When the new format for 2015 was announced, the RFL were quick to trumpet the return of the Million Pound Match. www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... eath-match Well if it's such a good idea, why don't they introduce it this year? Instead of a straight relegation of the bottom two, how about we automatically relegate the bottom club and then have a play-off, 12v13, for the other relegation spot. I mean it's not like we have an 'even' fixture list is it - because of the Magic Weekend. And if a play-off is deemed good enough to decide the Champions (where you could theoretically win it from 8th!), what's wrong with using it at the other end of the table? And what a massive game it could be.

When the new format for 2015 was announced, the RFL were quick to trumpet the return of the Million Pound Match. www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... eath-match Well if it's such a good idea, why don't they introduce it this year? Instead of a straight relegation of the bottom two, how about we automatically relegate the bottom club and then have a play-off, 12v13, for the other relegation spot. I mean it's not like we have an 'even' fixture list is it - because of the Magic Weekend. And if a play-off is deemed good enough to decide the Champions (where you could theoretically win it from 8th!), what's wrong with using it at the other end of the table? And what a massive game it could be.

Too late.

We're trying to get away from the RFL making it up as they go along.

The rules for the 2014 season had to be set before the first match kicked-off.

i hope the 'million pound match' next year isnt as godawful as the last one, which was one of the worst RL matches i have ever watched

The excitement of a Million Pound Match?

Pah!

Nothing beats the excitement of a 5th V 8th play-off game.

6th v 7th is pretty awesome too.

Bloody hell Smokey, what do you want from a game of RL.
Especially when a relegation decider of this nature is necessarily between the two worst teams in the comp.

For the season to end with the bottom 2 clubs fighting it out on the last day of the season, winner takes all, do you really expect top quality RL ?
I think you have the wrong expectations for the bottom 2 teams.
Although I cant remember the scoring sequence, Cas certainly had the lead with Wakefield coming back into the game.
It wasn't one way traffic and although personally, apart from the result, I found it difficult to enjoy the match.
There was enough drama in the occasion and the game to draw the sporting worlds attention, for a game of RL.
Ironically, I always thought that this game was one of the reasons that relegation was shelved, as it became a major distraction to what was happening at the top of the league.
Other than the final game of the season going to extra time, or golden point, I'm not sure what else you could want from such a game

You’ve been spoilt then.

I presume you didn’t watch the Wigan v Hull C.C final .

Yeah, I actually looked up the match report, just to help my shrinking brain:

Cas went into an early 11-2 lead
Jeffries had a try disallowed for obstruction, before Wakefield took a 14-11 interval lead.
"in a mesmerising, heart stopping game" (sounds really dull )
Cas re-took the lead shortly after HT & had a try disallowed before Wakefield took control of
the game.

Some people choose to find fault with anything and as I mentioned, this game took all the headlines
which didn't go down too well in some quarters.

Yes, I remember some having a whinge about it. But if we had such a match this year as I suggested in the OP, it would be played on the same weekend as the first round of the play-offs. Some people might welcome the focus being taken off those particular games!

I hope the RFL let Bradford play in this million pound match....they need every penny they can get their hands on.

Smokey, you are talking utter rubbish and I would politely suggest that you are in a minority RL fans.
Nobody is saying that it was SOO quality or intensity but, for such a poor game and spectacle, plenty of people seem
to have a different memory to your own.
As I said, this was a bottom vs 2nd bottom, what do you really expect.
You say that it wasn't much of a distraction but, especially with you being from this side of the Pennines, you have managed "Likely Lads" media evasion to avoid the coverage that this game received.

We have had a number of lop sided GF results, where TV viewers would have turned over and even a world cup final this year where it was no contest and the "Million Pound Game" provided better entertainment than these.

It was 3rd bottom v 2nd bottom.

Catalans were exempt from relegation.

And Wigan were... erm... icon... whoops... I mean too high profile a club to be allowed to taste relegation

Yet fewer people watched it in person, and on TV.

You can keep repeating these things but there is evidence out there proving you wrong, this game wasn’t some huge game that had a massive build up and media saturation. It simply wasn’t watched by that many people in person, and wasn’t even the best watched match on TV that season never mind some sort of record breaking game.

The facts are, one game sold out a relatively small stadium, the games around that game were very poorly attended, far more people watched the GF and many other matches that season in both person and on tv.

And it was a poor quality game between two poor teams, which you yourself admit you just make the excuse that these were two poor teams so we should expect a poor game. I don’t disagree with that, I just don’t think we should ignore the fact it was a particularly poor game just because we already knew they were two poor teams.

Of course the Wakefield game was watched cy 11,000, plus a few on nearby rooftops and the GF and World Cup Final took place in larger stadiums.
I was trying to compare the entertainment value.
Certain "better quality" games don't live up to their billing and are a turn off for the TV viewer and spectators.
This game, despite its "poor quality" was no such game, even though you maintain it was poor viewing.

Looks like I will have to accept whatever you tell me Smokey, of course we cant both be right.