Rumours of the proposed alternative may have sounded better at first viewing - but the financial package attached would have been heavily in favour of the 'richer' clubs. Those at the top of SL would be getting a lot more money than those further down - hence the 'richer' clubs voting against the RFL proposal.

The new structure ensures a more even distribution of funding throughout the game.

We are no more likely to be relegated now than we were before yesterday as the agreement for 12 clubs was already agreed in principal and the RFL had stated up front that if the SL clubs couldn't agree then there would be 2up and 2down, so no change there. Under these proposals, should the worst happen and we do end up relegated, then we will be much better off under this structure.

There is much mirth about the new structure, and not everyone will like it, but it's not all bad news!

I guess you could use finishing positions to determine who you play Home and Away, although I'm still trying to work out if it's more beneficial to play your home fixtures against the stronger opposition or the weaker.

eg SL1 9th plays SL1 10th, 11th and 12th at home and the 4 SL2 teams away
SL2 10th plays SL1 11th and 12th at home plus SL2 1st, and then plays SL1 9th and SL2 2nd, 3rd, 4th away
etc

Does this give you an advantage in playing the stronger teams at home and the weaker teams away?? Or does it work the other way? Are you better playing all the weaker sides at home?

I think I've confused myself even more now

I guess making it more convoluted would open it to more ridicule. Keep it simple, 9/10 play in the midfle tier but are exempt from demotion. That at least gives the bottom four teams a target rather than treading water until the business end of the season kicks in.

I think your league position really ought to determine who you play. And the staggered Magic weekend just meant, I think, that there will be two magic weekends, one for the super league and one for the championship, but that they will be on different weekends.

I think the points carrying on relates to the top eight, in that they carry on playing each other, but only the top 4 play-off for the grand final.

I have to admit that I am warming to the whole thing. We have to remember, of course, that we might well be a championship club by then hoping for a top four berth.

The main risk is that the lower tier of the super league will find it harder to attract investment and players, and so will find it ever harder to compete against the top clubs, and so the middle eight will become an almost permanent thing.

I suspect the RFL are hoping it will help the top four of the championship get closer to the super league quality, whereas the reality is that it will make the bottom four of the super league get closer to the championship. Which is perhaps what sold it to the top clubs.

No one should be free from demotion in my opinion. You are just shifting the dead rubber.
What happens when the 5th place team plays a "non demoted" team and 4th plays someone in with a chance.
There will then be complaints that 5th had an advantage because their opponents didn't play to the death

I like what it does in principle. The "dead rubbers" if there are any will be shifted slightly earlier. The last games once in the split will be exciting as there is something at stake.

Same could be said when the team at the top knows they can not fall outside the top four but are playing a team who are trying to get into it. By at least making a competition it changes the mind set if trying to win something rather than who is the least worse.