Thursday 5 February 2015 09:38, UK
Prize money has been doubled for the team that tops this year's Super League in a shake-up which sees only the top four teams qualifying for the Grand Final play-offs.
In the recent past, the Grand Final has been won by teams that finished as low down in the Super League as fifth place and a new structure launched on Sunday aims to boost the prestige of the league leaders' shield.
Now, the first winners of the league leaders' shield will receive a cheque for £100,000 - compared to the £50,000 pocketed by St Helens who finished top in 2014.
The leading coaches believe more teams than ever will be in contention for the shield and they voted to change the prize money in order to reward consistency throughout the regular season.
"The clubs wanted to make sure it meant a little bit more than in the past," Super League general manager Blake Solly said at the season launch in Manchester on Sunday.
"One way was to give the leaders automatic qualification for the World Club Series and the other was to double the prize money. They felt good form over a 30-week season deserves to be recognised."
Both the Super League and the Kingstone Press Championship will be split into three groups of eight at the end of the regular season in July and only the top four teams, instead of eight, will play off for the right to meet at Old Trafford.
The radical shake-up will also see the bottom four Super League clubs battle it out with the leading four from the Championship to determine the make-up of the top flight for 2016.
Just three points separated the top five sides in 2014 and new St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham, whose team begin their title defence against Catalans Dragons on Friday, admits it will be hard to predict the top four contenders.
"It's so difficult because everybody has recruited so well," Cunningham said. "Catalans for me are going to be a really tough team to beat.
"Bringing in Todd Carney alone changes the dynamics of the side and he'd influence any team he went to.
"You'd expect the usual guys to be there or thereabouts but five doesn't fit into four and six doesn't fit into four so there are going to be a few people who don't make the top four that maybe last year you thought would have."
St Helens and Grand Final runners-up Wigan are joint favourites to finish top and Warriors coach Shaun Wane believes the extra competitive edge to the league will increase the intensity.
"Every game counts," said Wane, whose side open at Widnes on Thursday. "This new competition is going to make the games a lot more exciting.
"The league leaders is a very important competition now so we can't afford any slip-ups."
Some have expressed doubts over the new structure but Leeds coach Brian McDermott said: "Some good teams are going to miss out on the four and isn't that great? Week by week it will be as intense as anything.
"With the season being four Super League rounds less, it's going to bring a sharp focus to how we start."
