: Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:00 pm
[
how many players went to malta? 8 from one club? plus coaches. want me to keep going?
The bottom line is you suggested that the side was made up only of players from 2 clubs. That is incorrect and can be seen from looking at the team sheet.
As for the rest of your points you can keep going if you want, very few people really care. That's why the RFL stopped bothering to offer any support for the Lionhearts years ago and why most of the staff quit at the start of last season. I wasn't involved with the Malta game as I saw it as a pointless mismatch against a bunch of bussed in Aussies but at the time your club seemed happy enough to help out to make the thing happen and spare the blushes of the RFL. As it happens a lot of your players were keen to stay involved and why should the coach leave them out when so few other good players were reliable and committed? (You can hardly blame them for this given they had to pay their own way for everything along with the staff!)
When we had the nerve to ask the RFL if they would pay for a new playing kit for last season we were told that no funds would be available and maybe the Lionhearts had served their purpose and should now make way for a BARLA rep side to fulfil their Amateur Home Nations committments. If RLC clubs don't want their players to be picked for games maybe they were correct. This would be a shame for those who do want to play and I know there are good plans and people in place moving forward but ultimately Representative stuff should be a bonus for clubs and players not a cause of conflict.
Hopefully with proper management and support from the RFL the new people involved will be able to make a success of things. Frankly the whole thing became a complete pain in the backside to be involved with and I wish I'd wasted a bit less of my own time and money over the years.
.
