SUPER LEAGUE XII kicks off into another glittering season at the Galpharm on Sunday with the promise of being just as competitive as Super League XI.
Who can forget those images of John Kear, the man who steered Wakefield Trinity Wildcats to safety, high-fiving just about everyone in the crowd at Belle Vue as Castleford Tigers - his old club - were condemned to the drop?
That seems an eternity ago and this Super League season will consist of just 27 rounds, which doesn't sound much compared with some football clubs who play upwards of 50 or even more games a season.
Rugby league is, of course, a much more physically demanding sport and it would be impossible for the same group of players to maintain their highest standards throughout every week of the season.
The clubs with the bigger squads will inevitably achieve the better results and while Maurice Lindsay doesn't see Great Britain giving the Aussies a game until we shorten the season to 22 rounds, St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus points out that the clubs would be in dire straits without the extra revenue.
Could it yet again be a case of clubs paying too much into the pockets of the players?
