With half price tickets, it's hardly going to be a financial success either.

Works out at an average attendance of 5,500 per game, hardly warranting the headline "Super League celebrates another successful Dacia Magic Weekend."

(Challenge Cup - Wembley Stadium, August 25th 2018. You can now select specific seats within blocks, which is handy.)

Council's pay the RFL a significant fee to host the event, which is how it all got started in the first place when Cardiff wanted events to fil the void left by the years of Challenge Cup and FA Cup Finals. This year it was reported the RFL had bids from more city's than ever so you'd hope they've got a good increase in fee to keep the even in Newcastle.

Rovers just tweeted in reply to a fan's question that they made a specific request not to play us at next year's Magic Weekend.

Understandable - wasn't their last competitive win against us Easter 2015? They're having a sublime week so far.

Jokes aside it is actually quite harsh on Rovers. Newly promoted sides usually struggle first season back and they have been drawn against one of last season's top teams.
Not really a level playing field is it?

The whole season isn't a level playing field though is it - you don't have equally matched teams playing each other every week do you, so why should the Magic Weekend be any different?

That's like saying it's unfair on whoever has to play the champions in the first game of the season - someone has to, and you have to play them at some point, so just get on with it.

Injuries and form happen in every sport and every league. Magic is different, before this everyone plays each other home and away, so exactly the same, playing a one off random game so some teams play the extra game against a top side, some against an lower side. We benefit more than Cas and Leeds this year, but it's still an unfair system.

How many other sports in the world do this?

They'll go and beat us now!

Of course they will. Some are predicting them a top 4 finish, that our pre season will do for us, we can’t compete without Ellis, plus they have a “wizard” coaching them vs our pub landlord. If we can keep the score line within last year’s trouncing by Saints I’ll take that as a positive personally.

Why no politician hasn't snapped you up to be there spin doctor amazes me