Keighley Cougars co-owner Ryan O'Neill's IMG stance softens as he gets to work on righting 2023 wrongs

The feel-good factor was back after ending their eight-year wait for a return to the Championship with a perfect record.

"I don't see the point in running a sports club if you don't have the ambition to be the best," said O'Neill at the time.

A year on, the Cougars find themselves back in the third tier with little hope of ever reaching Super League following the decision to ditch automatic promotion and relegation in favour of a new grading system.

The news – coming just a month after securing the League 1 title – popped Keighley's balloon and sent them on a one-club crusade against IMG's proposals.

The Cougars accused the global sports management giant of "creating an elite cartel" and going against the fabric of sport.

Keighley's views have softened after being left with little choice but to get used to the idea.

"I'm keeping my thoughts on that a bit closer to my chest," O'Neill told The Yorkshire Post.

"I'm not going to lie – I don't agree with it, have never agreed with it and fundamentally will probably never agree with it.

"But it's been decided and we've got to live with it. We're looking at it positively and how we can improve our grade.

"There's no point me chirping on because I think it's nonsense. That moment has passed for me now.

"I stuck my neck out and said what I thought was right. Time will show that maybe I was right but we've got to work within the rules now and make the best of it."

IMG is facing its first major challenge following London Broncos' promotion to Super League.

The capital club were ranked 24th in the indicative phase of the grading system, meaning they will be back in the Championship next season regardless of how they perform on the field.

London have responded by discontinuing their elite academy to focus on other areas for improvement in an attempt to boost their score and ultimately become a Category A club with Super League security.

"Even if they win it, they're going to be relegated," added O'Neill. "That's the absurdity I've always seen in it.

"I understand the sport has got to improve and totally agree that we need to raise standards but it doesn't make sense that you can win something and get relegated.

"I understand the logic of the pillars but it's so rigid that it can create total unfairness and potentially cause even more fans to walk away from the sport.

"There needs to be flexibility – and I think that will happen. If you are 0.01 point below someone else, you can't go up even though you might have won all the games. That is too rigid for me.

"They'll probably stick with the pillars but at the end of the season, I think people will realise it isn't going to work quite as they wanted it to."

The system remains unchanged from the Championship to League 1, giving Keighley the chance to earn an immediate return to the second tier on the field.

The Cougars chased the dream and came unstuck but O'Neill is taking the positives from a chastening experience.

"Last season we made lots of errors and the culture wasn't right," he admitted. "We had to make changes to get us back on track.

"We've got a fantastic team of people who really want to play for the club. Bringing Jack Miller back has excited the fans again.

"We know where we went wrong last time and won't make the same mistakes again.

"We thought we could buy our way to success. We've learnt that it's not just about throwing the money around but also about getting the right people in the right places.

"We've taken a much more analytical approach to recruitment with a lot more consideration of the people rather than their resume."

Former England international Luke Gale headlined last year's signings but there has been no grandstanding as the club prepare for life back in League 1.

O'Neill expects the club to be stronger for their recent struggles.

"The morale we had before 2023 is back," added O'Neill.

"Everyone is pulling together and it's enjoyable again; even when we were winning in 2023, it just wasn't enjoyable and wasn't the same club atmosphere that we had before.

"Fundamentally, I think that's why it went a bit 'Pete Tong' and hopefully we've righted it.

"There needed to be a reset and even though relegation is disappointing, it was the right thing for us in some ways.

"The ongoing morale problems might have continued which would have been damaging for the club long term."

Following IMG's recommendations, there was a question mark over whether Garcia and husband Kaue Garcia would continue as owners.

But as they prepare to upgrade the facilities at Cougar Park to increase their non-matchday revenue and ultimately boost their grade, the hunger is stronger than ever to take the club forward.

"If you'd asked me this in May or June, I would have said no," said O'Neill.

"We were at a really low point and would very happily have walked away if there was anybody out there to take it on.

"But since restructuring, we've got such an exciting environment again and we're all working in unison again, which was a problem before.

"It's the best feeling we've had since we took over. The relegation reset our mojo for it."