: Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:26 pm
I couldn't be bothered trying to find the decent posts in between the guff from the idiots and the trolls so apologies if im repeating what someone else has already said.
Who cares if there were free tickets? Surely in their first season its a good idea to give out free tickets (just like Hudds) to try and generate interest.
In the end it was a higher attendance than when Leeds played at Quins and nearly as high as when Leeds played at Wakey.
Celtic and their fans should be applauded for getting so many people there when it was obvious they were going to get a kicking anyway.
As for the bitter Widnes fans, I can understand their frustration to a point but why aren't they focusing their anger on Salford, they have a poor team, poor ground, poor attendance and dont offer the expansion advantage that Celtic do.
In the end if we want the game to survive and prosper in the modern world of media run from London we have to expand the game. Thanks to Celtic being in SL there are thousands more people directly exposed to rugby league than before, not to mention the extra thousands who will play it in schools and amateur clubs thanks to Celtics involvement.
There will be always a decent rugby league representation in Widnes and in the heartlands. There may not be in Wales if we dont help it.
The best way of hurting Rugby League last year was to admit Salford and Widnes to Super League. Imagine how much the w@nkers in the media and the BBC in London would have loved that. "RL is only played on the M62"
It's the perfect excuse to give RL even less coverage than the pathetic amount we get so far.
If we can over a few years get a competitive team in London, a competitive team in Wales and slowly develop a competitive international scene with France and Wales then they cant ignore us.
If we hide in our safe little shell and only travel up and down the M62 every other week RL will slowly wither and die.