Silly Season: Name your Expansion Town & Why

[Rioman]

17 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

You mean apart from his 9 caps for Germany? 

https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/jimmy-keinhorst/summary.html

His brothers Nicholas and Kristian also German internationals. I believe Jimmy began his playing career playing Union for Heidelberg, a gorgeous university town near frankfurt. I once stayed in a hotel next to Heidelberg's ground. 

If there is one thing that has been done over and over on here more than anything (well up there anyway) it's international eligibility. You don't have to be born in a country to be a rugby league International for that country. Blake Austin played for Portugal for god sake! 

Edit. Just done the research, apparently the keinhorsts' father is German and called Wolfgang. 

I meant that Tom Johnstone was not a German International but was born in Germany.

[League fan]

Hi 

How about adding four (top four in championship) to the elite but change the format. I know another silly idea but I wonder how much money will come from the TV companies when the contract comes up for renewal. So I suggest adopting a system used by the American Football teams. 

Have sixteen teams, four leagues of four call them A,B,C,D.

A team in group A would play each team in its league home and away (six games), play each team in group B home and away (eight games in group B) and play each team in group C home and away (eight games in group C) . Groups B,C,D would follow a similar format. At the end of the league season playoffs would begin.The first week those in third place would play a second placed team in a different group (probably the group they had not faced in the season.) The second week the winners of the previous week would each face a group winner, this would carry on until two teams left who would play for the Ellery Hanley or Martin Offiah trophy. 

The bottom four teams would playoff so that the loser would have to face the top team from the lower leagues at home in the million pound game to determine whether they stay with the elites or are relegated.

Magic weekend would be a bit more difficult to incorporate but probably could be done.

The challenge cup would still be a competition worth winning because it would still involve teams from the lower divisions but the final would be brought forward earlier in the season.

It always feels strange a team finishes top of the league after winning 23 games but losing one game in the playoffs against a team beaten twice in the season the major prize is lost. The playoffs I feel are better than previous seasons but are rather complicated.

Anyhow I still feel Rugby League needs a bigger audience for an exciting game and this was a suggestion probably an old one but every team would have at least one match in the play-offs.