All super league clubs away in the first round, with no split pot.

Making it an under 23s comp for Super League clubs in the 4th round.

Regional pools for round 4 e.g Yorks, Lancs and erm Other to increase speccy interest??

- SL clubs to play away in the 4th Round (where practicable)

- Revamp the Northern Rail Cup

- Reintroduce the Challenge Cup Plate Competition for eliminated lower league sides from Challenge Cup. Play the final at Wembley as the warm up to the Challenge Cup Final. It would also go someway to ensuring that the Challenge Cup Final was a sell out every year regardless of whoever is in the final, in Plate Finalists got say 5K tickets apiece ....

- Have a seeding system to allow NL clubs that progress past the 4th Round of the cup to either enter the Plate at a later stage or like Tolouse in 2005 (who got to the Challenge Cup Semi Final proper), have the Plate final between the remaining team from the Plate competition Vs The best / furthest progressed non-SL team from the Challenge Cup.

- Double Header the Plate Semi-Finals alongside the Challenge Cup Semis

- Double Header the Plate draw alongside the Challenge Cup Final draw

The only concession that should be made to the Challenge cup is that all clubs should play to the same quota rules , if Championship teams are only allowed one overseas ( yes I know lots of clubs cheat on this ) player , then SL clubs should also only be allowed one if they are playing a Championship club

Also the ST situation needs looking at , perhaps something like Warrington did a few years back at Leigh , where they give up their share of the tickets sold to Wire fans , who essentially got in for half price

Im my opinion the 4th round of the Challenge cup should be seeded so that all Super League clubs play away from home increasing the chances of an upset which would create more interest in the Challenge Cup. after the 4th round go back to an open draw again.

given the average score over the weekend between SL & championship clubs was 53-14 my idea of the SL clubs entering the cup at the round 5th stage joining just 2 championship clubs has more merit than ever.....

Super league clubs did not have to play this weekend,they could have and a week off,england could have got together for a longer training camp or indeed played the 1st of 2 games against the exiles....

I think Starbug has got it partly right regarding the overseas quota - but I think the competition rules should be altered so that only one quota player can play in ANY game, not just against championship cliubs. It would make the Challenge cup 'different' to all other club games. Other than that, leave things as they are.

Did anybody hear the [igenius[/i on the RL phone in on Radio Manchester after the games yesterday who said that When a SL team plays a lower league teamgenius'[/i idea been used:
Batley 18-20 Huddersfield
Doncaster 10-34 Wakefield
Halifax 34-31 Bradford
Hunslet 2-43 Salford
Rochdale 10-49 Castleford
Warrington 54-0 Keighley
Wigan 35-0 Barrow
York 22-43 Hull KR
Hull 56-0 Oldham
Saints 35-26 Sheffield
Gateshead 0-48 Quins
Leigh 16-15(or 17, not sure on the penalty try) Catalan

So only 1 result would have changed in the whole round. Granted, with 2 extra players it would have changed more, with some of the closer ones maybe changing. But all in all I think it was a bit of a stupid suggestion. Could anything similar be devised that isn't so confusing for the referees and/or the fans? Also, would this improve the attendances necessarily?

I reckon the CC could be a huge comptetion with some minor changes.

There needs to be a real focus on the comp for a short spell in the season, if we do this the excitement will mount as the draw(s) are made and wembley edges closer.

The current format which is a stop / start affair with many weeks between some of the rounds is really not good for generating interest and excitement.

I thnk we should focus on a 6 week slot (when SL teams enter) somewhere in the season where the CC is played most weeks, culminating in the final at wembley. This way the comp will gain momentumm each week - there'll be real focus on it which is essential in my view. The cup campaign will become an exciting part of the season , if its scheduled properly and we keep the dates consistent year on year, it will succeed no doubt about it - it would be quick fire building interest and culminating in the show peice at wembley.

In addition the losing teams will be able to resume SL fixtures - albeit with some work needed to re-arrange games etc.

112-0.....enough said

let the championship & amateur clubs play for a different cup/shield/plate..the 4th round would effectively become the challenge shield/plate semi finals..with the 2 winners not only earning a place in the 5th round with the SL clubs but a place in the challenge shield/plate final played as a curtain raiser to the challenge cup final....


its a win win situation in my eyes

As I put earlier the match should be played to the lower clubs quota rules , ie only one ever seas player , it still wouldn't have helped Swinton to a win , but it might have kept the score down , either way , RL is a game that will always produce large one sided scores , it isn't football and should not be compared to it

Not a bad idea for those non-traditionalists or who want a change. Would be similar to the old premiership doubleheaders or was it tripleheaders?

Anyway what if the lower league team actually make it to the main event as well as the plate final?

What is even more ' worrying ' than the Wire blow out is the attendance at Salford for the match with HKR , just over 2,000 with a healthy turnout from Hull , what should have been a potentially close match should surely have drawn more than that

thats never going to happen though is it...

BUT!!!!!!!

If it had played at the new stadium, the millions of KR fans, and the whole of the Greater Manchester area would have been clamouring to get in wouldn't they!!!

Please don't tell me they wouldn't and spoil the illusion

Spot on and the quota suggestion is a great idea. Goes some way to evening up the teams and requires clubs to play more youngsters.