Leigh and Bradford certainly have great foundations to deserve a chance.

It's a shame it has to be at the expense of anybody.

They really are recruiting well. The championship hasn't looked so strong than it has since the new system.

I'm a big fan of it.

Will you still be a big fan if Leigh or Bradford get promoted at your expense





From the Championship, you have to think that Leigh are the most likely candidates to make the MPG, although London could be dark horses.

And from SL, it looks like KR or Huddersfield will be the weaker teams, although even in defeat KR looked far too strong for any Championship club, so it's going to be a big ask for anyone to gain promotion through the MPG.

Unless one of the SL clubs slips up in the MPG, it's going to be as you were and expect a change to the system when it happens (even if it's just a tweak)

yes, hull kr had no real problems at all in their challenge cup game against Oldham...oh hang on

I suspect KR weren't particularly bothered about getting through the rounds of the CC given how they were embarrassed last year. And they certainly had no issues against the championship sides in the 8s before......

Are you really saying that their performance last night, even in defeat, wasn't good enough to beat ANY Championship opposition, remembering of course that Leeds beat Wigan last week ???

Defensively they were very good and they looked after the ball well, although they did lack some craft in offence.

What they did or didn't do 3 months ago is simply irrelevant.

It's going to be interesting to see if the performances of Leigh, London etc will be any improvement on the efforts of last seasons Championship contenders.

IF Leeds, Huddersfield, Salford & KR get their act together, we could see some cricket scores.

last season we won 7 from 7 with the distraction of the cup final and without Kelly and Campese who played no part in not going to say that will happen but everyone has us nailed on for the MPG plus last night we had 11 out

As long as Rovers don't get more injuries I think they'll be in the top 2 in the middle 8.

They have experience of it for one thing. It's a stressful campaign and Leeds and Huddersfield are going to have to learn quickly.

Perhaps the championship clubs have learned from last season and be better equipped for the games ahead Leigh have totally rebuilt there team and style of play this season .



The battle for the 4 spots highlights the growth of the teams in the championship this season with 4 teams fighting for the last 2 spots on the final weekend ,why even Oldham crushed hull kr in the cup this year

seems the clubs are getting better

I wouldn't like to predict how the M8 campaign will go, other than to predict that the 4 SL clubs will finish in the top 4 of the M8



Based on the SL table, you would have to expect either Huddersfield of KR to be the lowest placed SL club, which puts one of them in the MPG.

As I said in my earlier post, it's very hard to imagine any Championship club gaining promotion but, there will be 1 SL club in the showdown.

Hull KR and Salford have the experience from last season but it's a whole new ball game for Huddersfield and especially Leeds. While I can't see either of them making a real mess of it, I wouldn't be shocked if one was to sleepwalk into the MPG by underestimating the championship opposition and sheer pressure. In the middle eights it's more about not losing than winning if you get what I mean.



My prediction? Huddersfield at home to London with Huddersfield just pipping them.

Bradford and Batley with Catalan winning the SL grand Final, and the Cougars gaining promotion. I will also win the Euromillions jackpot, Lotto jackpot and rule the world.



Next years SL teams will be the same as this years SL teams and the same as last year.

I honestly feel that if we get a bad start we could be in trouble!, we don't look like we have much of a fight in us as the regular rounds have shown.

Wow what sort of attendance will that game attract?

179 I reckon!

You're logic is flawed. Your job isn't on the line if you lose a CCup games, only your reputation - and every team loses that from time to time in the CCup.



There is nothing I'd like to see more than a Championship side getting promoted - it gives aloe seer SL teams hope that should one of us fall we can get back in eventually - just don't see it that's all.

That's a fantastic explanation for why Leigh 'bottled it' , are you a journalist by any chance ?

Well with Leigh qualifying and Hull KR finishing sixth I can just about see that happening.

There are full time teams in the Championship! Their jobs on the line also.

An additional back up to that. Leigh beat both Wakefield and Salford in last year's Challenge Cup. Didn't fare so well when it came to the middle 8's though.

Leigh should have beaten Wakefield and got pipped by a point. Hardly a foregone conclusion when you play crap against higher league opposition and just lose.



Leigh just need to concentrate on the championship teams and fo with the flow when they play SL opposition.

And if the club hasn't bankrupted itself in stupid promotion gamble then they will still be full time players in the Championship next year - again flawed logic.



If for example HKR go down some will stay in SL with other clubs, some will stay F/T on reduced deals at HKR but many will not have a new club to go to and will at best end up part time.

Yes but none of the teams in the bottom four are anywhere near as bad as we were. Last year was probably the best chnce for any Championship clubs to win and IMHO will be for a while (unless we self destruct as a club again!)

I completely agree, and the championship aides should not get a sniff. In fact, there could be some embarrassing scorelines.



But... That's what we all think and there could be a twist in the tail. Leigh have a good pack this year and play a more conservative and structured type of rugby.



I can see them giving Huddersfield a game should it be played at the LSV

As has been mentioned last year was probably the best chance a Championship team had and the best team which was Leigh fell apart when it came to it. This season besides Leigh the other top 4 teams will be weaker than their counterparts last season and there seems to have been a drop in quality in the Championship this year overall, or if not a drop in quality more of a levelling off of quality. Leigh are our best hope obviously but when comparing the teams that they have to hope to replace they do not look anywhere near. The good thing is though that they should get a 1 off game to try and clinch promotion and anything could happen in that.

Agreed



The MPG is a wholly unpleasant experience when your SL future (and maybe more) is at stake.

It is difficult for any club and their supporters and to deliberately put so much on to 1 game, whilst great for TV, it is not ideal for either club.



IMO, there has to be a better pathway into the top flight.



The current structure may prove ok in the long haul but, at the moment it seems far from ideal and to have everything hanging on 80 minutes of rugby , whilst very dramatic, it's really not what we should be doing every season.



After 21 regular season games, plus a further 7 middle 8 games, perhaps the top 4 in the middle 8 should go into SL, without the MPG.

28 games should be enough to work out who "deserves" a spot in Super League.



Of course, it could still come down to the last game but, the added pressure would happen only onece every few years and not every season.