If you look at 2013 Hull KR who finished 8th were 9 points a drift of Wigan in 4th place. Realistically how could a team turn around a 10 point swing over just 7 games to make the 4? Personally I'd start afresh after the regular season ends. The only advantage for finishing top 4 should be just an extra home fixture.

In the 2nd tier there is no advantage between finishing 9th or 12th so why should there be one for the top tier?
I agree with everything else but this.

Wouldn't that put us back to literally where we are now? Once a teams safe in the 8 there's no incentive to carry on, and sacrificing a home game for 4 - 5 weeks to rest your squad and prepare for the 7 games is something a lot of teams would take.

Saints finished in 5th 2 points behind Wigan this year. Had the two forms continued saints would of finished in the top 4 instead of Wigan (potentially) meaning in this system you wouldn't be able to afford a slide like Wigan had towards the end of the season before the playoffs.

Realistically, do you deserve that much of a chance if you are 8th after 23 rounds?

I'd put more emphasis on prize money on the place a team finishes in the regular season. For instance finish a couple of places lower and it hits the clubs and the players in the pocket. Perhaps the RFL should look into the prize money with less prize money for the Play-Offs and more for league positions finishes?

The play-offs should be for the prestige and the Championship should be for the allocation of prize money!!

Take away emphasis on the playoffs and the season ends with a damp fizzle instead of a bang, as clubs have had their pay day.

Also, prize money of any significance requires the league to have sponsors and that's a whole other story

The same can be said about the challenge cup. The challenge cup is about "prestige" but would you want your club to sacrifice league position for the sake of it? Even more so if that league position determines the clubs ability to bring in new players.

I'm not saying people don't want to get there (just like people want to get to the challenge cup) but it would make the emphasis on finishing as high as possible, so the playoffs/ grandfinal will generally be competed by burnt out teams and make it feel like an after thought. Which would dampen the end of the season.

Should a team that finishes bottom in Superleague have the same chance in tier 2 as the 9th placed club who have just missed out on the play-offs?

Nope.

I believe there should be various advantages (not playing a championship club in round 1 and playing 2/3 of the home games they have against the sl teams are two advantages they should receive off the top of my head)

Whether this will happen remains to be seen. I can't even find whether they'll play super league scoring (2 points a win 1 a draw) or championship (3 points and bonus points)

But regardless 2 wrongs don't make a right

Just imagine this scenario. Leeds Rhinos have a catalogue of injuries during the regular season and finish 8th. Leeds are 10 points behind 4th place but now have all their star players back for tier 1 fixtures. They then win all seven games, are the form team but still don't make the 4. Surely we want the best 'in form' teams in the play-offs?

We want the best teams over the course of the year. Without becoming even more convoluted and complicated, the way to do that is having the teams who won most throughout the year. There's no other way to determine whether the Leeds team with no injuries would of faired any better in the previous 23 rounds. Teams can only play what's in front of them etc. so the teams with the most points compete.

I personally really like the top 4 playoff, it's clean, simple, rewards those who are consistent throughout the year and keeps a bit of mystery. And no club call ... Everything is better with no club call.

Wasn't there something similar to that a couple of years back with Wakefield winning the last 9 games of the season to try and get into the playoffs?

Being owned by by a rich air travel magnate and being owned by the super-rich Mittal family. That's how.

I like the idea, but I do recognize it's not perfect.

But no system is.

The current system really over-rewards mediocrity.

The new system has brought up 2 issues which I agree with, as opposed to the hypothetical scenarios.

The 2 factual issues are the restart for the middle 8.
And the way you price a season ticket.

The second issue is easily solvable and should be well with in the sales and marketing teams capability for the clubs.

The first issue is tricky. You can't carry all the point over as SL2 teams at the top would have more points than 9th placed SL1 team.
Resetting to nil, gets rid of that.
But it then takes away the points, takes away any reward for the higher placed sides in both SL1 and SL2.

You would imagine that the gap in funding that SL1 sides get, will give them some advantage. I would not expect any change in the current 3 year programme as I think a 9th placed team would be far to strong to get relegated anyway.

But if it was an issue, something like Magic Super beetle said about fixing the fixtures to the higher placed teams advantage. OR maybe something like carrying a bonus point across. But that would take away from the competitiveness of the middle group.

I just think a team that gets into 9th will be far too strong to loose, so many matches that they get relegated.

I haven't read all posts in all the related threads, but no-one seems to have picked up on the point that there will be a 'million pound game' every year as in middle 8, 4th plays fifth for the final SL spot.
Perhaps the Championship teams best bet would be to go all out for this fixture, rather than trying to outdo the big boys over several games?

It's an idea, however that relies on the championship teams colluding.

If you did not go all out against the big boys and another championship team did and beat just one of them. Then they would be in the position to take that 5th spot, (or higher).

It's fine to say beat everyone around you, but you can't plan for other teams to just ignore the SL sides and so you can't ignore them either for fear of losing out.

That game should be good hopefully!

However it could be frustrating if a SL team finishes 5th and then beats a 4th placed Championship team in that game!