I'm not wholly against the idea. There are some oddities: for example, 8th and 9th could be separated by points difference, and one could win the Grand Final and the other get relegated. My main concern is the effect on clubs. Like franchising. Sounded good, except the likely ejected club can't recruit, and the criteria meant clubs had to do uneconomic things to get a tick (like silly season ticket deals to get crowd percentage and membership up).

I just can't help thinking it will lead to a greater divide between rich and poor clubs, although I welcome the fact that there will be a point to the season. I lost interest this year once our play-off chances went.

Because the points have been accrued in separate divisions (SL1 and SL2).

That's pretty much as I understand it.

It's the same now, isn't it? The regular rounds just determine your play-off position.

I made the mistake of saying 26 games which of course is now 22 + magic. My mistake.
The other details I didn't know.
However I can't see it only being 7 games.....I assume you mean 7 games each. Which is clearly a lot more.

EDIT: actually I see what you mean now. top 8 play everybody home and away, then play each other one more time before play offs?

Having read through postings on here does anyone really know what is happening.

Page 6 of the clowns thread details the main part of the split.

Your season /s just got a lot more interesting

That's very TRUE, they've pinched our comfort blanket.

Exactly, sport shouldnt be ' comfortable ' , if it is, whats the point?

Personally think its a brilliant and unique structure, now I have read through and fully undertstand

If you finish in the middle 8 we are going to to have a minimum of 30 games compared to 27 now

15 home games guarenteed

Means the whole season is worth playing for, I think once the fans get on board and have a better understanding of it they will how clever it is. I understand it isnt everyones cup of tea but this way make the whole relegation promotion side of it exciting.

It does mean though that potentially we could have 4 teams relegated every season

If they are not good enough to beat the teams in the lower league then that is the correct thing to do.

Yeah, the staggered magic weekend I dont understand, does this mean it will be over more than one weekend?

14 home games - 11 plus 3 as the Championship sides get the 4 home games. Then the 31st game could be the most important for those in 4th and 5th of the middle league with a re-invention of our 'million pound game' to take place - winner takes all!

Aside from the 5 or 6 games that the bottom two teams play knowing they will be in the middle tier therefore the necessity to complete in those games is absent.

No systems is perfect I suppose.

I wonder if the clubs in places 9-12 should have a points carry over - 4 points for 9th and 1 for 12th, or even 3 for 9th and 1 for 11th, with the bottom club starting level with the Championship clubs - or some such? They wouldn't want to fold in those games then?!

I think how I’d amend the structure slightly is to have 9th and 10th competing in the middle tier however they will not be subject to relegation, the bottom two teams would be in danger of relegation should they finish outside the middle tier top four.

I note there is no play off proposed for the middle tier, I would change this to suit the above. I suppose this would make the second tier worth the 9th and 10th places teams while to challenge for some honours.

I thought the super league clubs get the 4th home game as the advantage? so 15 home games?

Nope, the championship clubs get the forth home game.

As I wrote in one of the other threads this system will not provide any fewer dead rubbers than the current one does. There surely has to be some kind of benefit for finishing higher up the table or whats the point in putting in 100% every game and risking injuries, fatique etc to finish 9th? May as well ease off, rest players and finish 12th. Sorry but with this one I think the modern parlance is 'epic fail'.

I guess you could use finishing positions to determine who you play Home and Away, although I'm still trying to work out if it's more beneficial to play your home fixtures against the stronger opposition or the weaker.

eg SL1 9th plays SL1 10th, 11th and 12th at home and the 4 SL2 teams away
SL2 10th plays SL1 11th and 12th at home plus SL2 1st, and then plays SL1 9th and SL2 2nd, 3rd, 4th away
etc

Does this give you an advantage in playing the stronger teams at home and the weaker teams away?? Or does it work the other way? Are you better playing all the weaker sides at home?

I think I've confused myself even more now

I guess making it more convoluted would open it to more ridicule. Keep it simple, 9/10 play in the midfle tier but are exempt from demotion. That at least gives the bottom four teams a target rather than treading water until the business end of the season kicks in.

I think your league position really ought to determine who you play. And the staggered Magic weekend just meant, I think, that there will be two magic weekends, one for the super league and one for the championship, but that they will be on different weekends.

I think the points carrying on relates to the top eight, in that they carry on playing each other, but only the top 4 play-off for the grand final.

I have to admit that I am warming to the whole thing. We have to remember, of course, that we might well be a championship club by then hoping for a top four berth.

The main risk is that the lower tier of the super league will find it harder to attract investment and players, and so will find it ever harder to compete against the top clubs, and so the middle eight will become an almost permanent thing.

I suspect the RFL are hoping it will help the top four of the championship get closer to the super league quality, whereas the reality is that it will make the bottom four of the super league get closer to the championship. Which is perhaps what sold it to the top clubs.

No one should be free from demotion in my opinion. You are just shifting the dead rubber.
What happens when the 5th place team plays a "non demoted" team and 4th plays someone in with a chance.
There will then be complaints that 5th had an advantage because their opponents didn't play to the death

I like what it does in principle. The "dead rubbers" if there are any will be shifted slightly earlier. The last games once in the split will be exciting as there is something at stake.

Same could be said when the team at the top knows they can not fall outside the top four but are playing a team who are trying to get into it. By at least making a competition it changes the mind set if trying to win something rather than who is the least worse.