There's no format in the world that could make every league game matter. It's as good as it can get on that front. There may be less than 5% of games with nothing really at stake. How many are there in the premier league?

Agreed and that can be said about 3 other clubs in the top 8 and 4 more next year..,

The question is...

What are we going to do about it?

What we should do about it is win more games in the regular season against our closest rivals. The home games v Castleford and Huddersfield this year could and probably will really cost us as they are in effect proper 4 pointers.

Yes, I liked your 4 v 5 jeopardy game idea to up the convolution factor on what is a convoluted system, but, it's not in play. I also flagged up the 'fairness' of playing Saints whilst Castleford got Wakefield in the extra game and questioned whether this is still valid? I don't think it is, more so than ever, imagine the furore if we missed the Super 8's on the basis of a defeat at magic.

I applaud the RFL for realising that the recent play off systems were flawed and the stagnant competition that denies the likes of Leigh, despite their giddy fans a chance of promotion and trying to come up with a solution.

It is us who have potentially failed not them or the system if we had won our home games against Hudd's and Cas and took our chances against Saints, the prospects would have been different....That's sport though

If we were nicely settled in one of the top 4 positions we wouldn't be moaning about the format. Posters here are just crying because we're unlikely to finish in one of those positions, if it was Huddersfied chasing us we wouldn't give a monkeys.

There's nothing wrong with the new system. I just think Magic Weekend should be seeded from the finishing positions the season before to square some games up a bit. It was 1st seed Saints v 5th seed Wire, 3rd seed Cas v 12th seed Wakey. That's not exactly fair on Leeds/Witan with re:Saints or Wire/Hudds with re:Cas. We could quite conceivably finish two, one or square points(worse points difference) with Cas come September just because of their easy fixture at Magic.

This marquee player lark ain't gonna happen , ingles,Cronk, thurston,slater,smith,Johnson ,are what I would call marquee players there's no way on this earth you could entice them over here they earn a very good wage, any signings made if any , are not what I would call marquee players just good players,

I don't deny wirex3 I'd probably be just as bolshy to the teams that can't make it, and laugh and wind them up, that is the privilege of finishing in the top 4.

And I would scrap the magic unless one team forfeits a home game for it. The extra game is unfair on the losing team especially where a position of relegation is at stake.

I don't deny that it's up to very team to win as many to have a chance but for every winner there is a loser. So are a teams that finishes in the 5/6/7/8 spots losers?
Well the split concept says no but it gives them absolutely nil chance of making the 4! So why on earth bother. Just give the four a play off and let us all book our holidays.

Magic Weekend, IMO, should be a regular round of games with teams giving up a home game every other year. However you dress it up playing an extra 'odd' fixture is always going to be unfair on some teams compared to others come the end of the season.

Four teams have four middle eight home games, four have three. Let's use the extra home game the top four have as Magic Weekend.

Easy solution.
Make the magic a regular round of games, the team that forfeits the home game gets 4 home and 3 away in the super 8s and middle 8s.

Bobs your uncle, Flo is your aunt.

Great minds ghf

I think you're wrong. The RFL has correctly weighted the super 8's so that the top 4 teams of the season get the best chance to get to O/T. However should any of the top 4 have a drop in form and one of the 5-8 placed go on a run of great results then places could be swapped around. This year the chance of winning it from 5th etc is small and the chances of winning to from 1-4 is good. This is the way it should be.

All our memories of 2011 & how unjust the end of season was. The new system reduces (but does not eradicate) the chances of that happening. No longer will a team win it from 5th.

I've never been a fan of the Magic Weekend, but if the RFL want a big 'showpiece' event, they should remove it from SL and use the Challenge Cup instead. All four quarter finals at one venue would be preferable, in my view, to the current situation of a daft extra fixture which inevitably skews the league table.

Even better idea, yeah. Just switch the team that loses a home game each year.

Don't need to do that Buckley mate.
Whoever forfeits the home game gets 4 home in the super8s and 3 away.

What happens if the four teams in the middle eight were in the six who forfeited home games?

In that you find another example of a flaw in the concept PY.

I still think the best solution with keeping this format is a 4/5 play off.

With only 2 games played this season in the CC and a third game win will get you to Wembley (you must be feeling unbeatable).You have had a poor season and other results have improved your position in the league.

That doesn't give you the right to question? Something you think you should be involved with. Your simply not there based on your performance this season.

Discussing the Super 8 with some friends yesterday. Unless we lose heavily V Cas (which would severly dent our final top 4 aims) and Catalan have a big winning margin, if our calculations are correct, we have Wigan, Hull & Catalan at home and the other teams (Leeds, Saint, huddersfield & Cas) away. Play to our potential and we could have enough to make that final top 4. Dont turn up for the first 3 rounds and it could be all over by August BH.

Theoretically assuming we beat Cas, we are as good as 5 points behind Hudds, unless of an points diff upset of an avalanche scale..! No chance of that.
And with 4 home games Hudds record is good.

Excluding Warrington v Hudds game which is a must win in this scenario, then the ask is (I think).....

Where Hudds lose 2 games, we must win all
Where Hudds lose 3 games, we can lose only one
Where Hudds lose 4 games, we can lose only two
Where Hudds lose 5 games, we can lose only three

I'm going no further because the likelyhood is nil.
I'm also counting one draw if achieved by us as a win.
Which of those scenarios is the more likely? To who will Huddersfield lose?

The game today matters to both teams the two points on offer matter for Wire to pull Cas nearer or for Cas to pull away, teams will get what they deserve that will be the nature of the super 8's, It's a competition within it's self to get into the 8's that should motivate the other four teams to improve on this seasons efforts and make the super 8's next season hopefully raising the standards of SL, I would hope that is the aim.

We are where we deserve to be but the magic game is flawed no matter what you do with the home/away format in the Super 8's, Saints or Wakefield take your pick

Today is massive for us because our Super League season is as good as over if we find ourselves six points off fourth with seven games to go. We'd be very unlikely to make that up.

If we lose today I hope all our focus is on getting to Wembley and then winning when we get there. Give all the players who are likely to be in the Wembley 17 a rest in at least one of the the SL games between the semi and the final, and bed Sandow in.

If we win today then roll the dice and go all out 'til the end.

As for the posts above about the format, I generally agree that the season is uneven because of Magic and the extra home game some teams will have, but ultimately that's why play offs are required rather than a straightforward FPTP which would absolutely require an equal set of fixtures to be fair.

There is no perfect format for anything, but you don't need to scrutinise and complain about absolutely everything the way some RL fans appear determined to do.

The Premier League season starts in two weeks, and the teams that already know they're unlikely to qualify for Europe and unlikely to get relegated could already be thinking the whole season is a waste of time. Some pretty high profile clubs like Newcastle, Everton and Aston Villa are in that bracket too. I bet their grounds will still be full or nearly full for most home games though, and at the moment they'll be hoping to have a good run and nick a Europa League spot. Even if mid table mediocrity does end up beckoning with ten games to go, they won't be complaining about the format of the league!

The RFL to their credit do try their best to make things as competitive as possible for as many teams as possible for as long as possible. You can't fix absolutely everything though, but that simply is impossible.