerable. One of these teams might as well give up rugby as the fans will, after watching super league give up.
Jaybs
August 14, 2024 at 7:12 pm
£750,000 reportedly paid to IMG so far, Money down Tne Drain & we’ve signed a TEN YEAR CONTRACT? Who agreed this? Very few Super League owners are multi millionaires, the few we have must unite, and take Action, before IMG destroy Super League & RFL!