Think that you're conveniently forgetting that Widnes knew they were nailed on for the bottom 4 from quite early on so quite possibly "put their cue on the rack" to save themselves for the middle 8's. In the same way, Salford went all guns blazing early in the season with a small squad and paid for it when they knew they were safe in the top 8 because they were basically f*cked.

Get rid of the end of season top/middle 8's b*llocks and have straight P&R. Simples.

Cheers for that d1ckhead. Now jog on you tool.

Exactly, who started all this 'livelihoods/jobs/mortgages' crap, Peacock/Crabtree/Cockayne, that's who !
When it was Wakefield v Bradford in 2015 in the MPG, there was none of this crap. For example, any Leigh player who wants to find another club can do so, with either a SL club, or a championship one. I doubt their respective families will starve/have to move into a hostel...etc Unfortunately this MPG 'livelihoods at stake' is a snowball that is gathering momentum, and the RFL will return to licensing.

Jimmy Lowes started it all after the Wakey/Bradford game

The week before it we had carter talking about how Wakefield would have to sack everyone and go part time if they lost. Nick Scruton was the first to start talking about his mortgage if I remember correctly.

I personally said it's a terrible way to decide who goes up, down or stays where they are and was accused of sour grapes.

I still stand by that. That was after talking to Wakefield fans after that match too. It was a horrible experience for all concerned and I haven't seen anything since that changes my mind.

Agree with every thing you have said its utter crap and needs binning

I'm all for binning the Million Pound Match but not for the reasons mentioned above. For me the sole factor of why it needs binning is because in theory a team finishing 9th in SL can be relegated through it which I think is stupid. They have done enough during the season to stay up. Hell, the only thing different between 8th and 9th is points difference and yet they could still be relegated.

For me the whole livelihood thing is nonsense. Relegation has been part and parcel of sport for years (I am aware that NFL, NRL etc don't do it). But it has been part and parcel of this country for a long time. IIRC, since SL started Castleford, Hull KR, Leigh, Huddersfield, Salford, Halifax, London and Bradford have all been relegated at some stage. The losers of the Million Pound matches have pretty much retained their squads as they would any other year. If they were that worried, they would perform better on the pitch. Will teams make the same argument regarding livelihoods if they finish bottom and are relegated that way? Probably will do.

I do agree that Promotion and Relegation should be included especially considering that we have more teams now ready to fight for that spot (London, Leigh, Toronto, Toulouse). Than we have had for years. However I don't think the Million Pound game is the right way to go about it. For me Widnes should have been down. Hull KR up.

In a weird way...... I do like the 'concept' of the Qualifiers as Championship teams have to be able to compete with the bottom SL clubs at least. Which means they have some idea as to how strong they are against the lower SL. In the past we have seen the promoted side go back down within a year or two so this Qualifying system does help in that respect.

So, by that theory somebody finishing 8th shouldn't have the chance to be crowned champions then? Can't have it both ways. If it's OK for 8th to have a crack at playing in the Grand Final, then it's OK for 9th to have a chance of the Million Pound Game. It's only the same thing - to get to Old Trafford you have to give yourself the opportunity through the regular season and then prove you are good enough when it matters. The MPG is no different - if you are not good enough through the regular season then you have to prove you are good enough when it matters. Only my opinion

There is a huge difference between the two comps though, with the points being re-set for the middle eights. Warrington finished nine points above Widnes, yet received no benefit.

The car crash which is the M.P.G. is o.k. if your not sat in the car.

They receive the benefit of an additional home game, exactly the same as the top 4 in the Super 8's. Whichever way you implement P&R there is going to be some that agree and some that don't. It could be argued that Leigh should have been given a year dispensation, as 1 year in SL isn't enough time to build (without a doubt they have the money man/resources to build if given the chance). Fairly impossible to implement that though if you want P&R. So, is P&R the right way to go? Or do we return to Franchising/Licensing and look at building a stronger SL, maybe with more teams being drip fed in over time? Whichever system is used there is always going to be people who can argue for and against

I always thought one up, one down with the promoted side being exempt for one year would be a pretty decent compromise.

The difficulty with licensing/franchising is that you have a number of established clubs who, in theory, could be jettisoned against a promise on a shiny brochure, proclaiming huge crowds masses of income and shiny new stadia and those entrusted to pass judgement haven't been that good at making those calls in the past.

Going back to the MPG, the analogy by Devils Advocate (about a car crash) is bang on.
It's compelling viewing but, to deliberately decide a clubs future over 80 minutes every season is wrong and it would be better to decide over the full season.
It's strange that the top 8 use the points amassed through the season, to decide which is the "best" team but, at the other end, the first 23 rounds count for nothing.

You said that players would very likely find work elsewhere but, their contracts either carried on or became void at the end of the game, not to mention all of the other staff that work at these clubs.

Under a "normal" promotion and relegation system, a "doomed" club usually has time to make plans for their future but, not in RL.