Widnes Vikings’ club chairman Stuart Murphy has wished the new Super League teams the best of luck – and reaffirmed his fight for top flight status.
Bradford Bulls earned their spot in the league after jumping six places to 10th in IMG Gradings, whilst York and Toulouse were confirmed in a statement from the Rugby Football League this morning.
The Bulls leapfrogged Salford Red Devils in the club rankings, which saw the crisis-hit Reds sink to 15th and dropping out of Super League
One of the clubs at the table on the final day were the Widnes Vikings, a club who were in high spirits after seeing their IMG rating increase from 8.6 last year to 9.39 and rising to 19th.
Murphy said: “While this chapter has come to a close, our journey is far from over. We are motivated, determined, and ready for what lies ahead. We wish the successful applicants well.
“We remain fully committed to our goal of securing a place in the Betfred Super League in the future and will continue to focus on improving the club in every area.”
The increase doesn’t seem too exceptional however should it have been judged under the 2024 judging pillars, the score would have risen to 12.24, showing the work the Cheshire club have achieved in the past year.
A statement on the Viking’s website has stated that, although disappointed by the result, they are ‘incredibly proud to have made it to the final stages of the application process’.
And they have been given informal advice on why their application was unsuccessful this time around.
Murphy said: “I would like to personally thank every individual who contributed to this document in any way – the long days and nights were all worth it to hear that we made it to the final stages of the selection panel’s discussions.
The club are hosting a ‘Viking’s voice event’ at the DCBL Stadium for fans to ask questions and give their views on the IMG grading process on Monday, October 20, starting at 7pm.
