Crowds for all of the top 8 clubs should increase, after all, their last 7 fixtures have been against theoretical title chasers.

If the fixtures had been as in previous seasons, you may have had the delights of Salford or Wakefield at home, which would have reduced your crowd numbers.

The "winners" as far as attendances go, should be the clubs in the Super 8's and the Championship clubs in the Middle 8's.

The "losers" regarding attendance figures would be the bottom 4 in SL and the lower clubs in the Championship.

The only way the new concept will be deemed a success is if The Bulls gain promotion and the prospects for the lower Championship clubs next season looks awful, with this seasons top 4 having a hefty financial boost, due to their success this season.

Personally, with the rich getting richer in SL and the Championship, we appear to be heading for a 3 x 8 structure in the not too distant future, perhaps with promotion and relegation between the leagues but, at least the big boys will be happy so it must be good for the game.

The bottom team in SL won 3 games. The bottom team in the championship won 1 game. The top club in the championship lost 1 game. They were so far away from the SL clubs that their chairman has thrown an epic fit and threatening all and sundry with legal action so he can spend nearly double next year. This being a team that won it's games by an average of over 30 points this year. That sounds like a recipe for a competitive league season.

This was apparently a 'whole game solution' it has in fact decimated most of the league. League 1 is needing to go regional. The bottom of the championship has been cast adrift and finished the season playing in front of no-one for a competition no one cares about. The championship shield is a disaster.

The bottom of Superleague is a mess of falling attendances and panic buying for a competition that was hugely imbalanced and attended by fewer people.

The super 8s saw fans bored of 3 meetings and clubs struggle to sell profitable corporate hospitality.

TV viewers have fallen by 15% according to the trade press.

This for some is a success.

Can i just remind everybody of the thread title

If somebody wishes to discus the negatives of this new system, by all means start a new thread, then those wishing to point them out can post on it

I think quite a few people who post on here would have to look up the word 'positive' in the dictionary to actually know what it meant.

You can point out whatever you like. Nobody had any reason to listen to you and they rarely do so there isn't much point in it. But do so all you want. If you want an echo chamber go talk to a mirror.

It's also pretty successfully destroyed London. Again to some this is success.

If you need help understanding the first post is a list of positives and negatives you can find English tutors on line or through your local adult education centres.

I'm POSITIVE that this new system has had a NEGATIVE effect on the game as a whole.

For those not sure try not to be decisively indecisive.

It's been a blast

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.