Warrington Wolves head coach Tony Smith has once again hit out at the Super 8s structure saying it is making it harder for clubs to run a successful business.
The former England coach insists that the importance being put on one-off matches is not allowing teams to build for the future, resulting in rash off-the-field decisions.
“I’m not a fan of it (the Super 8s) at all,” he said.
“A lot of it is based on one-off games and that effects how you run your business. Licensing was about building for the future but we didn’t implement it well.”
Smith is not alone in sharing these opinions with the system changed prior to the 2015 season in a bid to provide more excitement and make every game matter.
Whether the Super 8s has worked is up for debate, but the Wolves head coach is adamant that licensing would have made the game more sustainable and still paved the way for teams like Leigh to play in the top flight.
“Leigh probably should have been included back when there was licensing,” Smith explained.
“Licensing doesn’t mean a closed shop. It only means a closed shop if people don’t adhere to the rules and you still don’t relegate them.
“If a team from the division below are worthy of being in Super League and you don’t promote them, that’s when it fails. There is promotion and relegation in licensing. The current system, I’m not sure that it works.
“We’ve got a new team in there this season which is great, it brightens the league up, but the manner in which it happens I don’t agree with.”
