The problem is when they've tried to clamp down to speed up the PTB it just leads to bucketloads of penalties. Good defensive teams in the NRL don't care about giving away penalties. The only thing I think could help is reducing the interchange. Whilst it won't speed the game up as such, it would reintroduce genuine fatigue and potentially give more space to halfbacks.

Predicted final positions.
But if Salford lose to Toulouse, London win against Halifax and we beat Toronto, then SALFORD will be in the MPG again.

12 Leeds Win - Toronto (H) 80
10 Salford Win - Toulouse (H) 109
10 Hull KR Win - Widnes (H) 5
8 Toronto Loss to Leeds (A) 17
8 London Win - Halifax (H) -10
6 Toulouse Loss - Salford (A) 0
2 Widnes Loss - HKR (A) -51
0 Halifax Loss - London (A) -150

That would be really really funny, but can't see it happening.

If we beat Toronto, I think London will get the win big enough to overall the points difference of Toronto, so think they will be other way round.

this years middle 8's is going to the wire (not thew Wire), what a fantastic league this is. Lets have it again next year..............What, the RFL have changed the format yet again. oh no !

Reducing subs from 10 down to 8 is one of the things discussed at last weeks SL meeting

Other things potentially on the cards include shot clock like they have in NRL and golden point but they are talking about 'golden try'

Also talking about doing away with the 'free play' rule

I don't think PTB is a problem, nor with my limited viewing of NRL do they appear any better than us (as claimed by some others). Defences are just better & fitter, techniques improved. I'd have no problems in reducing the number of subs; though whether that would have any effect on player welfare & longevity I don't know.

As much as I dislike Wigan & their style you have to admire their defence. Especially near the goal line.

Seriously? I think the PTB is a massive problem. The Bellamy/Maguire obsession with it has been passed on like a virus. Dominating the PTB is the key to winning, everyone knows it so it’s become a battleground where both sides try all kinds of tactics to get an advantage. The spectacle is awful IMO. It reminds me of scrums in the 80s where a ref could take his pick as to what to penalise as both packs struggled for an advantage. You’d see scrums re-setting over and over until the ref just let something go. Eventually they allowed feeding just so they could get on with the game.

A similar drastic approach is needed to made the PTB less important to the game as a whole. I’ve no idea what it is. The only thing you can do is referee it better. In SL the standards of reffing are light years ahead of the Championship and L1. There I’ve seen PTBs last several hours
It's certainly spoiling the game in the lower tiers. I can't really comment on SL since I only watch bits on the SL Show.

Player ability is more limited in the lower leagues and it's easier to drill a side in holding down or milking a penalty that it is to coach champagne rugby. Refs allow the PTB to be much slower and policing of the 10m is almost non existent. I've endured more than enjoyed rugby this season.

One more game to go. Can Hull avoid having a calamitous season by winning their final game of 2018?

If Hull do lose then that'll be 11 defeats on the bounce and 14 defeats from their final 16 games with their only wins coming against the 2 worst teams in the league: Salford & Widnes.

And yet they've lost to all 3 of those sides in the Super8s and at least once, maybe twice to them in the first 23 rounds.

But yeah.... the format.

So, its the final week of the middle 8s.
Who is going to be in MPG

Salford, HKR, Toulouse, Toronto or London

For starters, lets hope Toulouse beat Salford tomorrow

That would make my week, would love to go to Headingley on Friday without any niggling doubts and I'm sure the players would too.

The 10 metres is a problem, particularly in a league where many defenders are less quick and possibly less fit than their aussie counterparts. Drop the gap to 7 and the defence would have time to get set, meaning the potential drawbacks for withdrawing from the ruck quickly would be fewer. There'd also be less scooting and (hopefully) better attacking. This idea isn't mine: Mal Reilly mentioned it in a recent interview.