Quote: WARRIORCRAIG "It's very easy to scratch the surface and say "this MIGHT happen". I know it isn't perfect but too many people seem to be too premature in dismissing it because it's a bit unconventional. We could get Catalans away at short notice in the cup or the current PO structure. I agree that we may end up playing one team too often (as we did in 2011 under the current system when we played Saints 6 times), but that's because of the poor, additional game format of the MW IMO. It's very unlikely that 7th and 8th will mathematically not be able to reach the top 4 and have nothing to play for the whole 7 games.
We didn't know the finishing positions of 5 of the top 6 until the last game of the weekly rounds this season, if that happens under the new structure then one team doesn't make the POs. Neither Leeds or Warrington would have been included. The tactic of coasting through the weekly rounds and peaking for the POs disappears, because you could end up missing out on the POs altogether.
I would have liked them to structure it as 22 pre-split home and away games with a 9's tournament MW as round 23, that would at least give an extra week to sort the post-split fixtures and get rid of the extra game and lopsided fixture calendar (which shouldn't exist now relegation is back).'"
I wasn't dismissing it - just pointing out some problems. I don't agree that 7/8th should have a chance of top 4. This season that would have been Catalans and Widnes, who had no chance whatsoever. It's pretty difficult to move from 8th to 4th over just 7 weeks. Even if Widnes had won every game they'd have been nowhere near.
I do agree about the lop sided nature of the structure caused by Magic. If Cas had won their last game then they would have won the LLS. Playing Wakey at Magic as opposed to us playing Leeds or Saints playing Wire gave them an unfair advantage. In fact such an advantage could see someone drop out of the 8 altogether next season with potential relegation looming as a result.