Super League Set of Six: Round 24

1) Whither Super League?

Wigan and Warrington must be the strong favourites, St Helens can never be written off, the Catalans are dark horses, Huddersfield seem to be fading but Leeds and possibly Hull could challenge. Being able to mention seven of the 14 Super League clubs as title contenders is a much healthier situation than in previous years, but the problem is this is a fairly safe prediction of the runners and riders for 2012, not 2011, highlighting the lack of depth in the competition that has become one of the major talking points of the moment.

We may well have witnessed the most one-sided round of matches in Super League history, with an average winning margin of 32 points in the seven fixtures. None of the losing teams came within the 12 points necessary to earn a bonus point in the Championship competitions.

Admittedly, there were some mitigating factors. Castleford were still bearing the physical and mental scars of their devastating defeat by Leeds in the Challenge Cup semi-final when the teams met again at Headingley only five days later, and few would have predicted the convincing winning margins of the two Hull clubs against Catalans and Bradford.

But the idea that 14 clubs is just too many for a quality Super League competition is gathering momentum, with Castleford's coach Terry Matterson the latest to offer that opinion after his team's 50-point mauling at Leeds. Matterson was not quite as radical as the Warrington hooker Michael Monaghan, his coach Tony Smith or the England captain Jamie Peacock, who have all argued for a 10-team competition. He proposed 12, with the condition that each of the dozen should be able to spend at or very close to the maximum salary cap, which is currently around £1.7m.

However this is very unfortunate timing for the Rugby Football League, who have just awarded 14 three-year licences without any mention of a minimum spend, giving a hefty push to the merry-go-round of players, many of them from overseas, between Super League's also-rans. Are you excited by the news that Ryan O'Hara has signed for Hull KR, Michael Witt is heading for London, and Patrick Ah Van has joined Widnes? Thought not.

2) Whither the Championship?

The weekend's lower league programme was far more competitive, with tight games at Barrow and Halifax in the Championship, and Doncaster and Workington in Championship One, and the average winning margin over the 10 fixtures down to a much more acceptable 17 despite Leigh's 66-10 drubbing of York. But no one is yet sure of next season's structure. Widnes are definitely disappearing to rejoin the Super League, and Toulouse returning to the French domestic competition.

Swinton have earned promotion, having secured the Championship One title by beating South Wales Scorpions on Sunday – a grand achievement for coach Steve McCormack, chairman John Kidd and the players who have brought some long-awaited success to the small band of loyal Lions supporters who have stuck with the club. But they do not know exactly what they will be promoted to. The teams scrambling for play-off places behind them are also in the dark, although it seems safe to assume that at least one of them will join Swinton in the Championship next season. But the current Championship strugglers York, Hunslet and Dewsbury are in a peculiar battle to avoid relegation given the suspicion that the end of the Toulouse experiment may mean they are already safe.

As so often, the governing body have been left in a difficult position by the uncertainty over the future of various clubs, notably the Crusaders whose supporters in north Wales are battling to launch a new organisation from the ashes of their withdrawn Super League application. But the uncertainty needs to be ended sooner rather than later.

3) What's happened to the Dragons?

A question for our Australian readers, or perhaps for British subscribers to Premier Sports. The mighty St George Illawarra, who were so formidable for the first half of the National Rugby League season despite the disruption of their trip to Wigan to secure the World Club Challenge, have suddenly hit a rut, losing seven of their last nine fixtures. Even the great Wayne Bennett, their coach, is perplexed. "I've gone past concerned I think," he said after the latest defeat, against the previously struggling Sydney Roosters. "Somewhere in that state of 'Got no idea'." Is he confident his team can rediscover their form before the play-offs. "No."

From this ignorant distance, you would think the demands of the State of Origin series must have had some impact – although Melbourne and Brisbane, whose key men also disappeared on Origin duty in mid-season, seem to be coping OK. The Dragons happen to face Melbourne this Friday in a fixture rich in historic rivalry. With Wests Tigers hinting at one of the late-season runs in which they specialise, Manly looking solid and the New Zealand Warriors and even South Sydney threatening to lend some extra colour to the play-offs, it's difficult not to be more excited by the NRL than Super League at the moment.

4) Conference pairs

However British rugby league does have some more cheerful stories to tell. Wembley, and an intriguing Challenge Cup final between Wigan and Leeds, is less than a fortnight away now, and at the opposite end of the scale there is plenty of amateur action.

The Summer Conference competitions sponsored by the Co-operative are reaching their climax now, with the national finals day in Coventry early next month, and the countdown began with the regional finals at the weekend. So congratulations to Peterlee Pumas, Edinburgh Eagles, Bristol Sonics, Accrington and Leyland Warriors, Bridgend Blue Bulls, North Yorkshire Stallions, Rochdale Cobras, Elmbridge Eagles, Sudbury Gladiators, Telford Raiders, Parkside Hawks, Gloucestershire Warriors and the intriguingly named Hammersmith Hill Hoists, who beat St Albans Centurions 12-10 in a tight-sounding Southern Premier Final.

It would be grand to hear below from any representatives of the above clubs. Meanwhile, and slightly confusingly, the National Conference leagues sponsored by Hattons Solicitors have just kicked off a transitional season before they also switch to summer next year. There isn't room to list all the winners here but Stanningley's 18-14 win against their Leeds rivals Milford sounds like a cracker, as does Hull Dockers' 28-24 triumph against East Hull, and congratulations to St Annes for winning their Oldham derby against Waterhead.

But the story of the round was at Leigh Miners, who beat the champions Thatto Heath 26-12 to the delight of their coach Winston Sarsfield, who made his first appearance on the touchline since suffering a serious accident earlier in the year.

5) What's cooking in Cumbria?

The other great thing about British rugby league is it is full of good people, and the Harlequins captain Rob Purdham would figure highly on most lists of good eggs. Which is a contrived way of mentioning that Purdham's wife Sarah has written a book of recipes involving lots of good eggs, fruit and vegetables grown on their organic garden in Surbiton, and also drawing on Rob's farming background from Cumbria. It's to raise money partly for Rob's testimonial year in London before he returns north at the end of the season, but also for four other charities – Cancer Research, Help a London Child, the Cumbrian Community Foundation, and the Rugby League Benevolent Fund. Further details from http://www.robertpurdham.co.uk. I'm hoping to make a first visit of the season to the Stoop on Saturday to watch Rob's penultimate home game against a Leeds team who might have an eye on next week's cup final. He deserves a rousing send-off.

6) From Hull to Hell (and back)

There are no recipes in the autobiography of Lee Crooks – the former Hull, Leeds, Castleford and Great Britain forward – which has just been published by Scratching Shed books. But Lee and his ghostwriter, the long-serving Hull FC supporter and fanzine writer Vince Groak, have produced a splendid read, bringing to life Crooks's early career in the late 70s and early 80s when British rugby league really was a different world.

His candid tales of the boozy culture that seems to have helped rather than hindered Arthur Bunting's Hull team to dominate the game during that period reminded me a bit of the even wilder autobiography that Sean Long published last year, and it would be remiss not to acclaim the former St Helens No7 in this week's Set of Six after he confirmed his retirement last week.

For all his on-field brilliance and off-field daftness, it was Long's courage and toughness that always impressed me the most – best shown by his match-winning performance for Great Britain against Australia in Sydney in 2006 after he had taken a couple of nasty shots from Willie Mason. He'll be missed as a player but, with his appointment as assistant to Matt Parish expected to be confirmed shortly, promises to provide a lot more fun as a coach.