That's certainly one way of spinning it.

I've really enjoyed it.
Tight games that have meant something. Bigger crowds. Championship sides have competed.

Fine by me. Looking forward to next time. We'll be in the middle 8s either way.

Yet you only listed negatives.....try googling 'positive'....you only seem to be able to form an opinion off something you've found in an Internet article.

Really? Where?
Attendance's down 1.5% on average like for like and 35% of the championship attendances down to 1 team.......and no we haven't had 10/sold out SL games either.

Something definitely needs to happen with the marketing, we need press and TV ads to promote the super8s as 'the top teams competing for the title' we also need the clubs to do a better job of selling mini-season tickets for the 3 or 4 games as once a fan has bought one of those they'll still go to games even if they are dead rubber.

Christ, that's a terrible attempt at an insult.

PT, if all that we have to look forward to are competitive games in the middle 8, then we may as well create 3 leagues that are competitive all season long.
Either 3 x 10 or 3 x 8.
As you have said, Wakefield will be back in the middle 8 next season so, why bother with the first 23 games, when the outcome is just about nailed on.
Similarly, Salford, Widnes and both Hull clubs will be fighting for 8th spot but, 3 out of that 4 will also be in the middle 8 and as far as the Championship goes, there will be Leigh, Sheffield, Fax and Bradford (if the don't get promoted) plus, Fev, battling for 4 spots.

What effect will the changes have on spectator numbers over the coming seasons and does anyone actually think that this is a recipe for growing the game.

There is one possible plus point and this is regards to any international games.
Hopefully the players who are selected will be slightly more battle hardened after playing against "better" opposition for the last 2 months ?

It will be interesting to see what happens during the 23 rounds next year.

Wakefield, Leigh and Salford and possibly Bradford will probably not be gripped by a 23 round warm up.

But, there aren't any dead rubbers this season, every minute matters

Seems it has worked quite well imo. We have top 4 teams all able to be minor premiers leading into last game. For the bottom 4 teams each game has had a threat of relegation so felt like worthwhile. Seems only the 5th-8th position SL clubs have had little to play for towards the end?

Didn't stop Castleford putting in a storming bravura performance in beating Leeds at Headingley on Thursday night in front of 15,000+

We had 5 last year.

Is that what classes as good for us now? Have our ambitions sunk that far?

The main problem have with the system is exactly this. I know there is a slight reward for finishing 9th rather than 12th (more home matches), but Widnes and Hull KR were pushing for a top 8 spot, and Wakefield basically threw the regular season away, yet all clubs started the qualifiers on 0 points.

Wakefield didn't throw anything, they were just e all season and have been equally e in the middle 8's. What evidence do you have they were saving themselves?

The fact that, their former coach (Webster) publically said so after about 8 rounds of the regular season.
It was at that point that I knew that he wasn't the right man for the job.

People have been sacked for a lot less and for a first team coach to say what he did was appalling and is one of the many reasons for Wakefield's mickey poor attendances this season.

They have been better (on field) since Smith took over but, despite a couple of close games (v Salford & KR) haven't managed to beat SL opposition in the Middle 8's

Btw, it wasn't throwing games, it was more just not trying hard enough to win

No they haven’t, it’s all been part of their strategy to play in the “Million Pound” game.

After all, another dice with death is as good as it gets for their supporters.

It's very exciting. Wouldn't have it any other way......ish

I'm a HKR fan and it's been as dull as ditch water.

I've been to every game apart from Sheffield.

The atmosphere has been terrible, the games have been low quality and apart from the odd ten or twenty minute spell my team hasn't bothered to get out of second gear.

I would never criticise the Championship teams, as god (that's annoying, auto correct changes mythical "god" to a capital, validation, I digress) knows I've watched enough of my team getting bummed in Barrow and ed in Whitehaven.

The gap is too large, the fans know it the players know it. In it's present form it doesn't work.

It's just ridiculous to expect Championship teams to face up to SL teams with the difference in resources.

Fax have been great, other than that I'd be amazed at anyone from the other clubs that's thought this was a worthwhile project and likely to succeed for their club.

Well the answer for KR is to get into the top 8 next year and then actually compete once in the top 8. A criticism that could be laid at KR, FC etc for a number of years is exactly the reverse of your complaint - boring, easy game as KR were never going to win.

But how are they supposed to do that without the stability to build toward that?

Its all very well saying that Hull KR should just get in the top 8 next year and challenge in the top 8 but they dont have the space to put the infrastructure in place to do that.

Stat attack
Fewer people attended 15 SL and Super 8 games at langtree in 2015 than attended 15 SL and play off games at langtree in 2014!
Woops......

That surprises me as I was at the Wakefield game and I thought the atmosphere was really good. It was close (clearly I was disappointed we didn't win) and there was a pretty good crowd. Certainly better than a normal league game. Your fans and players seemed pretty happy to win so I'm not sure about the second gear bit.

We may well go down on the back of the 8s but our crowd have picked up in the 8s and the travelling support has been really good.
Hopefully we beat Bradford but I'm happy with the 8s from my club point of view.
I'd put a good bet on us being in it again next year, no matter which league we are in.

That's probably true, but I didn't really mean from a Rovers as a clubs perspective, more that I just can't see how it's ever going to work.

As funny as Leigh have been, it would have been far better if they'd made more a go of it.

I'd forgotten about that game, the Wakey fans were indeed very good that day and brought big numbers.