People saying the magic weekend stops 13 teams really don't grasp a playoff system. You can have as many rounds as you like. The top team are not champs. The playoffs allow for some teams to meet 3 times others 2 times. You could still play 4 - 6 games at magic. Another weekend other teams play. Then a third weekend other teams play. I'll write it down better. When I'm not on my phone.

But you still require all teams to play the same number of games prior to the play offs

Or are you saying that doesn't matter ?

Why would you? Teams don't have to play each other an equal amount of times. They just have to have an even number of matches. One team (the one that misses out on the Magic Weekend) would just have to have two on the road games instead.

Against who ?

I thought you were cleverer than this

You've forgotten that there's one less home and away fixture.
It'd be 24 games + 1 MW + 1 OTR.

If you have an odd number of teams that will dictate how many games you play as each ' round ' will include 1 ' bye ' , so 13 teams require a mutiple of 13 rounds meaning either 12/24 or 36 matches

end of , otherwise you have some teams playing more games than others

Having just looked at the NRL season 2005 ladder there is a way you can reduce the number of games you play by having more than 1 bye per round , that year they had 15 teams and they played 24 games , in rounds 11 and 14 they had 3 teams not playing , therefore shortening the season by 4 games

So yes you could in theory work in whatever number you wanted , but with 13 teams you would have to work from 36 games downwards having 8 extra ' byes ' to get down to 28 games

Personally I'd prefer Sheffield, but Fev or Fax would be fine.

Damn Wellsy got to it before me.

here was my example,

13 teams so you have 24 fixtures home and away, each weekend one team gets a rest weekend

In addition

Magic Weekend

Hull FC v Wakefield
Wigan v Castleford
Hull Kr v Leeds
Bradford v Widnes
Saints v Huddersfield
Warrington v Salford
Catalan sit out.


Catch up weekend for Catalan

Catalan v Wigan

Now Wigan have had 1 more game than everyone else as they played both Magic and Catalan.

So you have another weekend were everyone plays but Wigan

It finishes the season with each team playing 26 fixtures.

It’s not that hard really to have a 13 team league, to keep the magic weekend, and make sure everyone plays the
same number of games.

The playoffs ensure it does not matter that you play 2 teams 3 times as where you finish does not decide the winners.

The magic weekend already means it’s not just home and away for every team.
I picked Catalan to sit out the MM weekend as they would not bring many fans anyway.

It only requires a little thought to work this out.

So not just

Teams are always wanting more money, so they could use any formula you liked, the bonus weekend could be derbies.

It could be another on the road set of fixtures to spread the game.

You could have a weekend of fixtures in and around grounds in London, if that was your thing. Making sure we all hit the capital. It could a RIP London weekend.

But seriously, you could use it for any purpose you liked or just an extra home fixture for a team and share the takings, or not what ever people prefer.

Yes there will be one more fixture than this year, but with players getting bye rounds they should be well rested.

You don't actually have to have 12 games home and away. That format can also be changed up. But it would take too long to explain that. The season can be as long or as short as you like as teams do not have to play home and away an even number or times.

We have done it before in previous seasons when we had smaller leagues, some teams got more home fixtures than others.

Sod the Magic Weekend, no-one knows what its purpose is.
If it's already booked in for next year and money has been spent or will be lost, OK fudge it in some non-credible way, makes no difference, it has no credibility anyway.
Then ditch it.

They cant risk wigan not being at Magic they take mroe fans that 3 clubs conbined (sure it is signed for at least 2 more seaons) -Magic Weekend is heading back to the magnificent Etihad Stadium for 2014 and 2015. Wildcats training wear including polo shirts, vests- was on a wakefield website could be wrong though.

13 teams is workable and maybe a better option with 1 relegation spot, whereas if a CH clubs comes up most likely some of the crackpots at the RFL will give them a years dispensation otherwise they will be on a hiding to nothing i think.