‘Doesn’t sit right’ – Rugby League chairman latest to hit out at IMG

Rochdale Hornets chairman Andy Mazey is the latest in a long line of figures in the sport of rugby league to take aim at the incoming grading era under IMG.

Clubs will learn their IMG grade in late October, approximately two weeks after the Super League Grand Final, and those rankings will determine the composition of Super League from 2025 onwards.

The twelve highest-ranked sides will form Super League with the remaining teams splitting into the Championship and League One, with promotion and relegation still active between those leagues.

Initially seen by some as ‘Rugby league by spreadsheet’, the IMG grading system has been a controversial one from the offset but as its introduction approaches, more and more are speaking out against it.

Only last week, Hunslet’s chairman shared a statement that criticised the process of filing data for his club’s grading, before stating that they hope it is the ‘last time we use the grading system’.

Now, another League One chairman has taken aim at the era rugby league is set to enter as they’ve declared that ‘defining success on who’s got the most Facebook likes doesn’t sit right’.

Rugby League chairman takes shot at IMG

They’re the sentiments of former Swinton Lions and current Rochdale Hornets chairman Andy Mazey who took to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday evening to express his discontent.

His post came minutes after Warrington’s huge blowout win over Huddersfield Giants with the Wire winning 66-0, a scoreline that took the aggregate Super League score in Round 26 to 226-8, with the first five games all being major blowout scores.

That was something that Mazey referenced in his post, citing IMG and the ‘closed shop’ as one of the causes for results where teams have seemingly downed tools.

He posted: “Closed shop = No jeopardy, uncompetitive games and blow out scores. While I hope and pray it works with IMG, P&R is the very essence of UK sport and defining success on who’s got the biggest TV gantry, most Facebook likes and LED lights etc still doesn’t sit right, sorry.”

Closed shop = No jeopardy, uncompetitive games and blow out scores. While I hope and pray it works with IMG, P&R is the very essence of UK sport and defining success on who’s got the biggest TV gantry, most facebook likes and LED lights etc still doesn’t sit right, sorry.

— Andy Mazey (@andy_mazey) September 14, 2024

He’s not been the only chairman to take aim at the system this week with Super League’s Derek Beaumont also having a dig, although he has targeted Hull FC who he has argued should be relegated if they finish bottom of Super League.

Speaking about the prospect of attending Hull’s MKM Stadium in 2025, Beaumont posted: “I hope I am not at FC as I expect they get relegated if finishing bottom which I think they will! I will legally fight for that if it happens!”

In recent weeks, even the departing Rugby Football League president, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has criticised the lack of normal promotion and relegation.