Enjoyed reading this and broadly agree with all points bar moving the Cup to March. https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/20 ... eat-again/ Food for thought.

Enjoyed reading this and broadly agree with all points bar moving the Cup to March. https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/20 ... eat-again/ Food for thought.

Some very good points and some easy solutions to start implementing

would probably not agree with his proposed make up of Super League completely but I have to say his observations certainly make so much sense and perhaps all owners should at least read them and consider some of his ideas. His observations on the succession of leaders at the top of the RL and his concerns about the rabble who commentate on Sky certainly make a lot of sense. As Wilde 3 said some easy quick hits that would immediately make a difference too.

Some good points, not allowing games to take place at the same time as the SKY games is an easy change and makes the TV rights more valuable as the say 40k who are attending games live are likely to tune in to the TV game.

The Challenge Cup final needs moving, as the August Bank Holiday has too many other sports and events competing with. I’d move it to the end of July where the Semi’s are now, just before the football starts. It also takes away the disadvantage the Cup finalists have for the rest of the league season. They’d have more time to rest and rebuild before the playoffs.

Agree that a 12 team SL and a top 5 or 6 playoff format works better. Even with our current problems we’d still have slight hope under that system so less dead rubber games.

Only thing I dont agree with is parachuting in expansion teams, the game has been there done that and it doesnt work, if the likes of Newcastle and Coventry are such good prospects why arent they challenging for promotion?

And de- stabalise the rampant self interest inherent to RL ?

Not read the link , but after watching my last few recorded nrl games !! Simple ! Copy that , can't believe how more entertaining it is. And please can we lose the squad numbers and just go with 1 to 17 , makes keeping the jersey at least makes sense

bring back the biff

Yep!! And the shoulder charge , and stop referees penalising every slight Contact with the head , it's getting embarrassing

This thread title sounds like a Donald Trump rally

The journo, could have called it Carpe Diem, the original Sky Super League anthem but probably thought you wouldn’t get it

...latest rumour

12 team Superleague.

Each team will play 29 regular season games in 2019.

These will be made up of each team playing every other side home and away, the Magic Weekend fixture, plus six other matches (how these are selected is anyone's guess).

Top 5 qualify for the GF playoffs.

Bottom club relegated.

Common sense at last! Top5 playoffs rewards the league leaders with a week off, but still keeps the playoffs for the best teams.

Intrigued to see how they do the extra 6 games though, really don't want to see another derby shoe-horned in like previously just to make money. But if you do a 'top 6 play each other again' type format, then it benefits teams in the 7th-10th positions for their playoff run-in as they get easier games, and hinders those in say 4th-6th.

Interesting to see the only SL club that voted against was Leeds, its not like Gary has spat his dummy out or anything!

The 6 extra games loses all credibility as far as I'm concerned.

Someone might play the leading side 2, 3 or 4 times. It's a lottery.

It's as bad as the magic weekend fixture times 6.

14 or 15 teams would have given 26 or 28 games, but diluted the sky money, which is obviously more important (to the club chairmen).

We had this set up before I think. Didn't you play all the even numbered teams from the previous season again if you finished in an odd numbered position, or something similar?

The game IMO could really seek to deliver the expansionist ambition of Framing the Future now with the momentum of Catalans and Toronto. The problem is the current economics of the game mean that many chairmen are propping up their respective clubs and are more interested in preserving their own "status", however mediocre, than seeing the sport as a whole expand. As long as they have the voting rights the game will remain entrenched in the M62 corridor with Wakey v Cas playing in grounds that should have been condemned decades ago whilst the potential of Toronto, Tolououse etc gets sed away.

Presumably loop fixtures will be based on this year's 'rankings' at the end of round 23. Odd numbered team play each other again as do even numbered teams. So for example if Toronto beat Widnes in the Million Pound game Hull FC as the 6th place team would play Wigan, Warrington, Catalans, Rovers and Toronto.

Obviously a bit tough on any team facing two trips to both Perpignan and Toronto.

… I forgot to mention that we'll be playing all our home games one after the other during the winter months, followed by all our away games during the summer.
You know it makes sense.

Interesting article. I believe in the cliche less is more in some instances, and with the number of superleague games this needs to be applied. It would be much better to have each team home and away just the once. Keep the magic weekend, if you must, giving a league season of 23 games and then straight into the playoffs of 5 teams as the article suggests. The local derby matches should be at Easter (where we should only play one fixture) and the August bank holiday weekend. Challenge cup final is played earlier in the year, and more time between the semis and the final to try to get bums on seats. I'd like to see rotated GB, Australia and New Zealand tours (home and away), at the end of the season when there's no world cup. I'd reduce the number of substitutions to try and redress the decline in playmakers and to help the backs somehow find more space, as the game has become boring.

Just play each other twice and have another standalone cup competition. Instead of 6 pointless games

What's the proposal the club's are voting on this week? I've seen different versions of it.

Got to say, I have been in favour of this format for years. Have a 14 team league = 26 games.

Have an equivalent of the old county cups (I appreciate there would be a need to incorporate French, Canadian and London teams ) as a competition before the league season started.

Decision day is 14th September - 55 votes to be cast, SL clubs each have 2 votes, so a minority of 24 in total.

Is this for 12 clubs, play each other 2.5 times, one up one down, 5 team play off?

I believe so, all I can find on the official RFL site is..

www.hullfc.com/news/2018-09-12-h ... -of-change

www.hullfc.com/news/2018-09-12-h ... -of-change

Well, they can’t be accused of a lack clarity!

Sounds like it’ll be an interesting meeting.