Read a few things about this but it appears there will be a playoff between bottom 4 of championship and top 4 of league 1
no idea of whether it 1 game and who is at home
absolute farce as usual from the rfl
sureley if you finish first in league 1 you get promoted , otherwise it pretty pointless
but we need to ensure we do not finish in the bottom 4 which we should easily be able to achieve
we have games against all bottom 4 teams and some immediately above us
We've got a 6 point buffer and this weekend's set of results help us with losses for Sheffield, London and Batley.
If the rumoured going to the 14 team SL with York, London(!!!!) and Bradford going up happens, then the bottom 4 thing surely becomes irrelevant?
We are 4 points with a game in hand from 6th. We play Donny who are immediately above us next week. We need to aim to try and get 6th or at the very least as high as possible...
We won't finish in the bottom 4 as we have a 6 point buffer. However a very bad set of results for us finishing in the top 6 this week. Wins for Doncaster, Barrow, Halifax, York, Oldham and Featherstone. If we want the top 6 I think the next 2 games both at home are now must win.
With a top 6 and a bottom 4 playoff and us in 9th it could be a boring end to the season with only teams in 7th, 8th and 9th having no extra games to be involved with.
not read or heard that about SL - onL y read about going down to 10
also if 3 extra in who goes out ?
Bottom 4 champ/top 4 league one ....play each of the 4 from the other division....two home two away ... fixtures are dictated by final league position...for instance if north Wales finish top they'll play the in theory more difficult games at home (10th 11th ) ...12th 13th away
No chance us being involved in those bottom four play offs.
Doncaster next week is a huge game. We need to win that.
would expect Barrow and Fev to drop points next weekend. It's going to be close. We need a half back in asap.
@berkeleyviking Salford are going down. So if expanding to 14 teams 3 will go up. I can't see it though as SL owners won't share the TV money with another 2 sides, they are making massive losses as it is. It would be better with 14 though as no loop fixtures.
I wonder if thats why they are allowing more quota players in, to pad out the squads for 14 teams? Over to IMG / RL commercial to get a better TV deal. This season I have found the SKY SL games boring to be honest and don't often watch a full game anymore.
We could end up in either the top 6 or bottom 4 play-offs depending on results, but will it matter anyway in the context promotion and relegation?
We could end up in the top 6 and win the play-offs, but not be promoted to SL even if SL is increased to 14 teams, which is unlikely. What happens if London finish in the bottom 4, but are promoted to SL on the basis of IMG gradings, at the expense of the Club winning the Championship play-off? Does that mean the team finishing 9th in the Championship (Widnes?) are then pushed into the bottom 4 play-offs?
How many of the current League 1 teams will still be operating in 2026? If a few fold (Hurricanes, Whitehaven, Goole??) will the Championship/League 1 be merged; and even more likely if the SL is increased to 14 teams?
Based on the current IMG gradings, Salford would not be relegated although they surely must be facing a points reduction in their IMG grading. Equally so, they could finish above Huddersfield and Castleford in SL and still be relegated.
Toulouse or maybe even London would likely replace them, in that case. I am sure Nigel Wood will be desperately looking at ways to ensure Bradford's promotion to SL, but they are currently behind Toulouse, London and York in the IMG gradings. Maybe he will be pushing for a SL of 16 teams, so Bradford can claim 16th spot!!!!
What a farce it has all become. I've got a headache now just trying to work it all out!!!!!!
We could end up in either the top 6 or bottom 4 play-offs depending on results, but will it matter anyway in the context promotion and relegation?
We could end up in the top 6 and win the play-offs, but not be promoted to SL even if SL is increased to 14 teams, which is unlikely. What happens if London finish in the bottom 4, but are promoted to SL on the basis of IMG gradings, at the expense of the Club winning the Championship play-off? Does that mean the team finishing 9th in the Championship (Widnes?) are then pushed into the bottom 4 play-offs?
How many of the current League 1 teams will still be operating in 2026? If a few fold (Hurricanes, Whitehaven, Goole??) will the Championship/League 1 be merged; and even more likely if the SL is increased to 14 teams?
Based on the current IMG gradings, Salford would not be relegated although they surely must be facing a points reduction in their IMG grading. Equally so, they could finish above Huddersfield and Castleford in SL and still be relegated.
Toulouse or maybe even London would likely replace them, in that case. I am sure Nigel Wood will be desperately looking at ways to ensure Bradford's promotion to SL, but they are currently behind Toulouse, London and York in the IMG gradings. Maybe he will be pushing for a SL of 16 teams, so Bradford can claim 16th spot!!!!
What a farce it has all become. I've got a headache now just trying to work it all out!!!!!!
Yeah all of it gives you a migraine.😂 Personally as a Widnes fan we are not one of the Rolls Royce teams more of a 3 wheeler Robin Reliant mate. Personally I just want Widnes to build a good connection with the fans, build the Youth development and move forward to try and attract more fans and businesses involved which they are doing now. Yeah they can improve and hopefully get some luck on the way especially with players injuries.
We could end up in either the top 6 or bottom 4 play-offs depending on results, but will it matter anyway in the context promotion and relegation?
We could end up in the top 6 and win the play-offs, but not be promoted to SL even if SL is increased to 14 teams, which is unlikely. What happens if London finish in the bottom 4, but are promoted to SL on the basis of IMG gradings, at the expense of the Club winning the Championship play-off? Does that mean the team finishing 9th in the Championship (Widnes?) are then pushed into the bottom 4 play-offs?
How many of the current League 1 teams will still be operating in 2026? If a few fold (Hurricanes, Whitehaven, Goole??) will the Championship/League 1 be merged; and even more likely if the SL is increased to 14 teams?
Based on the current IMG gradings, Salford would not be relegated although they surely must be facing a points reduction in their IMG grading. Equally so, they could finish above Huddersfield and Castleford in SL and still be relegated.
Toulouse or maybe even London would likely replace them, in that case. I am sure Nigel Wood will be desperately looking at ways to ensure Bradford's promotion to SL, but they are currently behind Toulouse, London and York in the IMG gradings. Maybe he will be pushing for a SL of 16 teams, so Bradford can claim 16th spot!!!!
What a farce it has all become. I've got a headache now just trying to work it all out!!!!!!
The sport's an absolute mess when you think about it.
IMHO there's no way on God's Earth we will make the Top 6, and I'm one of the most optimistic of fans, the massive amounts of injuries have put paid to that, and no way you can blame the Coach or the players, still fit enough to pull on a shirt. And, even if we did scrape in, what's the point of prolonging the inevitable. I'd say 3 more wins should see us safe from the Middle 8s. but even if we finished 4th bottom, we will piss the games in that comp. Looks like Mad Monday will be on Sept 15th.
Up the busted Chemical Vikings!
Paulie xx
Crusaders would turn you over mate...luckily you have weaker teams under you...but London are coming good so...maybe you will have some excitement at the end of the season..
bring it on !
I would rather have extra games at the end of the season which mean something to be honest
i cannot see man6 of the top 4 of league 1 posing much of a problem -but fair play to them let’s go !
Ha...game of you, especially after today...:)
The more I hear, watch and read about the sport, the more convinced I become that it needs a complete re-set.
On the pitch, the game needs a real dose of entertainment and excitement - you know, the kind of product that people want to watch. Get rid of the gimmicks and the TV pundits who seem to want to try and convince us that the 'product' is fantastic, and everybody should be watching it!!
Off the field, the game needs a good old fashioned dose of honesty, integrity and simplicity.
Go back to basics, get rid of the ridiculous play-offs and allow teams to be promoted and relegated based on results and where you finish in the table.
Get rid of this IMG nonsense - which has been shown up for what it is - and stop subsidising the French and the other 'expansion' teams who offer nothing to the game other than out and out ridicule.
The NRL must be laughing their heads off at the amateurish way the game is administered over here.