Its getting the balance right - on field v finance. Good crowd was on considering very little away support. I bet DB was the most nervous in the ground considering the money he has put in to get us to SL, knowing he would need to do it all over again. If only we could have clung on to stay up and built on our 1st season. If we miss out on promotion next season, will DB keep making up the short fall? Until RL have FT league below SL, finance should play an important part for clubs progressing rather than just on field.

The current format is harsh. 12 teams in SL, and bottom 4 go in play off league to battle to stay up. With jobs on the line. If this happened in the ordinary workplaces, John "the Marxist" McDonnell would be all over it.

The MPG has been created because the chairmen want 30 game season were all the games have something hanging on them. By simply increasing the SL to 16 teams would give you 30 games but how would you make those latter games interesting if you are 11/12 position? It's been made competitive so that where you finish really matters. You need to finish in the top 8 so that even a vague threat of relegation can motivate you. The MPG might not be ideal but it is the best way we have at the moment to get 30 competitive games per season.

I've said it on the other thread but in normal P&R you were down, in that after 30 rounds you finished with 11 teams above you. The way to approach the MPG is that it is a second chance for salvation, that two relegated clubs get the opportunity to stay up, not the way it is currently, with the focus on relegation.

There were no complaints about the Middle 8's last year when you came up that way. If you want to keep the system that brought you up, it's either 4th and below go to the Championship (you go down) or you have the MPG (you have a chance to stay up).

Yes, one up, one down is the ideal, but if that had been the case the season would have been 30 rounds long with a different format and you'd have faced tougher teams. You'd have finished in the relegation spot anyway most likely.

Have to agree, it just seems to me that their is no time to settle into SL for a club from the Championship and ultimately that has hurt us. I think the last Championship club got 2 or 3 years "grace" before they could be considered for relegation, we weren't even given 12 months and boy is it a big ask for a team with no recent experience in top flight RL.

Nothing wrong with this system it brings in extra revenue to the clubs involved and keeps the fans interest till the end of the season. Four Championship clubs have a chance of promotion into SL through the middle 8s and next season will be very interesting. I think Leigh and Toronto could be promoted through this system at the end of the 2018 season. Then its up to the Chairmen to keep them there.

Same here never want to see that unfair system return