BETFRED SUPER LEAGUE CLUBS AGREE NO MAJOR STRUCTURE CHANGE FOR 2018 SEASON

All 12 Betfred Super League Clubs met earlier this month to discuss the success of the current 2017 season and possible plans for the future of the competition.

The clubs were unanimous in their view that the 2017 Betfred Super League season had provided great entertainment and excitement and that whilst the plan is still to review the merits of the current structure from 2019 onwards, it was in the best interests of the competition that there were no major changes made for the start of the 2018 season.

The meeting began with the clubs congratulating Castleford Tigers on becoming the sixth different club to win the League Leaders’ Shield in the past six seasons. Following in the footsteps of Wigan Warriors (2012), Huddersfield Giants (2013), St Helen’s (2014), Leeds Rhinos (2015) and Warrington Wolves (2016), the Tigers topped the league for the first time in their history with victory over Wakefield Trinity in front of a packed crowd at the Mend-a-Hose Stadium.

The meeting was held just prior to the 2017 Ladbrokes Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, in which Hull FC picked up the second piece of silverware of the season following an exciting game against Wigan Warriors which ended 18-14.

Rugby Football League Chief Commercial Officer and Super League Executive Director, Roger Draper, said: “The 2017 Betfred Super League season is one of the most exciting in recent years and Castleford’s victory earlier this month, crowning them League Leaders for the first time in their 91-year history, was a fantastic occasion for all involved with the club.

“Following a brilliant Ladbrokes Challenge Cup Final, we now go into the final four rounds of the season looking forward to seeing who will join Castleford in the semi-finals, with any one of the seven other teams in the Super 8s still in with a chance of making the top four. The fact that Castleford are the sixth different club to top the league in six seasons is testament to the tremendous competition that exists in Super League.

“The meeting held earlier this month was another positive one and all clubs were fully engaged and excited about the issues we discussed. The Rugby Football League and every Super League club is determined that we work together to grow this great game and we now have clarity for the 2018 season and time to consider a variety of options for future years.”

Couple of references to it being an exciting season, which games were those I've not seen many and I don't just mean our club, are these guys just so blinkered and don't want to see that on the whole that the fare we are being served these days is utter crap, as I said in an earlier post only team worth watching as been Castleford and remembering we played like that for awhile. Apparently the challenge cup final was exciting aswell

The original meeting at Haydock had proposals on the table regarding 2018..Suddenly that changes to 2019..

I think the reference to 6 different teams finishing top in the last 6 years should ignite a spark in the collective heads of the RL that maybe first past the post is the way to go in deciding who are Champions. Perhaps a sky competition could be run as an end of season bonus for say the top 4 teams to decide who gets the sky cup & who plays against the Aussie teams. Maybe a system like that,with less games, would even give scope to the importance of the Challenge Cup which has been short changed in recent years for the benefit of the sky competition.
As for implying an exciting season just gone, i think that is just endorsing mediocrity & short changing Joe Public.
Something more than dancing girls, fireworks & the occasional second rate performer are not the way to get fans through the turnstiles. Excitement ,endeavour & effort in every game is the key to bums on seats.

How is it most fans across all the forums know this but seemingly the RFL choose to ignore it

I think its a pity they have not increased the size of SL18 to 13 teams, I am bored of playing the same teams so many times in the season. I just hope we will not be playing Widnes again in the pre-season friendly. I am normally up for this after the drought of the off season, but together with the tendency to play 60 people on the bench I think I will probably give it a miss this year. Why don't they think outside the box and have e.g. a mini 7's competition instead ?

One of the most exciting seasons in recent years?

I see the Roger Draper PR machine is in full flow once again. Who is he kidding? Take Castleford out of the equation and the quality on show is at an all time low.

Too many games, a gimmick of a format and semi finals to decide who gets to the Grand Final is hardly a play off series.

The guy was useless at our club and he'll be no better in the role he's in now. Just a blinkered spoof merchant.

Whether we think that it's an exciting season or not isn't a fair comparative to the RLF's view.

Six different winners in the last six years is THE story as far as they are concerned and first time winners Cas playing great rugby is the cherry on top. Wakefield have done well, Salford have had a good season all be it they are dropping off us a Catalans struggling the competition is competitive and more open, Wigan could force their way to OT from was it 7th or 8th???

Yes our very poor season is one to forget and I don't see many none Wire games, but, suspect standards overall are slipping. On the other hand the RFL might say the cap is working and don't see the decline or admit that there is a race to the bottom

What do you want him to say to the press? 'Sorry guys, it's been a bit crap this year hasn't it?'

I think it's a positive that six clubs have topped the league in six years? Yes the play from many clubs has been poor this year, but that blame lies at the clubs door, not the RFL's.

The clubs voted for this structure and the clubs have voted for it to remain. The clubs have also voted for the salary cap to reduce in real terms every year for over a decade, whilst our competitors consistently increase their salary spend.

The RFL can only do so much.

It's a member of the RFL that said 2017 is one of the most exciting seasons ever,so would you care to enlighten us as to what's so exciting about it,the stuff on the field is worse I've seen in many a year.

That's not really my point. My point is what do you want him to say? Do you want the lead guy appointed by the SL clubs to say to the press Superleague is crap? If you want a more exciting SL, put pressure on the clubs to do so. Draper or anyone else employed by SLE or the RFL have no influence on how the clubs play the game.

I get what you are saying about what is he supposed to say, BUT he should say nothing that is not true,especially if he looked on all the boards,the only board that would most likely say it's exciting is Cas.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. It's his job to talk up the game. No different to any other sport or business in the world.

He should absolutely listen to the criticisms being levelled at the game. But he shouldn't be communicating that to the press. If we're not going to talk up our game, no one else is.

Obviously the RFL have to put out the right spin, but sponsors, the press and the general public aren't daft, and rows of empty seats be it at Wembley, the HJ, Wigan or Salford tell their own tale.

What they say outwardly is one thing, but behind close doors they should be very concerned about the state of the game. Sadly, the RFL are the great pretenders and I suspect they are all raising a sherry (or a yard of stout in Nigels case) and indulging in collective back-slapping.

Yep, although I think the clubs need to stand up too. Would seem to me both ourselves and the pie fans in particular have been very critical of the playing style this year especially.

I think thats the point i was trying to make, and i really do get what your saying about Draper's comments, yes i guess it would be wrong for him make the comments we pretty much know is the truth. What morrisey as just said shows that. It's all well and good Sky being the main pay masters but the sporr is nothing without fan's and the dross that is being served up this season is nothing to get excited about.

Its quite pitiful really... I cant see Hull KR slipping up now so i believe two Superleague sides will thrash it out in the million pound game.

if Catalan dragons go down the damage to the French Game will be irreparable.

Like it or not we are not football and cannot simply replace one good club with another.

If Catalan do go down and I expect them to, I wouldn't be surprised to see them resign from the RFL and go back to playing in France.

Clearly the travel is not helping their cause as they have a poor record on the road. It makes sense to play in France and along with Toulouse become two big French clubs driving the game forward back in France.

our league is in a right state we dont need to ruin the French game as well.

Would we be complaining so much if we’d had a good season?

It is a strange system though, for sure. The super 8s are effectively a play off to reach the play offs, to reach the grand final.

It’s all starting to look random and unnecessary, what’s the long term aim?

I bet if we held a competition for correctly naming the format for 2019, nobody would get it right. Beyond that is anyone’s guess - we’ll all be off to Mars for ‘Galactic Weekend’.