ONE of the more amusing things to come out of last week's season launch in Huddersfield was seeing the number of Super League coaches outing themselves as being in favour of a full reserve-team competition.

Indeed, trade paper League Express reported nine out of the 12 top-flight chiefs were in favour of it.

Castleford Tigers' Daryl Powell was quoted as saying "we have to have a reserve comp", while Hull FC boss Lee Radford went as far as to insist it should be compulsory for Super League sides to run reserve teams.

Which is odd, considering Cas have not entered a team since the Reserve Championship returned two years ago, and Hull - along with Warrington Wolves - pulled the plug on their second string team for 2018.

So, more examples of people in rugby league insisting everyone else should do as they say and not as they do, or are there legitimate reasons for these clubs not giving backing to the current competition?

The expense of running a team and the lack of a clear structure were among the reasons cited by Widnes Vikings boss Denis Betts and Huddersfield Giants head coach Rick Stone.

Meanwhile, Leeds Rhinos' Brian McDermott insisted the focus should be on getting more players playing to a better standard at age-group level rather than reserve team rugby as a development tool.

Chris Chester and Shaun Wane are two men who are in no doubt as to a reserve competition's benefits though, and it is to their credit that Wakefield Trinity and Wigan Warriors will continue to field teams this year.

Betfred Championship sides Halifax RL and Leigh Centurions, plus League One pair Bradford Bulls and Keighley Cougars will be entering as well, while Barrow Raiders have the long-term aim of bringing back a reserve side.

It was therefore interesting to note North Wales Crusaders decided to go down a different route with their reserve team, entering them in the amateur North West Men's League for the coming season.

So would, perhaps, a better idea be a stand-alone division somewhere along the lines of the old National League Three or Alliance competitions, which could sit in between League One and the National Conference League, and feature a mix of reserve teams, ambitious amateur clubs and non-heartland sides who are aiming to join the professional ranks?

That would allow regular competitive open-age fixtures to young players and those on the fringes at professional clubs, plus smooth the step up on and off the field for clubs aiming move into the professional game.

Or maybe another way, at least as far as a compulsory Super League second-team competition goes, would be to copy the model of the A-League in rugby union's Aviva Premiership, which features a full home-and-away fixture list plus play-offs?

Despite all the wrangling over whether a Reserve Championship is the future, one thing you will find broad agreement on is the current dual-registration system is not particularly serving clubs or players well.

Getting an agreement on the best way forward, though, seems as far away as ever.

IMAGINE for a moment you are a Premier League footballer who has the choice of three clubs to join on loan for the rest of the season.

Do you choose: A) Inter Milan; B) Sevilla; C) West Bromwich Albion?

If you answered C then congratulations, you are Daniel Sturridge!

In fairness to the 28-year-old, his preferred option was apparently B, although the Spanish side were reportedly unable to agree terms with parent club Liverpool.

Still, it seems strange Sturridge would chose a relegation battle with West Brom over a stint with Inter, who are currently fighting it out for a Champions League place in Serie A.

It was much the same in 2016 when Jack Wilshere turned down the chance to spend the season with Roma for the bright lights of, erm, Bournemouth.

Joe Hart did, of course, take the opportunity to play for their cross-city rivals Torino on loan last season, but you would hope more English players at their peak would be willing to test themselves abroad too.

IT was somewhat disappointing that the "major sports announcement" teased by WWE on social media last week did not turn out to be Vince McMahon confirming his long-rumoured bid to take over Newcastle United.

After all, who better than a professional wrestling impresario to take control of one of the most basket-case clubs in the country from discount polyester sportswear salesman Mike Ashley?

It was, however, related to football – albeit the American variety featuring an oval ball, helmets and padding, and very little use of the foot.

Because, you see, McMahon announced his intention to bring back the XFL in 2020.

What's the XFL, I hear you ask? Or, to be more accurate, what was it?

Well, for those of you who blinked and missed it, the XFL was launched in 2001 as a gimmick-laden, rules-light alternative to the established NFL, designed to appeal to both gridiron and wrestling fans.

Unsurprisingly it failed to attract either, was often derided for its poor quality and sank without much fanfare after just a solitary season.

Until last Friday, the only lasting legacy of the league was a mention in an opening skit on an episode of The Simpsons – Marge informing Homer the league had folded after speaking to its Most Valuable Player winner, who was now employed sweeping up toenails in a beauty parlour – and in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sci-fi vehicle The 6th Day , which predicted it would be the dominant league by 2015 and would see quarterback Johnny Phoenix sign a $300million lifetime contract with the Roadrunners.

But now McMahon has decided to relaunch the league in two years' time, minus the gimmicks, and promising a safer, family-friendly alternative – or "football re-imagined", as he called it at a press conference.

The NFL, which brings its season to a close with the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, has been dogged by its own problems in recent years, including declining television ratings and concerns over the long-term effects of concussions.

But it has barely had a rival since the USFL collapsed in 1986 and there are doubts from some pundits as to whether the new XFL will even get off the ground, let alone be a credible alternative.

Details are sketchy at best, so for now it will be a case of watch this space.