Do you hear people complaining about the premier league every season? Realistically, it's only ever a 3 horse race at best, with 17 teams making up the rest!



People should accept that some teams will have nothing to play for at some point in a season. That's sport in a league format. The rfl have got it right for me. Maybe 3 teams out of the whole league have nothing to play for come the split; the 3 being in the super 8s. The rest including the middles still have it all to play for. Come the next season, the 3 that have had nothing to play for May have something to play for whilst another 3 other clubs take their position.



There's nothing wrong with the on field product and now nothing wrong with the format IMO. How would you realistically have every team playing for something? It's impossible in a league format, because there's only so much you can play for.

Have to say I've enjoyed the middle 8's more than I thought I would and the attendances have held up well so at least that part has been reasonably successful.

With two games to go in the top four qualifiers four teams are all still jockeying for position Wigan and Leeds for one and two and Giants and Saints for 3 and 4.



That is four teams still competing at this stage. That is good for the game.

The only promotion relegation is from the championship to NL! and even that system changes next season





The top 8 will be won by one of Leeds, Wigan or Saints. That isn't going to change for a very long time, despite protestations from others on this forum.



It's just the way it is.



RL used to be quite an egalitarian sport but is now so elitist it makes RU look like a communist revival club

my only problem with this system, well, not necessarily the system as such, is the lack of intensity and i suppose jeopardy.

even though last play off system was a farce, it usually meant that the games at this stage meant something, the winners, go on the losers are done

whereas this system doesn't seem to have that intensity and tension..yet

ding ding ding ding ding



the right answer as it was, and as it has been since professionalism. Our problem wasnt the league structure, nor the amount of teams in the play-offs, our problem is that we dont have enough good sides.



having half our sides locked in a death struggle not to be the 4th worst side out of the 4 worst SL sides so their future comes down to a one off game is not going to change that.



Edit: just to add, 134k for 4 games in the NRL top 8 play off system.

It should be the Super 6s with 7th and 8th going into the qualifiers with the top 2 from the Championship.

I should imagine the 8's concept will be treated with a bit more intensity next year. The problem is the challenge cup comp disrupts the flow, pity they can't have the CC finished by the end of June so that superleague can pick up quicker competively.

I reckon it's worked pretty well. You can't make *every* match matter, but the number of dead rubbers has been reduced, a (very limited) pathway for Championship clubs has been provided, and it would be crazy to change it again so impatiently.

Even though I support a club that finished 8th and had little to no chance of making the top4, and has therefore had weeks of 'dead rubber' games I think its been a success.



We started the season poorly but had to improve quickly to secure a top8 place, under the old format I'm not so sure we'd have picked up our form so quickly, as we'd have had weeks longer to scrape in to the 8. So the middle part of the season became more exciting.



I think its far too soon to change the format again, the Championship clubs will be better for this experience. Leigh for example may start to become less 'gung ho' in their style and aim to complete more sets against the SL sides as that has been their undoing this time round.



the only thing I think could be better is (as often with RL!) the marketing. We need TV ads, press ads and social media campaigns to spread the work that the Super8's is the best 8 teams in SL going head to head all summer. Crowds have either been flat or down for these games at all of the clubs, when really these big ties should be some of the better attendances of the year. I also don't think the clubs have done a great job at selling mini-season tickets for these 3/4 games. We should be aiming to get all of the 'pay on the day' and more casual fans to sign up for these games.



I also agree with another poster above that moving the CC Final to the end of June or July would help with the 'flow' of the Super8's. I also think it would help the final itself get more coverage as there is no football or RU on at that time.

The problem with the Super 8's with regards to crowds is that most games are Thursday & Friday nights.

It's worked pretty well imo.Much better than the 8's play off format.Hopefully the semis and the final will be high quality games and they should be, all 4 teams look pretty evenly matched right now.



Certainly need to give it another season or two to form a definitive opinion.This season Warrington have been off the pace and should catch back up with the top 4 and you could say the same for Catalans overall.Next season could easily see 6 or 7 sides all within a couple of points of each other then we would see a real scrap for the top 4, which is what the top brass have obviously been hoping for.