Hasn't happened in the 20+ years I have been watching RL that non traditional club has reached SL that way. And won't happen for another 20 years.

But I agree that clubs that don't have a RL tradition shouldn't be just dropped in it like Crusaders and the slow sustained growth should be the go to model.

But we should be looking to support clubs like Toulouse and Avignon etc .. who are in a relatively strong RL area to grow the game beyond the Yorks and Lancs borders

Do you always talk Shiite? Yes, we really targeted Sts and Wigan as games we should take the points from. Idiot.

Don't think any of said above clubs rely on one player we didn't have campese on Sunday and won easily and if you think Leigh will be third your delusional no championship team will make SL they will all take some hammerings in the middle 8s

I think it's been a big success, right now my team are sat 8th, a good run may see us with an outside chance of 4th, but a bad run could see us playing Championship sides, we really are on a knife edge and that's far more exciting than just plodding along. Yes Wakefield and Salford have drifted away but that's not unusual in their SL history! And for Salford the issue has been more discipline and injuries than having a bad team as such.

Yes crowds have been lacklustre, but this new era was always going to take time to bed in and there have been some bright spots (getting a record Magic Crowd despite having 2 teams less for example) I hope teams who finish in the top8 actually go out and market the games, sell mini-season tickets for the 3/4 home games to get the pay on the day and casual fans in. It's a big opportunity to make the games a big occasion.

wouldn't mind seeing some stats on the number of blowout scores in recent seasons, say over 35 points difference between the sides in a game. have a gut feeling without admittedly hard evidence that these are on the decrease

Are you having a laugh? My team (Wakefield) have been on the receiving end of blowout scores in all but 7 games in all competitions (although the Leigh match felt like a blowout score). Hull KR, Salford, Hull FC and Wigan IIRC have also suffered blowout scores.
Last year London were thrashed all season, the two seasons before that it was Widnes. If anything they are increasing, and they will continue to do so IMO, because Wakefield won't be the only team to give up before the middle 8s and proving the mantra "every minute matters" is a load of bollox.

Best season since 2008.

2009 saw the introduction of 14 clubs and the top 8. Dreadful move.

Nothing delusional about a Championship team getting promoted to SL at all.
Bradford or Leigh will do it, with only the details of how to be set in stone.

Wakefield will be relegated & might even be stripped of SL status regardless if they can't sort out the ground fiasco, I wouldn't wish it on any club though after our torrid time with finances very fresh in the mind.

Salford I predict to come good & move up the table yet may still feature in the middle 8's, can't see them getting relegated despite the CC defeat to Centurions.
The other 2 SL teams to be involved in the Middle 8's will be interesting & I for one couldn't call which teams they will be.

As for attendances, I believe there will be an upward spike come the 8's with the Championship v SL recording some record attendances at some grounds & great atmospheres too.

The usual protagonists will sit at the top table yet again in SL.

It's a shame for all the Championship clubs that the RFL had to meddle with the Middle 8's at the eighth hour, presumably in a state of panic that 2 could go up & 2 down, yet again they seem determined to preserve the status quo.

I'm a Wakefield fan, it's nailed on that we will be in the relegation battle at the end of round 23.
I like the new format, it gives teams in 2 divisions something to play for.
Believe me, it is soul destroying for those teams who are near the bottom of the league at the half way mark of the season. The remaining games are dead rubbers, no chance of getting into the top 8 and it doesn't matter if you come bottom or not. You just can't wait for the season to finish.
Not so with the new system, the end games will actually mean something-especially for the championship sides.
The middle 8 games will be competitive and will have far greater appeal than previous years nothing to play for games.

Forgetting London and Bradford, the Bottom 6 now contains 6 of the same teams across the same positions at the end of last year.
I can't be bothered to look too hard, but I doubt attendances at any of those clubs is up much on last year.
The same top teams will compete in the GF and it's highly unlikely the engraver will need to add a new name to the trophy.

Does anyone recall how many FULL HOUSES were promised at the start of the year?

Mathias Pala (born 14 June 1989 in Limoux, France) is a French rugby league player for the Leigh Centurions in the Championship.

The reason I say nobody will be promoted is because in reality it could only be Leigh or Bradford and we put 50 on Bradford in the cup playing poorly and you scraped by Wakefield the poorest team by a mile in SL who IMO will only improve come the end of the season

Remind us and also remind us how many we have had.

NONE

Why does it favour them? Because they're the best teams?
Its up to other teams to improve if they're to challenge for trophies, not for the governing bodies to try and give them a leg up.