I preferred the Challenge Cup when it was played towards the beginning of the season.

IMO Eddie has a point in that it does interfere with the play-offs in its current guise. It is clear at the moment that it is simply not possible for a team to concentrate on SL and the CC at the same time and be successful in both competitions. Hence Leeds and Saints sharing the honours for the past two seasons (Saints had no real credible competition in 2006

).

The real Mickey Mouse event is Murrayfield/Millennium Magic - there would be no point to this if the CC was held at its traditional time in the season. If the CC had been held at that time this year the winners would have been decided by the Leeds-Saints match. Playing a knockout competition across 7 or so months doesn't make any sense to me. This way both competitions are kept distinct and clubs are not penalised in the league for progressing well in the cup.

Very well said

She wore , she wore, she wore a red and white ribbon in the merry month of MAY !

winning the CC and SL should be difficult, thus making winning the double the ultimate achievement.

The ultimate is winning the cc, the league leaders shield, the sl trophy and then teh wcc , surley ?

The CC is a Fantastic occasion and day/weekend out. Eveyone gets into the spirit and enjoys themselves, all fans from all clubs, it is far better than the Grand Final.

Correct. Maybe over time the GF may go the same way, unless the RFL scrap the format and go back to first means first and we enter the premiership play offs? The CC has a gazillion years of history whereas the GF doesnt.

I doubt it very much , a wet night in manchester in october , is never gonna compare with a weekend in the capital IMO .

Capital gets my vote every time

Agreed.

Hasn't it always been like that though? As long as I've been watching RL there has been talk of 'Wembleyitis' and teams looking ahead to next week's semi final. And that was in the days when 2 points lost in a league match could very realistically cost you the title.

Leave it as it is, I say. It's part of the magic of the cup and part of the challenge of success. It's why only great teams win the double.

On the pre semi final weekend Boots N All they never mentioned the games until the minute the programme went off when they offered a belated ' good luck' to the 4 teams.

Frankly, if they think it detracts from the league they should scrap the top 8 play off and crown the league leaders as champions and Hey Presto ! Every game is then important unlike the farce we have now where in theory someone can finish 8th, lose more games than they win and be ' Champions'

Ask supporters of Wire and Huddersfield if the cup is a second class competition !