Ok, feel free to file this under VT crackpot ideas

, but following this year's magic weekend and the intensity of the Wigan v Leeds match - billed as League Leaders v Champions by Sky - maybe we could up the ante by making the fixture a regular feature of magic weekend, with a sort of Charity Shield at stake?

It would make the early to mid season rounds more meaningful and intense, add another piece of silverware into the mix to play for as a one off game, and give Magic Weekend that extra pizazz with a special top billing.

Thoughts?

The problem would be you wouldn't know who you were playing until the week before

Yeah I did think that, and maybe the logistics of it would be too problematic. Still, that doesn't rule out a more traditional Charity Shield format, eg. Champions v Challenge Cup winners.

Edit: I wonder whether Magic Weekend could be timed to fall the weekend after a challenge cup round so that the current league leaders v champions fixture could be organised? I just think this format would give Magic Weekend an interesting build up as teams would be vying for the top spot for a chance to win a trophy.

Challenge Cup winner vs Grand final winner from year before would be good. If it's the same team then grand final loser or regular season winner could do it. Not a bad idea. Could be played the final game on the Sunday as a big build up occasion.

There needs to be a settled way of deciding all the fixtures IMO, some seem pulled from nowhere. CC winners v SL champions is a good idea for the "main event" or repeat the previous year's grand final.

For the 2014 MW they simply replayed the games from 2013, which left a couple of odd fixtures (Hudds as last years league leaders against relegation candidates being one). If they are going to persist with it as an extra fixture then there needs to be more clarity about how the fixture list is put together.

The first day went well, if we could've seen Hudds vs Cas and Wakey vs Bradford instead it would've been spot on over the full weekend.

Yeh I agree to an extent, but when the fixtures were first released I thought it was a bit disrespectful to Hudds as they clearly weren't being classed as one of the "big teams" despite finishing 1st last season. It seems at the minute the Hull derby, Wakey v Cas and 2 games featuring Leeds/Saints/Wire/Wigan are set in stone and the rest of the fixtures are cobbled together with the teams that are left. If there was a clear system that put the fixtures together then there can be no arguments about certain teams getting easier fixtures, particularly now relegation is an issue.

Should be based on the previous seasons league standings. 1v2, 3v4 etc

That is too similar to the playoff format. GF v CC winners is probably the way to go, with a trophy awarded to the winners!

They'd tried something along those lines in 2009. The line up was based on the previous season's final league placing (with the addition on two new teams though)

Harlequins (9th) vs Salford (Promoted)
Bradford (5th) vs Wakey (8th)
Saints (1st) vs Wigan (4th)
Hudds (10th) vs Crusaders (Promoted)
Hull (11th) vs Castleford (12th)
Leeds (2nd) vs Catalans (3rd)
Warrington (6th) vs HKR (7th)

From memory I think people criticised it for not being the most exciting line up of matches.

It doesn't need to be an additional fixture. Make it game one after the leagues split, featuring the top 8 and the middle 8, two games from each division on each day, with the fixtures decided by the finishing positions after the initial 22 games.

We're already going to have a situation where teams play each other 3 times a year, before potential playoff and cup games, why add another fixture to a congested calendar?

What date they have Magic weekend should be thought about next year given the spilt. I'd try and have it as close to the spilt as possible so more tension about whose finishing where with so few games remaining.

Obviously if still held at Manchester City's ground it might depend on when the stadium is available, they have quite a few concerts there over the summer months too.