Hey AP, need to change your sig????

This weeks fixtures aren't completed yet.

Leeds are still going down anyway.

But they still got three points last night. Doh!

I'll change it when all the results are in this weekend.

GO LUTON!!!

GO BLACKWELL!!!

The previous suggestion to make the CC eligible for non SL clubs is an interesting suggestion, which I would vote for.

I'm not majorly interested in the CC, and judging on last nights crowd, am in the majority.

I am going to go to Wembley for the final regardless, and that's only because it is the first final there at the new stadium.

The Grand Final is the ultimate goal for any SL club IMO, and fans would and should agree that winning the GF has hell of a lot more prestige than the CC.

I was thinking about this last night, after the game (and overtaking the Workington coaches heading back up the A1).

Is the fate of the Challenge Cup sealed, with the introduction of the Franchise system in 2009 ?

Given that promotion and relegation as we know it will end then, one possible outcome of that is that many of the smaller clubs will become 'feeders' for the big teams (just look at the relationships that Leeds have built with York and more recently Featherstone ?). These teams will probably have most of the younger players undergoing development (or players seeing out the last few years of their careers) for their SL team 'masters', possibly have coaching staff from those teams and more than likely and open gangway between the clubs, just as they are in Australia.

With a 12 or 14 team top league and another 20 - 30 professional clubs under the wing of senior teams, the level playing field or all clubs being 'equal' (some are more equal than others these days), the concept of the Challenge Cup evaporates. Can you see an SL Club, playing what effectively is the Academy or Reserve team of another SL club regardless of the name (or history) of the competition ?

Would it be a good idea for SL clubs getting involved in a later round?

In hindsight yes, in tradition no.

the Challenge Cup can't be reduced to another Super League competition with room for 4 teams outside the top flight.

Has Grizzly Adams (BORORHINO) buggered off?

Does anyone want to start an online petition to scrap the Challange Cup?

Online Petitions seem to be very popular at the moment

I'll sign it.

No, I'm still here, slap.

I full understand your point. Unfortunately it is not held up by the fact that Saints chose to put out a weakened side the week before the final. This happened before the competition was moved to the summer. It is the fault of the rules that allow teams get away with this dubious practice.

Contrary to your assertion, Saints did not lose "form" last August. They maintained their run all the way to the Grand Final. I suspect that your view is based on the fact that Leeds imploded after the final against Hull. Don't Leeds implode at this time every year, shag, irrespective of involvement in the CC?

Has slap (AP) buggered off?

It's not about primarily about losing form... it's about priorities and taking your eye off Super League when still involved in the latter stages of the MM Cup. That's why Saints only just scraped past Quins at home 30-24 and beat Wakey 52-36 just prior to the MM Cup Final last year. And this from a team whose defence was rock solid all year apart from that particular period. Then they fielded a weakened team away at Catalans Dragons, basically throwing the game.

This is also the same period that saw Leeds lose at home to Stains, away at Hull and at home to Wigan, though you have to take into account Leeds familiar late season chokes as well. And what about the all-conquering Hull KR from NL1 last year? Their run in the MM Cup meant they lost to Leigh twice, 18-22 and 12-36, then got thrashed away at Whitehaven 48-12 in the run-up to their MM Cup Semi Final.

The previous year, Hull lost at home to London and Wigan prior to their late MM Cup involvement, and then went on a disasterous losing run immediately after beating Leeds at the Millennium. Saints scraped past Leigh away 27-20 as they had the MM Cup Semi on their minds, and Leeds got trounced 42-10 by the Bulls at Headingley.

There is clear evidence that MM Cup involvement in the shape of MM Cup Semi Finals and Finals affects those clubs focus, results and form in Super League throughout that period and that shouldn't be allowed to happen.