The Luddites Have Won

 

The Toronto Wolfpack came into UK's pro-competition (Super League) by working its way from a third division league. On reaching SL, entry was conditional on the club agreeing that they would taker no share in the TV money spread around the other eleven teams. Normally all twelve get a part of it but now a bigger cut for the other eleven. 

Unfortunately having made the top level, Covid struck and due to the financial strain the owner was under, the club had to pull out of the 2020 season. The owner had to walk and the club had to reapply to remain in SL for 2021. A new owner was prepared to pay off all debts but insisted on their share of the TV money in future. 

Knowing the mentality of the pro clubs in the Super League, I thought this will be a deal-breaker. It's only fair all teams are treated equally, except that the basic precept of justice escaped the SL bosses. The vote was taken and the majority decided Toronto was not to be allowed back into SL. 

The game day in Toronto was fantastic. The carnival atmosphere and the super supportive large crowds that came to enjoy a game they didn't know. It all came together in a way that exceeded my wildest dreams. It was a breath of fresh air for a stale RL competition. 

However, the pro clubs run the game and all they focus on is money, not the larger good of the game. Short term gain is everything and the Wolfpack was deemed as not offering enough financially to be worth the trouble. 

Two new North American clubs are about to enter the UK RL system, hoping to eventually gain access to SL. The door to the top is now closed for NA teams. Will they still want to be part of UK Rugby league? Could they be the basis for a NA league in the near future? I can't answer those questions but I can say is the spirit of Ned Ludd is alive and well among the eight SL clubs that voted to keep Toronto out of SL.

PS. Those that voted for Toronto were Leeds Rhinos, St Helens RLFC, Catalan Dragons and the RFL. They don't deserve to be tarred with the same brush as the others.

NRL Teams Rated : 2020 Top Teams

The top eight moved into a finals series, where teams were eliminated until the finalists were found. The road to that point and the final itself can be found elsewhere but here I will simply rank the sides. The points they achieved in the main round of matches is shown.

8th: 20 points, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Sydney).

They were the lowest-ranked of the top eight and went straight out at the first elimination hurdle. There was some class in the team but were the obvious candidate to exit early. Although only losing 20-32 to Canberra, through the season they ended up conceding more than they scored, including this elimination match. 

7th: 23 points, Newcastle Knights (NSW).

I didn't expect the Knights to make the cut but they played well through the season and earned their place here. However, they were always likely to leave at this point and in that they didn't disappoint. Well beaten 20-46 by Souths, I didn't expect more.

6th: 28 points, Sydney Roosters (Sydney).

The team from the eastern side of the city had won the previous two grand finals and for much of the competition played like they were genuine title contenders yet again. But when they approached the business end of the season, their form dipped alarmingly and lost both their finals matches for an early exit. True, both losses were by slender margins but their form warranted their departing.

5th: 30 points, Parramatta Eels (Sydney). The team from the midwest of Sydney did slightly better than I thought they would. Their captain Clint Gutherson was inspirational. They too lost both finals matches to two classy sides. 

4th: 24 points, South Sydney Rabbitohs (Sydney).

This was a team that on its day could demolish any other team. They lost some key players and were not as consistent as they should be. A roster of gifted players can be like that. Winning the first two finals games got them here, but narrowly lost 16-20 to Penrith. Certainly good enough to go all the way, this was the third consecutive season to finish one game short of the final. Ouch!

3rd: 28 points, Canberra Raiders (ACT).

Situated in the capital city, it's not an area one would expect a working-class sport like RL to prosper but they have. The team has been bolstered by taking a punt on importing English players to supplement their own well organised development system. They won both games to make the semi-final but were well beaten 10-30 by Melbourne. They are still a tad short of being good enough to go all the way.

2nd: 37 points, Penrith Panthers (Sydney).

The team from the foot of the mountains in the far west of Sydney went from not making the finals in 2019 to easily winning the league and reaching the final. They put together 17 consecutive wins in the lead up to the big game. In a tough sort such as RL is, that was a huge achievement. They had a poor first half of the final before staging a comeback in the second 40 minutes. Lack of experience in this situation may have been the reason. They will be better for the loss.

1st: 32 points, Melbourne Storm (Victoria).

This is a club in a state where RL isn't that big, but with a clever recruitment system they keep on delivering year after year. Stars retire and they create new stars to fill their boots in a seamless transition of quality that is amazing to behold. Second in the league, they took the final with a devastating first half. The second half effort had the coach less than impressed but in the end yet another title for the team in hostile territory.

	Rk	Team	Pts	W	L	Diff
	1	Penrith Panthers	37	18	1	299
	2	Melbourne Storm	32	16	4	258
	3	Parramatta Eels	30	15	5	104
	4	Sydney Roosters	28	14	6	230
	5	Canberra Raiders	28	14	6	128
	6	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	12	8	169
	7	Newcastle Knights	23	11	8	47
	8	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	20	10	10	0

NRL Teams Rated : 2020 Also Rans

The teams that had their shortened 2020 match regular season cut back further in missing out on the play-offs. Twenty matches for those departing early. For the NZ Warriors (pictured scoring above), surely mixed emotions, not playing in the finals but at last being able to return to New Zealand to see family. This after having to stay in Australia for the season. On to the rankings from the bottom.

16th: 6 points, Brisbane Broncos (Queensland).

A team with a proud history was humiliated this season. They had their longest losing streak in club history of 11 matches, which could be added to at the beginning of the next season, as it's still open-ended. Overall, their points differential was -18 points per game overall 20 games. The team had better players than this result would suggest. It was the first wooden spoon in their history.

15th: 6 points, Canterbury Bulldogs (Sydney).

The poorest team on paper (in my estimation) and therefore my favourite to come last. They went close but a superior points differential saved them. They didn't do badly in that, a -11 points per game for the season. A solid side but that isn’t enough in the NRL.

14th: 10 points, North Queensland Cowboys (Queensland).

I wondered how the club would fare once JT retired a few years back (a former star player). Well, they have struggled and this poor season was about right for the team as it is presently. It goes to show how important a skilful playmaker is if that was ever in question.

13th: 14 points, Manly Sea Eagles (Sydney). The team from the north side of Sydney Harbour had the potential to be playing finals football but fell someway short this season. They didn't seem to be able to play for a full 80 minutes, having good spells but then letting their opponents off the hook.

12th: 14 points, St George-Illawarra Steelers (Sydney/NSW Country).

This unique club straddles both Sydney suburbs and a city further south in the NSW state. I wasn’t expecting them to make the finals and they delivered on that. However, their points differential of just -4 showed they were not far off the pace.

11th: 14 points, Wests Tigers (Sydney).

This was a team I saw as finishing anywhere. It was hard to predict how they would go and as is often the case in a tough competition, such sides often end up at the wrong end of the ladder. -3 points on average were not bad at all.

10th: 16 points, NZ Warriors (Auckland, NZ).

The coronavirus disrupted the team badly in the early part of the season. It wasn't even a given that they could compete. They eventually stayed in Australia away from their families for a prolonged period. At first, they really struggled but gradually a closeness seemed to develop and the latter part of the season went well for them. Their efforts and personal sacrifices the team made earned them much respect. A points differential of -6 points but considering the circumstances, a fine result. Credit to the coaching staff too.

9th: 18 points, Gold Coast Titans (Queensland).

This relatively young club has struggled but with a new coach, they went above my expectations. I was thinking maybe second to bottom but the top of the also-rans instead. A -6 points differential wasn't that flash but they did something they have previously struggled to do, that is win close games. They were last by some distance last season so this was a huge improvement. It will be interesting to see if they can build on the progress in 2021.

	Rk	Team	Pts	W	L	Diff
	9	Gold Coast Titans	18	9	11	-117
	10	New Zealand Warriors	16	8	12	-115
	11	Wests Tigers	14	7	13	-65
	12	St George-Illawarra Dragons	14	7	13	-74
	13	Manly Sea Eagles	14	7	13	-134
	14	Queensland Cowboys	10	9	15	-152
	15	Canterbury Bulldogs	6	3	17	-222
	16	Brisbane Broncos	3	3	17	-356