HEADING INTO A STORM?
NATIONAL Conference League chiefs, who have already dealt with a request by Featherstone Lions to drop from the top flight to Division One in 2022, with Leigh Miners Rangers elevated in their place, face a further structural tweak following the withdrawal from the competition of another Premier Division side in Underbank Rangers.
In one sense Rangers’ departure is surprising, given that they reached the play-offs stage in the recentlyconcluded campaign. On the other hand there may have been warning signs in that they won one of those knockout games with only twelve men. It seems that Underbank are switching to the Yorkshire Men’s League through simply not having enough players, although those players seem to be of high quality.
Hopefully they’ll regroup and return while the NCL, which hasn’t yet issued a statement on their departure, will –I expect – simply promote teams through each of the divisions, with one more space now available to new applicants as they seek to operate with four divisions of twelve teams.
While it’s disappointing to have to write about Underbank’s exit, at least the episode relates to the regular fluctuations of life in sport. The thoughts of Rugby League folk have, over the last few days, been dominated by another issue which I’d prefer to ignore, but can’t.