Catalans Dragons, The 'Best Club In Super League,' Says Rhodri Jones Amid Financial Debate

Rhodri Jones insists that the Catalans Dragons are the best club in the Super League but acknowledges that there is an economic challenge surrounding them, despite being a valuable asset to the Super League.

In recent months, Catalans Dragons is the only club that has performed well and improved in all competitions. The French club has been a talking point across the game in recent months, with a strategic review of the sport putting focus on the value of both Catalans and Toulouse Olympique moving forward.

Some people across the game hold concerns that their involvement does not stack up financially, with both clubs receiving central funding as part of their involvement in the league structure. However, others believe their involvement has been positive and should be encouraged moving forward.

Rhodri Jones, who's the managing director of Rugby League Commercial, is of the belief that The Dragons have improved and have become a benefit to the competition and the sport as a whole.

"The Dragons, as a club, have been one of the success stories for the last 19 years, they've built a club from scratch and while they've been working around certain benefits; the first three years they were exempt from relegation as an example, but they have built a club that if they were in the UK, nobody would have an issue with them, if we were to have eleven more Dragons in England, the competition would be thriving even more," said Jones in a press conference.

Rhodri insisted that the Dragons played well in the two Wembley grand finals in 2021 and 2018 and won the Challenge Cup; this showcases that their improvement is on another level. 

The Wembley final was the lowest-attended since 1945, and the 2021 Grand Finale had the smallest crowd since the first one in 1998. They play Hull KR in a Challenge Cup semi-final this weekend.