Powell calls for Super 8s change

Castleford coach Daryl Powell believes the Supe 8s structure needs to be tweaked at the end of this season.

The structure, which was introduced in 2015, is to be reviewed by the RFL at the end of 2017.

Castleford have finished in the top eight of Super League both times in the past two years.

The Super 8s structure has come under some criticism in the past for adding too many extra games to an already long calender.

Powell said the system needs to be reviewed.

“I’ve not a major problem with it to be honest, I tell you one problem for me at the end of last year Huddersfield and Leeds being in the bottom four you had international players playing in a substandard competition really and that cannot be good for British rugby league,” he said.

“So theres some bits in there that you look at and think I’m not sure about that.

“Stevie Ward got called up [for England] and he played four games in the Super 8s – it just didn’t fit at all.

“So from that perspective that can’t be right. That was Leeds’ and Huddersfield’s fault for being down there, but how does it help our international game if you’ve got that and you want top quality competition over the whole competition?

“Leigh have got promoted and it shows it works in some way but there’s probably a different way to do it.

“I think they’ve got to find the right way to do it and I think they’ve got to find the right way to pull the structure together, whatever that is I’m not sure, but they need a review after this next year.”