Paper Talk: Luke Gale off to Hull, re-structure plans shelved & fume over Cornwall

James Gordon
Rugby league paper talk joseph leilua

It might be the off-season, but there’s plenty of rugby league paper talk.

Luke Gale to Hull?

After Marc Sneyd’s shock switch to Salford, Hull are poised to make a move for Leeds half-back Luke Gale. (Yorkshire Evening Post)

The Rhinos have recruited Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin this off-season and so Gale could be surplus to requirements – particularly in light of an incident last season that saw the former Castleford man stripped of the captaincy at Headingley.

Re-structure latest

Plans to re-structure the top two divisions to 10 teams have been shelved. (Yorkshire Live)

The news was confirmed at a meeting of Championship and League 1 clubs earlier this week, with Super League clubs believed to have rejected the proposals.

Discussions will instead continue about possibly adopting a new structure from 2024, to coincide with a new TV deal.

Concussion care

Players suffering from concussion may be automatically ruled out of their club’s next game, as rugby league continues to review its concussion protocols. (Huddersfield Examiner)

At present, players can only return after seven days if they are clear of all symptoms.

This could now be extended to 10 days, with players suffering repeated concussions also facing longer spells on the sidelines.

Head injuries are a hot topic at the moment, particularly in light of the recent news that several former players are taking legal action against the RFL.

World Cup ambitions

World Cup chief Jon Dutton says the year delay to the tournament will enable them to make it “bigger and better”. (The Sun)

The tournament, which we should now be enjoying, will instead take place between October 15 and November 19 2022.

He said: “We’ve got over the disappointment. We felt sorry for ourselves for a couple of weeks. Now we’re focused on delivering something that’s going to be even bigger and better.”

Fume over Cornwall

League 1 clubs are already counting the cost of Cornwall’s shock inclusion in the division for 2022. (The Sun)

Club chiefs were furious at the way the affair was handled and at how they found out at the eleventh hour.

BOLD: Eric Perez outlines three bold goals for rugby league newcomers Cornwall

Rochdale’s Andy Mazey said: “We never even got told. I read it on social media.

“There was no consultation over it, clubs were in the dark. Clubs are just being treated with contempt by the Rugby Football League and Eric.”

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