Not quite correct
The fact Toronto were due to play Newcastle whilst their season has been abandoned is the big problem
That would mean 7 teams going through with Newcastle getting Torontos spot in the last 8 despite not having played a game since March and not intending on playing another game this season so I guess it's highly unlikely they want or it is viable for them to play the next round I.e the Qtr final.
If that were the case there only be 7 Qtr finalists and then a team would get another bye to the semi final.

Better to redraw and get 2 last 16 games played with 6 getting "Byes" (Sorry tricky it wont be 1 game drawn, it will be 2) and the 2 winners play play the 6 byes in the Qtr finals.

It’s not though, is it.
You can’t tell me that the CC final is a more prestigious, exciting and interesting day than the GF?

It is in my eyes. Growing up during the 8 in a row winning at wembley is huge to me. Id take the cup every day of the week.

Also, as a fan of nostalgia i would prefer the champions to be first past the post.

I used to prefer it but recently with the empty stadiums its lost its magic, when it was full the GF couldnt compete with the CC for me

Told you before, You are Tailor made to be a Wolfs fan

Well they did have a better pack than us in 2013

Quite correct. Grand Final day is THE big one no doubt but on a personal level the Challenge Cup means a lot to me. Im with the egg man on this. Im 35, I grew up watching those amazing finals and amazing try's and for somebody who couldn't get to see many games live as a kid even though i loved watching, those finals and going to the parades etc for a kid were brilliant. It was a full day of anticipation and excitement and even the BBC coverage lasted about 4 hours. Loved it.

One day you'll listen and then you may learn something!

Pickles
Santiago
Shroud of Turin (not Lisa stansfield).

The main reason why the Challenge Cup Finals at Wembley are not as large is because they no longer get as many fans from the non competing clubs like they did in the past due to the cost of going to London and when you are there, then being ripped off.

At the Old Wembley Finals, you would see fans wearing replica shirts of most of the clubs, but now most are just of the two finalists and others from the better supported Super League clubs which prompts the question, is it better to have 70,000 at Old Trafford or 60,000 at Wembley.

And the area around the perimeter of the New Wembley Stadium and Wembley Way is no longer the same for pre match atmosphere.

And not just that. Loads of fans wearing the shirts of every amateur club. Basically it was a day out for every rugby league fan in the country. But sadly, it's not any more. But I don't think it's got a lot to do with 'rip-off London'. London has never been cheap, and the area around Wembley Stadium was always a dump anyway.

And not as there are not as many pub trips and others going for the weekend as there used to be in the days of the old Wembley which also has added to the smaller crowds. I accept your comment about London always being a 'rip off,' but the way London in general has gone downhill in recent years may also have something to with people from the north and other parts of the country not wanting to go there.

My family and I have enjoyed going to Cardiff more than the more recent visits we have made to the new Stadium which more than ever is now geared to Football.

At least the Stadium at Cardiff is nearer to the pubs, cafes, shops etc of the city centre and the people there are more hospitable with more interested in Rugby, even if it is Union!

Time for a change as far as my family and I are concerned!

but why arent people from other clubs going anymore?

I loved it in Cardiff! I only lived 50 miles away at the time.

Because of the cost involved and the problems in getting to London as a a result of there being far more traffic on the motorways and dearer train fares under franchising which also has not helped the situation for many supporters.

If you were a supporter of one of the non competing finalists, would you be inclined to go?

maybe you right, something for the RFL to combat is maybe charge less or change venues, I went to Leeds Bradford at the millenium and Leeds Bradford in Edinburgh but not been to any since as I went for the weekend but dont like London

I’m all for traditions and the cup final at Wembley has been our traditional setting for the final but I’ve felt for a while it’s either had its day totally or at least we should look to rotate between Wembley and Cardiff. The Millennium stadium’s location has the potential to revive the weekend away vibe the cup final used to carry. It is a brilliant stadium in the heart of a great city and I loved the finals there in the past.

Agree. Plus the new wembley is

Cardiff every day of the week, a stadium at the heart of the city or a stadium in a North London industrial estate, no-brainer.

I would look at maybe alternating either the CCF or GF between Wembley/OT and Millenium Stadium.

Love the Milenium Stadium but think we would live to regret moving away from Wembley permanently.

I'd go to more "neutral" GFs at Millenium than I would at OT. I always go to Wembley regardless of teams but that is as I live in the South East.

The “new” Wembley just doesn’t appeal to me and it doesn’t help with the challenge cup losing its prestige status (it’s now secondary to the grand final) .
The challenge cup final used to be the pinnacle of the season, but it’s in dire need of a complete revamp, take it on the road if need be, bring back the David & Goliath matches Or maybe and it’s a little controversial, invite some of the Aussie teams to take part. Anything to spice it up

I went to Wembley for the 2013 World Cup semi against the Kiwis and came away buzzing (well maybe I was buzzing once the numbness had worn off) to think how we could take more internationals there and have it as a big international venue for us and move the challenge cup to Cardiff. Since then in the following 7 years, the international side has played zero fixtures at the venue and very few in the country. The amount of southern accents I heard in a crowd of nearly 70,000 that day was so encouraging and I hoped for a legacy but this is rugby league!

I’ve always felt we’ve missed a trick in terms of attracting locals to Wembley (Or other London venues) by not playing more internationals in the South. An England side gives people in the South with a vague interest in Rugby League a team to support, whereas a Warrington v Catalans, Wigan v Hull game etc means very little to anybody other than a die hard league fan.

That's where an Ashes series would be huge for us. First tests at Wembley were always a big deal.

Those days have gone now that our game no longer gets the same media coverage down south where since 1996, they are now more interested in Union games at Wembley involving the top Union clubs like Harlequins, Saracens, Wasps etc.

Hardly surprising, now that our International team no longer includes former top Union stars, especially those from South Wales.

Personally I think there is more to it than just the cost, it is more about the perceived value.

By that I mean most people will spend more than they should on something they really want to do, but once the magic of these things disappear then they start to appear too expensive or too time consuming.
Trips down to London were very rare when the habit of going to the Final just for the game (and not being a supporter) was established. Over the years this habit was kept going by the fact you knew when it was happening, where it was staged and the fact that pubs and clubs would set these trips up.
Over the years the trip to London has become more common place and less appealing
The final itself has been moved both venue and time
There has been another final to rival it that follows very closely behind
The introduction of SL has diminished the importance of the CC
Pubs and Clubs are disappearing and are not organising this type of trip due to the lack of locals
The supporters of the finalists are still willing to go and spend that extra - but not as many neutral supporters

All of the above has an effect on the mindset of neutral supporters - take one in isolation and you can deal with it, all together and it needed some smart marketing from the RFL to get over this size of a hurdle, and while they have tried they have failed.

A lot of this is true which is a shame. I still think that the RFL should push neutral ticket sales to amateur clubs at a reduced rate (with funds going to each club) more and more. Especially the newly formed London clubs. Start from open age and work down to the young kids, 3-4 full coaches per club would make a big difference.

Club day outs still occur in RU and are very well organised.