If you win the competition by winning the league nobody would care about the play-offs. A three-week knockout comp between 5 teams, one of whom got a bye to the final would not be a popular competition. This separate competition for one club one consist of one solitary game, 3 weeks after the ‘real’ competition had finished. It would be a joke.

Every suggestion and every permutation of play-offs we get seems to simply be an effort to shoe-horn more importance in to other parts of the competition. Even this 3x8 nonsense is simply an attempt to manufacture importance. None of them even come close to addressing the actual problem with the league which isn’t its structure or play-offs. Its the disparity between the top and bottom, it’s the fact the top teams at 60% will beat most other teams in the league most of the time. The problem with SL is that its too easy to qualify for the play-offs not because of a problem with the play-offs but because the bottom of the league isn’t good enough.

thats why we should have a 10 team super league comp, the games would intensify

Smokey I agree with most of your post and have booked an appointment later with my GP as a consequence
Elite should be just that and two tens ticks far more boxes, but 12/12 & 3x8 is better than we have now
We have 7 clubs throw Toulouse into SL1 to hook a French TV deal, London to be run centrally/sky and one other for the ten. Top5 from championship to the 5 relegated and 1 up/down with a three year licence
8x £1.5m in SL1 and 10 x 600k in SL2 assumining no increase in revenue

I was going to post... "McManus tells Lenagan to GET STUFFED!"... but that might be judged a tad controversial

This sounds like an amazing but welcome about turn so for now, i'll take back some of the crap iv'e give him on these boards

Full story...

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Is he implying that Lenegan doesn't have a meaningful commercial input? or that he doesnt speak to him?

"It is also a great and opportune time to have a newly appointed RFL and Super League Chairman in Brian Barwick, whose highest level background in media and in professional sport can assist rugby league greatly in its strategic direction and commercial strengthening. He deserves our full and unqualified backing as we seek to strengthen for the benefit of all."

Absolutely.

Did Mr. Lenegan perhaps overstate his level of support?

Hmm, accept a dumb ass system that will obviously fail, but in return take more power. When said dumb ass system fails move forward in the way you always wanted to. Losing battles and winning wars?

This is the same for virtually every elite sporting league in the Europe - soccer which the most popular sport in world is dominated by the same teams the world over - Spain, Italy, Germany, South America, RU the same there are very few teams who have a realistic chance of winning the their respective competitions - don't see an issue with PL attendances?

2 divisions of 12 and promotion and relegation. Id got with that.

The PL is a financial basket case. many clubs get in to financial struggle in it, being relegated from it and trying to get to it, and even more would if it werent for the ego's of some very rich men, and some fools chasing the pot of gold.

Also it isnt really the case in south america, in Brasil they have had 9 different winners in 14 years, In argentian they have had 10 out of the last 7 years (though the argentian league is ridiculous and has two champions a year so thats 10 out of 14)

If you want a business model which is enviable in pro sports its the NFL.

I know the letter has been published today but when was it written?
Brian Barwick "newly appointed" Eh? He's been in his job 9 months.
His letter can mean all things to all people.
I don't think Lenagan would have gone ahead without McManus's support.
For Lenagan to speak out there must be a shift in the power base of Super League from the lower end clubs plus the Hetheringtons to the larger and more ambitious clubs.
As has been said, a lot of Rugby League politics is going on now, and in the trade press too.

True, he doesnt specifically say that he supports the 3x8 system - just talks about a "restructuring of the leagues which will benefit everyone". It could equally means that he supports a top10 with no P&R