Great news! The chairmen are all in agreement barring Leeds. They all say that the format doesn’t generate enough income which is obviously not good. The format clearly contributes towards that in my view and here’s why.

This season, we will potentially play Warrington 6 times. Home, away, Magic, Challenge Cup, Super 8s, play offs.

I love my rugby league and I love close rivalries but those rivalries get watered down when we play each other so often. This means I’m not bothered if I miss a game against them because we’ll play them again in a few weeks anyway, therefore the gates are down and so is the revenue.

We should play each other home and away and with the potential to meet in cup competitions or a grand final. I’m not sure how we can get to that but having first past the post as champions would help. I’m looking forward to seeing what impact Mr Elstone has on our game.

Let's hope Mr Elstone recommends/insists all Super League teams have to run a reserves side.

Is the negotiations with Eddie Hearn/Matchroom still happening? Or does this change things?

So if it’s a 12 team too flight and you play Home and away that’s 22 games plus magic so a total of 23 games.

Any ideas what is replacing those lost games? Playing some teams once more based on this years league placings? An extended play off series?

SL definitely looks like its heading into a new and refreshing phase: The announcement of a young CEO, the movement of the RFL headquarters away from Red Hall to the Etihad Campus, the 'three musketeer' club chairmen Lenaghan, McManus & Moran spearheading the crusade against the 'Yorkshire Old Farts' regiment.

New and improved TV deal next?

Perhaps we could try a fourteen team super league with a six team knock out play off for some kind of grand final trophy oh wait.......

It's all going off https://www.therhinos.co.uk/2018/06/12/ ... ue-format/ Quote Leeds Rhinos Chief Executive Gary Hetherington has issued the following statement following a press conference and statement earlier today from new New Super League Chief Executive, Robert Elstone. Today’s announcement regarding plans for next season appear to be an absurd grab for power for the game by a small group of men who think they own the game. Leeds Rhinos are not party to this and are totally against the creation of a separate Super League executive. Super League clubs voted 7 to 5 at our last meeting on some key issues related to promotion and relegation. The game is in need of strong leadership from Brian Barwick and his Board of Directors at the Rugby Football League, the games governing body, and this announcement should bring a response from everyone connected with the game.'"

It's all going off https://www.therhinos.co.uk/2018/06/12/ ... ue-format/ Quote Leeds Rhinos Chief Executive Gary Hetherington has issued the following statement following a press conference and statement earlier today from new New Super League Chief Executive, Robert Elstone. Today’s announcement regarding plans for next season appear to be an absurd grab for power for the game by a small group of men who think they own the game. Leeds Rhinos are not party to this and are totally against the creation of a separate Super League executive. Super League clubs voted 7 to 5 at our last meeting on some key issues related to promotion and relegation. The game is in need of strong leadership from Brian Barwick and his Board of Directors at the Rugby Football League, the games governing body, and this announcement should bring a response from everyone connected with the game.'"

Quote ="MattyB"It's all going off https://www.therhinos.co.uk/2018/06/12/ ... ue-format/ '" Sounds like a man under pressure.

Quote ="MattyB"It's all going off https://www.therhinos.co.uk/2018/06/12/ ... ue-format/ '" Sounds like a man under pressure.

Do we need to replace those lost games?

Hetherington's just used to having things his own way and is spitting his dummy out.

What a stupid time to release a statement like that. The social media reaction gives an indication of how little people care for his opinion.

I just wanted to be the first to use the phrase "dead rubbers". Now we can start moaning about pointless fixtures for half a season.
On a realistic note how many games are needed to balance the books?

Personally I’d say no, well at least not with other league games. Less games of a higher intensity and quality should be the aim. I’d personally fill the gaps with more mid season internationals but we’ll not get the buy in from the NRL for that.

I actually like the super 8s but seems I’m in the minority. Anybody know if the superleague is being increased to 13 or 14?

So no play-offs at all? No GF?

it's a long time since we've done that, isn't it?

They won’t do away with the play offs and Grand Final. The games not got much right in its recent history but the Grand Final is an amazing spectacle and the highlight of the year. People talk about the Challenge cup not being as special anymore and a lot of that is because the Grand Final has taken some of its limelight.

The next steps I’d love to see taken in this change is for the Cup Final to be brought forward to around June time and for more representative games to be added to the calendar.

I’m a big fan of the Super 8’s format and I do believe we should stick with it. It’s different and it is exciting, though for the teams involved in the MPG it’s brutal. But isn’t that what sport is about? It’s part and parcel of sport.

That being said, now we are moving away from the Super 8’s I think we should do;
- Bottom SL down, Top of Championship up
- 2nd bottom SL plays 2nd Championship in MPG

That way you’re still sending the worst from SL down and the best from the Championship up.

Regarding the play offs I hope we don’t go back to the ridiculous 8 team play off format. It rewards rubbish teams! I hope we stick with Top 4 play offs where teams actually are rewarded for having a decent season.

It would be a big financial gamble but I’m in favour of fewer games. Quality over quantity, players are fresher, have less injuries and I think would perform to a higher level.

The only reason it did that was because the CC was kept away from the end of the season so it would not compete and the GF deliberately promoted to its detriment. In fact it was criminal how the RFL went about diminishing both the CC and the League (no trophy for finishing top remember at first) in order to promote the GF. No other sport on the planet is run by a bunch of numpties who deliberately undermine existing competitions as successful and key as the CC to the calendar to promote another. I see IL has said on Wigan today the fact the CC is perceived to be a lesser competition now and has smaller crowds is an issue.



I don't know how they are going to do it but getting the CC back up there in the RL psyche as a massive day out for all fans as it used to be needs to be a top priority.

Ill bet the bean counters will want something to replace lost revenue.

looks like you and me have the same thoughts on how the system ought to work,
at first when the 8s was brought in I thought it wouldn't work but it did help by keep mid season interesting now it will be become a bore again,
if we are to return to a up and down I think we should make it two teams like you said as it would make the the bottom far interesting in the survival stake, I keep hearing ever season about players can't plan for the future mortgages and so on, well do know I've not had easy ride too so get on with it.
coming from a supporter of a club that has spent most of its years at the bottom of the table it not much of a change to me, every season we know we aren't going to win any bright work and its always ends in a constant survival mode, its no wonder the crowds have dropped
top 4 play off sounds about right, one down and another in a MPG again spices it up, how about protecting the clubs that get promoted for one season to stop the yo yo effect allowing them time to restructure to SL

The problem with that is that you could end up with a top 8 cut-off again.

e.g. Leigh gain promotion and London win the MPG. They may very well finish up 11th and 12th the following season, but if both are to be protected for a season, then you have 10th being relegated and 9th in the MPG.

Can't see that working, but I'm not sure what you could do instead to avoid the bounce?

There are 2 options imo. Easier said than done but the sports objective should be to make the second tier fully professional, until this happens promotion and relegation won’t work as it should.

Otherwise (my preferred option) return to franchiseing but do it properly. If we have playoffs I don’t see why all teams have to play each other home & away. We could easily have a franchise system which allows in new clubs (providing they meet strict set criteria) without relegating existing clubs.

Either go back to a first past the post league with the CC as the season finale & promotion & relegation or adopt the Australian franchise system. Trying to find something in between that actually works is near impossible.

So Wigan, St Helens, Warrington, Widnes, Salford, Hull, Hull KR, Huddersfield, Widnes, Catalans and Castleford all show their support for Robert Elstone (either through their website, social media or the press) and express optimism for the future.


Gary Hetherington's Leeds release a statement condemning the whole process. Go figure.

He really has lost it.

Does he seriously think that Leeds having a tantrum will send all these guys back to the drawing board?

It’s tough to know what would work but the priority has to be improving the fan experience. Bull mania was fabulous and at the time, the rugby matched the off field experience. Bradford played fast, hard rugby and it was great to watch. The whole game day experience made fans turn up and although they fell apart financially, that game day experience, within the salary cap rules is what we need.

Personally I think we play each other too many times due to the Super 8s format and it has watered down the rivalries. As I said earlier in this thread, this season we could end up playing Warrington 6 times so people are not bothered if they miss one because we’ll play them again in a few weeks anyway. There is no real anticipation and build up to those bigger fixtures.

I don’t have the answers and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with. Somehow we need to generate a great game day experience at all clubs and in my view play each other less often.

I’d be open to paying a few extra quid for a much improved product.