WE’RE BETTER OFF NOW AFTER EIGHTS

Mcmanus: Scrapping Super 8s for one up one down will benefit us all

ST HELENS chairman Eamonn Mcmanus insists the whole of rugby league will benefit from scrapping the Super 8s, after the top-flight clubs secured a crucial vote yesterday.

A group of 11 Super League clubs – excluding only Leeds – had led a push to end the controversial system at the end of this season, and their proposal was backed by 68 per cent of the Rugby League Council at a meeting in Salford.

The move had been met with vociferous opposition from a group of Championship and League One chairmen. But the end result was more comprehensive than most had anticipated.

Mcmanus insists the whole game can prosper if Super League achieves its aim of improving commercially under new chief executive Robert Elstone.

He also maintains that smaller clubs won’t be left on the scrapheap, despite the agreement including a reduction in central funding for non-super League clubs should the next TV deal from 2022 remain the same or be reduced.

Mcmanus said: “I can understand the concerns and they’ve been listened to. There is no one that wants a more successful Championship and League One than Super League.

“We know the value of it both to ourselves and the entire game.

“That’s why we agreed at the last TV deal to increase their financial donation by 150 per cent and only accept a 25 per cent increase ourselves. We know that it has to be funded and we’ve agreed to a continuation of that.

“All we’re interested in is that the amount of money that’s available to us is increased and that we improve Super League, and that’s our intention. The way forward now is to make the most of the great game we have.

“We’ve got tremendous opportunities and it’s up to Super League to improve itself, its commercial strength – and we aim to do that in unity with the rest of the game.”

The move towards a more independent Super League has been criticised from the start by Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington (below), but Mcmanus said painting a picture of civil war had been wrong.

He explained: “It’s been a democratic process where everyone’s been able to have their say and everything’s been taken into account.

“Today we’ve reached a resolution and reached a platform to strengthen the entire game, which we will.

“The gulf between Super League and the NRL and Premiership rugby has become too great in the last 10 years. “And that’s been of great concern to us.

“We have to remedy that, and that’s the whole point in us appointing a dedicated executive to improve our commercial performance.”