That would be my thought too, if I'm honest.

That said, even if it is just another 'plate' competition (we'll all be out of the Challenge Cup by then) it shouldn't be condemned without giving it a go. Who wouldn't be up for a trip to Wembley?

I like the idea too. I haven't seen any details of whether it's going to be run as a plate competition or a seperate one but either way, like Bulliac says, it's a trip to wembley at the end of the day and that will make it much more prestigious than the dreadful Championship shield.

Like others, I'm interested in the detail. The more I think about it, the harder it seems to think of a way to make it actually work.

If it is going to be a competition for all non-SL clubs, then its going to add quite a lot of fixtures to those clubs who make decent progress in the Challenge Cup.

But if its going to be a 'lucky loser' type thing, then what about those clubs who - simply through the luck of the draw - make progress in the Challenge Cup?

For example, we might draw lower league opposition and get to the Quarter Finals of the Challenge Cup, then get smashed by a SL club. But then surely the other competition would have started and we'd be too late to join in, thus scuppering chances of a potential Wembley trip

Will we get put in a position of 'wanting to lose' a Challenge Cup game so that we can enter the 1895 Cup?

The devil's in the detail for sure. Will the RFL get it right? What do we think?

there's folk who want to do the Wembley trip in one day. waiting until after the final to watch a 2nd game will put the kibosh on that. I think it's better suited as a curtain raiser.

It would make more sense but I would think the RFL would be looking at the pitch cutting up before the main match and that's a no no for them!

I don't get the potential pitch issue. Or if I do, then if teams playing in succession is not fair on the later teams to play, how come every Blackpool Bash we've played last, after approx. 37 earlier games on the same pitch?

Well, yeah, Magic Weekend is the other example - 3 games straight after one another on the same pitch

Need to know the prize fund. if its worth anything then pursue the glory. If it's not then we have more important matters such as the League and Challenge Cup.

Could be a winner, could be an opportunity to keep players fit or blood young players in a competitive competition.

I think the issue will be much more about TV than the pitch. In that TV will want the CC coverage including post matcha analysis and interevies to be complete before the football scores start comming in. so all needs to be done before 4.30, given most games now last the best part of 2 hours, so the CC final will need to start at about 2.15. This in turn means that any curtain raisers will have to have finished by 1.45 including potential extra time, which would mean starting the game about 11.30 and mullaney memorial cup starting before this at maybe 9.30-10.00am.

So it all really doesn't fit before the main event unless we can move the CC final kick off time back.

Next season's final kicks off at 3pm

I don't think that is an issue. When something is on BBC1 then they put the football results stuff on BBC2 anyway. Or they could put the CC final on BBC2.

2.30 or 3.00 KO for the final the principle is still the same it is hard to fit in two games before it. At the summer bash the games start at mid day and don’t finish while knocking on 8.00pm, so as to accommodate all the games.

That wouldn’t surprise me.

I think the under 11's game is only short anyway, maybe 15 mins each way or something like.
As for clashing with football, from 2020 the final is moving to July so there won't be a problem then as Football season doesn"t start until August.