on a rainy Sunday in September. They need the Press Gang out to get them to Barton Bridge.

I'm not expecting huge shifts in away fans to be honest. But again you say it will. How do you know for a fact??? Predicting the future is in the realms of con artists and crazy people.

Past performance is no indication of future predictions. But here we don't even have past performance to go on, yet people feel confident to predict with full confidence.

There are three possibilities. Attendances will increase as more Fax fans will turn up with something to play for rather than hitting a brick wall at the end of the season.

Attendances will drop as Fax fans will expect a hammering and can't be bothered going.

Attendances will remain the same as the same people will be attracted by a game of RL regardless of the structure.

And how many extra Halifax fans will turn up because of the potential for promotion? Swings and roundabouts.

Also remember, in all likelyhood, the 2 teams relegated this year, will also be in the mix to be in the top of the championship. Ultimately (for example) the middle tier could be:

Widnes, Cas, Wakefield, Salford - Bradford London Halifax Leigh

Minus 2 games, that's no different to what we have now, a lot of championship fans tell us that they will be more able to compete (how true that is remains to be seen). Is it the system I'd of chosen? Probably not, but it should be interesting - and that's better than it has been for the bottom half than for a good few years, where once your done out of the 8, it's really quite tedious formality to keep playing

So, your season pass will cover the normal 23 game season (22+Magic weekend). At the end of the normal season, instead of entering straight into the playoffs, the league will split into 3 x 8. The top 8 S/L teams will retain the points they accumulated during the season and all play each other once again, with a further 14 points up for grabs. After these games the top four enter the Knockout part of the playoffs, so theoretically, a team that finished 8th could move up to fourth and enter the playoffs. The second tier play 7 further games from scratch, after these games, the top 3 go up, 4 and 5 play each other, the winner going into s/l.
This gives the prospect of the team that finished 9th in S/L being relegated and the 4th placed championship being promoted. It also gives the prospect of the bottom 4 proffesional S/L sides steam rolling the amateur championship sides and remaining in S/L. It also gives the prospect of paying for 7 extra games in S/L above your season pass price and still not making the knockout stage.

How season tickets work is entirely down to the clubs - I wouldn't be surprised if what's offered in the season ticket varies from team to team in the first few years. But the rfl can't be blamed for how clubs market one of their major products.

As for teams winning the competition from 8th - it's no different from winning it from 8th now. You have to play in the 23 rounds to ensure finishing comfortably in the 8, and not being more than 8-10 points off the top 4, you have to play in the remaining 7 games to ensure top 4 and then the playoffs are simple, and what everyone's been calling for. 1 vs 4 2 vs 3 no club call nonsense, no second chances.

As for the middle 8, I agree, their needs to be some reward for finishing 9th not 12th - whilst not announced I'd imagine they would have an "easier" fixture list (playing the championship clubs 1-2 games in instead of on round 1, the majority of your home games being against the other sl teams etc) - at least that is what I hope.

I think you underestimate those in the championship calling them amateur, as discussed 4 games can see you promoted, that could be only beat one of the sl clubs and then beat the other championship clubs. Plus the relegated teams in 2014 will undoubtedly try everything to remain full time professional, since super league status is only a season away (and in reality they would be competing in the middle 8 even if they hadn't of been relegated)

I agree the key to this working lies with how the fans of the two relegation clubs in 2014 approachit. If there is the same drop off as normal relegation. Then it will change little. If those fans see it as less of a drop and turn up and buy into the middle 8. Then that is where success will be built.

Clubs will offer season tickets extensions after the first 23 games, I reckon season tickets will increase for the first phase of the comp as the initial cost outlay will be approx 20% cheaper.
The season ticket extension for the bottom 4 in tier 1 will drop off but I reckon the top 4 tier 2 will rocket knowing they will have a pathway of promotion against the non qualifying superleague teams.
So in reality the season becomes a 2 stage one with the 2nd phase being an optional one.

What will be the format of the Magic Weekend? 2 more games in 2016?

So, if I am reading this right, it's theoretically possible that the 4 bottom Superleague clubs could all be relegated in one season if the Championship clubs finish 1 to 3 in the middle league and the fourth one wins the sudden death match? (Not that I would ever expect this to happen though).

Great innit

I think I get it, but to be honest I don't care.

Probably best just to wait for the fixture list and see what happens next year. It's a ridiculously over-complicated system to decided two simple issues;

- who wins the league, and
- promotion/relegation.

That's RL all over though, isn't it. Great game made complicated by morons who run it.