RUGBY LEAGUE bosses have been meeting this week to decide Widnes Vikings' fate after the expected decision on franchise awards for next year was deferred at the last minute.

The long-running saga was given extra wind when Thursday's expected announcement failed to materialise.

Widnes must now wait another two or three weeks before planning can begin or sorrows can be drowned.

The RFL has been in a series of long meetings with the Super League board this Monday and Tuesday to discuss the situation, but the award of a franchise seems to hinge on whether top flight clubs are prepared to share the television money with another team.

The RFL board met on Thursday to consider the recommendations of the independent panel set up to scrutinise bids.

A public recommendation was expected.

But it decided to talk privately with Super League, the ultimate arbiters, before announcing what it thought of the various bids.

A spokesman said the RFL could only recommend bids - the final say belonged to Super League.

He did say that the RFL can insist on promotion for any financially sound club winning the NFP grand final - a real prospect for Colin Whitfield's team.

Club chairman Tony Chambers, who was told the news by RFL chief Neil Tunnicliffe, was not despondent.

"Having worked for five years to get to this point it would be daft to lose our heads over a few weeks' delay," he said.

He said the news gave him "encouragement" because "it's not a negative response and it is down to us to use the delay to our advantage by winning a few matches and attracting bigger crowds."

He added: "The crowd a week on Sunday will be very important because it could be a time when they are deciding."

Mr Chambers believes that large gates at the Auto Quest (Sunday's 3,887 was higher than those at three Super League matches) might convince Warrington, St Helens and Wigan of the benefits or reincorporating a traditional rival.

A Super League spokesman said he was not in a position to comment.

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