I think you're wrong. The RFL has correctly weighted the super 8's so that the top 4 teams of the season get the best chance to get to O/T. However should any of the top 4 have a drop in form and one of the 5-8 placed go on a run of great results then places could be swapped around. This year the chance of winning it from 5th etc is small and the chances of winning to from 1-4 is good. This is the way it should be.

All our memories of 2011 & how unjust the end of season was. The new system reduces (but does not eradicate) the chances of that happening. No longer will a team win it from 5th.

I've never been a fan of the Magic Weekend, but if the RFL want a big 'showpiece' event, they should remove it from SL and use the Challenge Cup instead. All four quarter finals at one venue would be preferable, in my view, to the current situation of a daft extra fixture which inevitably skews the league table.

Even better idea, yeah. Just switch the team that loses a home game each year.

Don't need to do that Buckley mate.
Whoever forfeits the home game gets 4 home in the super8s and 3 away.

What happens if the four teams in the middle eight were in the six who forfeited home games?

In that you find another example of a flaw in the concept PY.

I still think the best solution with keeping this format is a 4/5 play off.

With only 2 games played this season in the CC and a third game win will get you to Wembley (you must be feeling unbeatable).You have had a poor season and other results have improved your position in the league.

That doesn't give you the right to question? Something you think you should be involved with. Your simply not there based on your performance this season.

Discussing the Super 8 with some friends yesterday. Unless we lose heavily V Cas (which would severly dent our final top 4 aims) and Catalan have a big winning margin, if our calculations are correct, we have Wigan, Hull & Catalan at home and the other teams (Leeds, Saint, huddersfield & Cas) away. Play to our potential and we could have enough to make that final top 4. Dont turn up for the first 3 rounds and it could be all over by August BH.

Theoretically assuming we beat Cas, we are as good as 5 points behind Hudds, unless of an points diff upset of an avalanche scale..! No chance of that.
And with 4 home games Hudds record is good.

Excluding Warrington v Hudds game which is a must win in this scenario, then the ask is (I think).....

Where Hudds lose 2 games, we must win all
Where Hudds lose 3 games, we can lose only one
Where Hudds lose 4 games, we can lose only two
Where Hudds lose 5 games, we can lose only three

I'm going no further because the likelyhood is nil.
I'm also counting one draw if achieved by us as a win.
Which of those scenarios is the more likely? To who will Huddersfield lose?

The game today matters to both teams the two points on offer matter for Wire to pull Cas nearer or for Cas to pull away, teams will get what they deserve that will be the nature of the super 8's, It's a competition within it's self to get into the 8's that should motivate the other four teams to improve on this seasons efforts and make the super 8's next season hopefully raising the standards of SL, I would hope that is the aim.

We are where we deserve to be but the magic game is flawed no matter what you do with the home/away format in the Super 8's, Saints or Wakefield take your pick

Today is massive for us because our Super League season is as good as over if we find ourselves six points off fourth with seven games to go. We'd be very unlikely to make that up.

If we lose today I hope all our focus is on getting to Wembley and then winning when we get there. Give all the players who are likely to be in the Wembley 17 a rest in at least one of the the SL games between the semi and the final, and bed Sandow in.

If we win today then roll the dice and go all out 'til the end.

As for the posts above about the format, I generally agree that the season is uneven because of Magic and the extra home game some teams will have, but ultimately that's why play offs are required rather than a straightforward FPTP which would absolutely require an equal set of fixtures to be fair.

There is no perfect format for anything, but you don't need to scrutinise and complain about absolutely everything the way some RL fans appear determined to do.

The Premier League season starts in two weeks, and the teams that already know they're unlikely to qualify for Europe and unlikely to get relegated could already be thinking the whole season is a waste of time. Some pretty high profile clubs like Newcastle, Everton and Aston Villa are in that bracket too. I bet their grounds will still be full or nearly full for most home games though, and at the moment they'll be hoping to have a good run and nick a Europa League spot. Even if mid table mediocrity does end up beckoning with ten games to go, they won't be complaining about the format of the league!

The RFL to their credit do try their best to make things as competitive as possible for as many teams as possible for as long as possible. You can't fix absolutely everything though, but that simply is impossible.

Today's league points are vital as all of them will be carried forward to next week & will be added to further as the play offs progress .This affects all teams in the 8 so the positions in the group could change weekly ,in theory anyway. If we were still using the old format the Wire would be stuck in 6th place as of now for the play offs.

That's what I think some people are ignoring really. The "Super 8" title makes it feel a bit like the play offs are starting in two weeks and Wires will be starting from sixth regardless of today's result. As it is, the title is just a marketing tool and the reality is that the Super League is simply continuing for another seven weeks. Today's result - as it's against one of the two teams we are directly competing with - will be the difference between being still in sight of fourth or simply too far adrift. It's massive.

From the point of view of the Eights in general, today is the difference between five teams aiming for the play offs and six teams aiming for them.