Wednesday 27 July 2016 13:15, UK
Wigan head coach Shaun Wane says the Super 8s will provide high drama for fans as he prepares his side to take on Wakefield in their first league fixture since the end of the regular season.
The Warriors have a Challenge Cup semi-final against Hull FC to play this Friday before returning to league action next week, but Wane, whose side ended the regular season in third, says the format is perfect for providing even more excitement for fans in the closing weeks of the campaign.
The top eight teams will each now play seven more games against each other, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals and then Grand Final.
"The concept is fantastic, so I'm really looking forward to the rest of the year," Wane told Sky Sports News HQ.
"Every game is a Grand Final and it starts with Wakefield. They're playing really well under Chris Chester, so it would be good to get off to a good start and get two points from that game.
"But every game we will need to prepare well and make sure we are at our best because we want to be top of the league. That would be a massive achievement.
"We need to be really, really good because the talent in the rest of the Super League is fantastic."
Hull FC head coach Lee Radford steered his side to the top of the table before the split and hopes his side is hitting form at just the right time.
"I'm sure there will be plenty of ups and downs," he said. "A lot of the teams in the eight takes points from each other, they're almost four-point games every weekend, so making sure you're healthy and hitting form at the right time is really important and that's what we're looking to do."