Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont has explained the problems with the Magic Weekend as the concept faces an uncertain future.
The first problem he has picked out on BBC Radio Manchester is the atmosphere:
“Listen, where I think Magic weekend needs to go is the fundamental problem with it is it’s great insofar as it gets everybody in the same area. It’s fun. It showcases what rugby league fans can do, that they can be civilised and up front with each other and all the colours. That’s the energy and the positivity to it.
“Fundamentally, where it fails is that largely people go in for their games and go. You don’t get enough people that stick it as an event. You don’t get the atmosphere. If you get 50,000 people over the weekend going, you don’t ever get an atmosphere of 50,000 people.
“So, for me, you fix that up. I don’t think you ditch the event. I think you fix it up.”
He also said that the league shouldn’t be connected to the event as he explained it is unfair that they have to play Wakefield Trinity with the assumption being that they would be in a relegation battle:
“The other fundamental problem is, you excuse the league. You would have thought we’d be closest to Wakefield being a promoted team and now that doesn’t look really fair.”
Leigh take on Wakefield today.
