Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin has accused Super League stakeholders of rushing through changes to the competition with ‘a lack of information’.
Super League changes were announced last week after a majority of club owners voted in favour of expanding the competition from 12 to 14 teams. It means that at least two sides from the Championship will be welcomed into the top flight from next season and depending on the fate of Salford Red Devils more could be set to make the step up.
The decision follows alterations to the league overseas quota rules, which have been expanded to allow clubs to have 10 players from down under within their ranks. Such a change allows those stepping up from the Championship to recruit effectively and after seeing the likes of Leigh Leopards and Wakefield Trinity move up and instantly compete, the hope is that the change will make for an even more competitive Super League.
However, such changes have been passed through so quickly and Wilkin has questioned the decision and notion that it could facilitate overseas investment.
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What Jon Wilkin said on Super League expansion decision
“It’s so rushed,” Wilkin said on Sky Sports. “I had no issue with going to 14 teams or 16 teams but you can’t just say ‘alright 10 quota players and then we’re going to rush it in in August to get it through’, for what? Jason Harborow is going to bring in some investment from Qatar?
“It’s just pie in the sky stuff. I respect the owners of the game but this has been hastily done with a lack of information and they’re using loop fixtures which we all acknowledge sometimes are not great, and sometimes they are.”
“Nigel Wood on the Bench podcast said ‘it’s quite simple, we need more revenue, more people interested in the game and more participants’. Of course! So what does going from 12 to 14 do to solve any of them? If it does nothing then it’s just a façade.
“I want our game to expand, nobody wants it to be a smaller game, but sometimes you have to cut your cloth accordingly and Salford are an alarming case of being allowed to just exist in our competition and bleed cash for way too long.”
On the subject of Salford who are coming to the end of another very turbulent week in which four players have left the club permanently amid talk of unpaid bills and question marks over pension payments, Wilkin added in relation to the selection of those set to step up: “The IMG gradings, I think it was Karl Fitzpatrick who said maybe the IMG gradings aren’t thorough enough which I sort of agreed with, but then how is it good enough for 12 teams and not the extra two.
“The financial issues at Salford were so obvious to see in round one 2024 against Hull, we said you’d be nervous if you were Salford because there’s no wealthy benefactor and they’re losing money. They have nobody to top the bath up with water.
“It’s a completely flawed business model, inefficient support and not enough commercial revenues, it’s been a failing business model for ages. The game has failed to acknowledge that and it’s been a stone in the game’s shoe all year.”
