The chairmen of Leeds and St Helens believe the new league structure finally fairly rewards the team finishing top after a lack of recognition under the previous system. As well as doubling the prize money on offer, the Super League revealed on Wednesday that the side who top the table after 30 rounds will play in next year’s World Club Series alongside the winners of the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup.
With lower prize money and fewer advantages in the past before the play-offs, Super League clubs felt top spot carried too little importance. First will now host fourth later this year in the play-offs, with a spot in the Grand Final for the winners. The Leeds chairman, Gary Hetherington, believes the incentives to finish first now match the effort required to be the most consistent team over the season.
“We’ve made no secret of the fact that we’re desperately keen to win the League Leaders’ Shield this year,” Hetherington said. “This year it brings with it a cash prize of £100,000, which is double what it’s been before and equal to the amount you get when you win the Challenge Cup final at Wembley.
“You get a home semi-final in the play-offs and you now get entry in the World Club Series, which we were desperately disappointed to miss out on this year. We’ve got plenty of motivation to get to the top of the table; there’s so much reward for the league leaders and to do it is the most difficult thing to do in a season and it’s been suitably rewarded this year.” Leeds lead the table from Saints at the end of the regular season’s 23 games.
The St Helens chairman, Eamonn McManus, agrees and believes Super League has finally got the balance correct after years of trying to reward the league leaders without overshadowing the play-offs. “It’s a huge incentive; you secure your place at the World Club Series regardless of what happens,” he said. “The extra prize money incentivises success and they’ve got the balance right after years of trying – top spot matters but it doesn’t undermine the prestige of the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup. The balance is spot on.”
On the day when the fixtures for the inaugural Super 8s were confirmed Wigan revealed plans to take a game on the road to London later this year. They will play Catalans Dragons at The Den, Millwall’s home, on 5 September and the Wigan chairman, Ian Lenagan, believes it is a great opportunity to promote the club and the town further afield.
“A little bit like the World Club Challenge in Sydney two years ago, this is a great opportunity to showcase Wigan – both the rugby club and the town – to the wider world in one of the biggest and most vibrant cities on the planet,” said Lenagan.
“We understand that some of our fans in and around Wigan may feel a little disgruntled by the move; however, we sincerely hope that they can understand the opportunity this provides us to grow as a club. With a bigger fan base, more blue-chip corporate support and access to a wider talent pool of players it will allow us to meet our mission to become the biggest club in the world.
“The game in London will be another fabulous occasion and we hope Wigan fans from across the country, including the north-west, will be as excited about this as we are and will come to the game.”
Third-placed Wigan will kick off the Super 8s on 6 August when they face Huddersfield before Leeds host Warrington on 7 August. Castleford also play on that Friday when they host Hull FC and although St Helens have been given less than two weeks’ notice to prepare for a trip to Catalans next Saturday, McManus has played down it being a problem. “Every week is going to be tough; we had to go to Catalans at some stage but admittedly we’d have preferred not to have gone in August where the players would be in a degree of meltdown with the heat in France.”
The opening round of the Qualifiers, the eight-team division which will decide the final four sides who compete in Super League in 2016, kicks off next Saturday afternoon when the Championship leaders, Leigh, take on the Challenge Cup semi-finalists Hull Kingston Rovers before the other three games – Bradford v Sheffield, Wakefield v Salford and Halifax v Widnes – are played on Sunday.
