Quote: Eastbourne Warrior "It is apparent you are not a fan. But then you seem to have a downer on most things.'"
You read what you want to read. You obviously ignore anything positive I write.
Quote: Eastbourne Warrior "At them moment we have a closed shop of 14 teams where the weekly rounds are largely insignificant as the top teams canter their way through the season doing 'just enough' to put themselves in a position to challenge in the play offs. The bottom teams have nothing to play for, for most of the season.'"
And you talk about me having a downer!
So why, with an even bigger league and a top eight playoff is the NRL so successful? That tells you it's not the format that is the problem.
TV companies are chucking money at a competition with a format you have dismissed. There are epic games during the season. Apparently this should never happen as they will all play the %'s and over here games like Saints-Wigan on Good Friday should not happen either.
The format is not the problem, in a nutshell, its the fact half the SL clubs here are not up to fielding strong teams. Altering the format won't change that.
Fix SL at 12 teams with no P&R (i.e. licensing again) and divide the £40m a year Sky money between them you end up with a £3.3m salary cap minimum. Possibly higher if as now the cap isn't expected to cover the entire wage bill.
Then you will attract the best players and have a realistic chance of actually having good players in all the sides. At the moment there aren't enough good players for a 14 team SL never mind a competition predicated on a 24 team basis.
Go for a 12 team SL funded like that and you will get intensity in the league and you will get it because if the clubs adopt the attitude they can coast into the playoffs not only will they risk not doing so they will also lose the paying customers. As I keep saying RL is not a computer game "RL manager" where all that matters is the points at the end of the season were deliberately putting out weak sides or trying to play the %'s affects no one but you playing the computer game.
Quote: Eastbourne Warrior "I was initially very sceptical of the new format. Having had time to think about it the idea has grown on me. Essentially there are weekly rounds of 23 games until the split when effectively the play offs start. The top 8 is no longer good enough, you have to aim for the top 4. The middle 8 are in a battle as to which league they play in the next season, I'll grant you the bottom 8 being relatively meaningless, effectively a best of the rest competition.
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The top eight is clearly good enough to get you into the top eight. Then you have to get into the top 4 but those outside the 8 will know their fate as quickly as those outside the top eight do now. Those in the top 8 may also know their fate pretty quickly if league points are carried over. The 7th and 8th placed sides may already have no chance of making the top four for example. This system does not solve the issue of teams with nothing to play for.
If the middle 8 is decided by the £1m game what precedes it is no more relevant for all but two teams as anything we have now. If it isn't decide don one game then it could all be decided pretty quickly. The bottom 8 is a waste of time for all concerned with eight teams waiting for next season already. I have also read one proposal for the middle 8 is all league points are wiped and they all start on zero. Well all that means if if you are not going to make the 8 if in the top 12 you may as well give up and rest players and ditto if you have secured a place in the middle 8 from the bottom 12.
I don't understand why people can't see there are really just as many anomalies if not more in the new system than the old closed shop.
Quote: Eastbourne Warrior "As fans the majority have complained about the lack of intensity throughout the season. The new format is intended to address this. I think it has the potential to be an exciting and interesting competition for most teams. What we need to address is the gulf in spending power between the top and second teer giving those looking for promotion a realistic chance of achieving it. I would look at one simple tweak and have a single salary cap for all clubs in both divisions with huge penalties for administration to discourage overspending.'"
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