But 8 teams were safe after 23 games.

Yes, them 30 games should matter,But You're basing your post on maybe/If on 7 games.

in this instance yes.

in a straightforward P&R season then they deservedly would have gone down.
However , they had another bite of the SL cherry and avoided the end game of relegation or promotion.

Sorry for butting in Cokey but you did take part in the previous 23

For P&R to work well for the game, and to keep the excitement of the these games that can mean you relegated or stay up (promoted or stay down). If a SL club is relegated and has season holiday in Championship until they are back in SL season after - then that isn't damaging for the club and adds excitement of the ups and downs we like in sport (ie HKR). That doesnt mean it works using this example.
For it to work the Championship needs to be FT, to avoid contracts getting null and void when relegated (after all its players and staffs livelihoods at stake), or clubs struggling when promoted because they haven't had same time to recruit as rest of SL. The profile of the Championship, in the media especially is poor to say the least. Leigh are barely on bbc sport for example outside of SL.

Get rid of the Super 8's, and bring in play off game (home and away) between bottom and top of league below for who goes up or stays up. Work at putting together Super League 1 and 2 - 2 full time leagues. Let this competition have the franchises for entry. Any clubs inside SL1 and 2 that are failing RL and not run properly should be given notice. Keep them on their toes financially and on the field. Big sponsorship deals and more imagination in regards TV contracts.

The point i'm making is, If wire had ended up in the MPG after finishing 9th, would they deserve to go down? (for me the answer is no) BTW - I'm not one for the franchise system either,but on the other hand, i think the 8s concept is harsh. I believe in P & R and hope it's formatted/structured better than the current system.

Spot on. I'm not sure what else could replace the franchise model though, seems to work in the NRL for the most part.

Looking at it from a slightly different perspective, money I can't believe that anyone would want to return to the bad old days of franchising - and you think it's dull now!!'"

I believe there has been meeting today with the RFL involving all SL clubs to discuss a different structure as to the one we have now. Be interesting to see/hear the development of that meeting.

Be very interesting. Bottom line we all want the best for the greatest game on the planet. We have to progress as the competition is gaining, especially since the internet was opened up. And I'm sure I read recently that the amateur game has shrunk massively over the last 10 years alone.

Maybe we he team that finished bottom after 23 rounds realised early doors that they would end up bottom 2 after those rounds, and planned for the M8s accordingly. Had they needed not to be bottom after the 23 rounds you may have seen better efforts within that period - we'll never know how things would have panned out

That's one aspect of the current structure that's a farce.

How do we determine who's not good enough to stay up after 23 rounds finishing 9th 10th or 11th when the bottom club has now survived? This is why neither club on Saturday should go down. I know that the structure is what it is, and now there are discussions to change it. I hope they come up with a good fair system with P & R. Personally i think there will be 14 SL teams from 2019, how P & R will work , i just don't know, but my opinion is top of Championship to replace bottom of SL.

It was a structure to create a door ajar from Championship to SL. Why has it failed? How many posts on this board in 2015 stating the system favours SL?

Leigh broke the structure/system. Hull KR have proven,you can return within a season! If Leigh lose on Saturday,then the system is no more use than straight P&R has it hasn't avoided the yoyo effect.

Now if Catalans lose,the system is/was a success.

The system is fair, look at it a different way, after 23 rounds the season carries on for the 4 SL clubs who will carry on playing each other, either at home or away, if we take the points from the first 23 games and add the results in after the 3 games in the 8's the division would now look
Warrington 26 points
Widnes 15 points
Catalan 15 points
Leigh 14 points
So in all matches played between SL clubs we have the lowest points return.
The SL opposition is replaced by what should be 4 relativley easier games against teams from a lower division to sort out their league standings at the end of the 7 matches.

But that's not the system as it stands,so on that basis,it's irrelevant. What i'm trying to say is, P & R should be determined after the regular season,bottom of SL down, and top of championship up. If you want to add some kind of play offs, for some other prize after that to add some sparkle, then fine.

it should be either 1 up 1 down or 2 up 2 down Games are won and lost over a season not something concocted by Sky and red hall.Widnes won less games than either Catalan or us in the league but are still in SL