Super League format boosted by Super 8s - Phil Clarke
Thursday 9 July 2015 11:34, UK
What do you think of it?
I'm referring to the new competition structure that we have in rugby league this year. Well, you could say that it's a bit early to comment but I think it's made a brilliant start.
The game's administrators only ever seem to get mentioned when something goes wrong but on this occasion, they deserve praise for their innovation and courage. Their names aren't important, I believe that the players are the ones that we should talk about, but the structure that they have introduced has allowed the players to play in a far more interesting competition.
Lots of professional sports face challenges. Rugby union in this country is wrestling with the concept of promotion and relegation. I've read over the weekend about the radical options and innovations that are being considered in Formula 1 to boost the public's interest.
Well, rugby league did something similar a few years back when it realised that we have too many games with not enough at stake. It's very hard - if not impossible - in a league competition to make every match matter. There will always be some games between some teams when the result doesn't have an impact, but minimising these is the aim.
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The licence system protected teams in the lower places of the league, while straightforward promotion and relegation made it almost impossible for the team that came up to stay up.
The senior management of the sport looked to find a better way and saw what had been proposed at the highest level of Scottish football. Interestingly, the Scottish football clubs did not vote to accept what many thought to be too radical for the average British sports follower.
Quite sensibly, the RFL sought advice which suggested a model like the one we have this season and the clubs voted to accept it. Lots of sports toy with ideas like this, but few put them into place.
At this stage, which I know is still early, the average Super League crowd is approximately 1,000 more than it was last season, while spectator numbers in the Championship are about 600 higher. I'm not saying that it's just because of the new structure, but it's a positive sign.
Some people say that we change the structure too often in our sport and they could have a point. Others have said that this new format is complicated and the public can't understand it, but that's not my experience. Most fans that I listen to are starting to understand and appreciate it.
I know Wakefield have been cast adrift in Super League but it feels as though games are more unpredictable. We used to get to Round 20 and have a period waiting for the Play-Offs to arrive. It doesn't feel like that this year. If anything, the next three rounds are the most exciting so far.
Some people say that we change the structure too often in our sport and they could have a point. Others have said that this new format is complicated and the public can't understand it, but that's not my experience. Most fans that I listen to are starting to understand and appreciate it.
Snakes and ladders
With three Rounds still to play, 11 of the 12 teams could still make the Super 8s and six of them still need to worry about dropping down to the Middle 8s. It's like snakes and ladders in Super League with the competition so tight.
The top eight play their seven games with the aim of finishing in the top four. Then it's sudden death to get to Old Trafford. It's a relatively simple sporting format that's designed to get the best from the players and to maximise the entertainment for their fans.
In the Championship, Leigh and Bradford are fighting for the prestige of top spot, with Halifax, Featherstone and London competing for fourth place and a chance to compete with the big boys from Super League. More teams have more to play for.
The middle group of eight teams will also play seven games in what are qualification matches for re-entry back into the Super League for 2016. It's like the play-offs in football over a seven-game period.
The top three can relax after their seven matches while fourth plays fifth in a sudden death promotion play-off. Anyone who watched the football play-offs know how exciting they are; well, we extended the concept so that it gives us a chance to find the best team as they play in seven matches, not just one or two. Then we have all the drama and tears when fourth play at home to fifth.
There is the possibility that the four Championship teams in the Middle 8s will be blown away. We could see a number of one-sided contests but at least they are given a chance to see where they're at. It's an opportunity for the giant killing in a sporting sense that has always appealed to fans in Britain.
Below this group are another eight teams competing to win the Championship Shield. It now feels, after about 20 years of fragmentation, that we have a league format and game that is inclusive to all clubs and joined up from top to bottom.
A critic could say that we still have the same three teams at the top of Super League. Leeds, St Helens and Wigan are the only ones to win the Grand Final in the last nine years and currently sit in the top three places, but the competition does gives us a more interesting format than the straightforward home and away fixture list like football.
Reaching the league summit
I've read about the stages that climbers go through when attempting to climb Mount Everest and it's a bit similar to the stages of the season in rugby league. Everyone arrives at base camp at the start of the season full of hope and excitement. Avalanches and accidents happen along the way and things get thrown at them when they are not expecting. You need to take one step, or one game, at a time and focus on the present.
Climbers go above 6100m and enter a phase known as the ‘Valley of Silence’. That’s probably equivalent to our Round 23 when it gets even more serious.
They continue to battle their way forward and eventually go into the 'Death Zone'. For us, these will be the top four play-offs when defeat kills your chances of glory for another 12 months (I'm told that it’s just adrenaline that keeps the body going at this point).
Our summit is the winner’s podium at the Grand Final and it takes one last push to reach the pinnacle. After 20 great rounds, it's going to get even better.
Watch live Super League on Sky Sports 1 HD this week - Wigan Warriors host Leeds Rhinos on Thursday while St Helens take on Huddersfield Giants on Friday (coverage for both matches gets underway at 7.30pm).
