They say the teams have had a meeting and they want 13 teams and it says we will be the team even if we do not win promotion what do you reckon

Wishful thinking.

13 seems a very (excuse the pun) odd number, what will they do at magic weekend, come easter, one lucky team will only play once ( so that's Wigan).
They will also have to change the 8's competitions.

I think more thought is needed before the RFL adapt any new league structure.

I don't mind the current structure. I've said before, the middle 8's offers a balance between protecting SL sides and also offering promotion to sides good enough. It also only rewards the top4, vs old structures where a team in the bottom half of the table got into the playoffs. It's not perfect by any means, but I've enjoyed it the past 3 seasons, and I think it's rejuvenated the Championship too.

If we are to move to a new structure, I think we need to have less games. So maybe a 14-team SL (26 games instead of 30). Keep the promotion/relegation balance via a playoff system (top2/bottom2), and reward top teams via a top6 playoff at seasons end. I'd scrap double weekends. I'd also scrap Magic Weekend, it distorts the fairness in the fixtures and has completely lost it's purpose. I'd dedicate a couple of the weekends freed up to the International game. Just my 10pence worth, I've no idea what'll happen.

Don't think many could argue with any of that but the magic weekend wont get scrapped, the RFL really like the concept and to be fair its a decent weekend out, they just need a way of doing it in a way that it doesn't tilt the fixtures, cup QF's would be ideal but not sure if it would draw a crowd?

Yeh I agree, there's no chance it'll be scrapped. I enjoy the weekend myself, but I also see it as a cynical way of extorting more cash out of existing RL supporters to boost the RFL coffers above anything else. The original idea to use MW as a concept to spread the game is dead in the water. It also devalues the derby IMO.

The concept needs a rethink, us playing each other every year was becoming a farce. The only possible way it could be done whilst giving no one an advantage / disadvantage in the league would be to play cup games there (wherever there is) the only round that would make sense is the QF's. Never know it may inject a bit more enthusiasm into cup crowds if it was a bank holiday somewhere nice.

I've always thought magic would be fairer if it was 1 v 2, 3 v 4....etc. Why pick local derbys for some and not others is madness.

Unfortunately while it makes a load of cash for the RFL, it's here to stay.

Personally, I'd like a 3-week mid-season International break for the SL & NRL, which would coincide with the Origin games, where England can play 3 test matches.

Saw this on Hullkrfans earlier.

Things that spring immediately to mind are:

13 is a very strange number for a league format.

Changing the format of this season (e.g. to a 5th vs 6th MPG) at this stage - surely not?! Any changes would be for 2019, I suspect.

Extra revenue from hosting Hull KR's MASSIVE away following once a season, even assuming we got up, isn't going to offset the cutting the Sky pie more ways (though it might explain 13 teams, rather than going for the more obvious 14). Except for Hull FC... maybe.

The 5 teams looking down the barrel of the middle 8s, will be nervous having seen our fate last year. For example, if you get a man unluckily sent off ten minutes into your first game at Fev, then suddenly the whole long-term future of your club looks rather shaky. There's nothing inherently wrong with that - this is sport - but the self-preservation instincts of the SL clubs are strong.

Licensing / franchising will be brought back, probably for 2019 as I suspect Toronto will be given one season in the Championship.

We currently have 13 genuine SL clubs going for 12 places. At the moment one of them will be stuck outside of SL when the applications go in.

Unless there's a fix it.

As with most things RL I suspect the goal posts will be positioned based on the clubs involved.

The situation around the Magic Weekend becoming a Nines Tournament ala Auckland is been wheeled around by a lot of people including J. P.
Read on one forum that the RFL think it would allow them to move to new areas and invite guest teams to compete.
The idea is if they could get a union rep team, an Aussie team, an American team etc, it will attract greater media coverage and be a greater aid to expansion.

Where fans fit into the equation, is anyone's guess.

You can have bye weeks with even numbers of teams too though.

As for us being knackered, that is number of games as much as the spaces between them.

They (the NRL) play 24 regular season games plus a maximum of 4 play-off games.

For us it is 30 (including the 8s) and 2. They have Origin, but we have the challenge cup.

Somebody who plays every NRL and Origin round plays 31 games. That's based on a circuitous route to their Grand Final.

Somebody who plays every SL round and reaches both major finals plays 36. Possibly 37, if they finished in the bottom 4 the previous season. Roughly an extra 20%.

Question does this all mean hull kr are buggered?