Stop “scary” Championship signings and let teams fish in the same pond

Championship clubs should not be allowed to make a “pointless” number of overseas signings and should have the same recruitment rules as Super League.  

That’s the view of the current Coach of the Year Craig Lingard. His Batley side recently stunned promotion chasing Featherstone by winning at Post Office Road on Sunday.

Lingard admits teams like the Bulldogs are unable to compete with the “scary” signings made by Rovers and Leigh. He believes the current system is both pointless and dangerous, with promoted sides then having to start again under new rules in Super League.

”It is scary, a completely different world, a completely different environment,” Lingard told Love Rugby League.

“We only have a certain sized fishing rod and a certain sized pond that we can fish in. You look at the oceans that Featherstone and Leigh can fish in compared to us and it’s scary. Money helps but it’s all about recruiting the right people. At the minute Leigh seem to have got that right.”

Speaking exclusively on this week’s Love Rugby League podcast, Lingard explains the problems teams outside of Super League are facing financially, and with uncertainty over a future change in league structure.

Championship clubs shouldn’t be allowed so many overseas players

“I’m still of the opinion that in the Championship we shouldn’t be allowed so many overseas players compared to Super League,” he says.

“It should be the same across the board. It’s pointless recruiting overseas players and then having to start again and release half a dozen of them. The structure of the game should be the same from top to bottom.

“I’ve no idea why it’s like that. People say Leigh could move into Super League now and they would probably be a mid-table team. But they wouldn’t as half a dozen of the players wouldn’t be there. And because it goes to the last game of the season, you can’t plan on bringing people in based on the fact that you will be in Super League because you might not be. 

“It’s a difficult situation. I understand why clubs do it because you want to get out of the Championship into Super League and you are better being in there I suppose and then planning for that following season.”

PODCAST: Craig Lingard on Championship recruitment rules, Batley & two divisions of 14?